The Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King (Extended Edition) (DVD)

...spent all his life in the shire who bravely takes on a quest. Nephew of Bilbo
Sam (Sean Astin) : Hobbit Gardner for Frodo and Bilbo and also Frodos best friend who accompanies Frodo on his journey
Merry (Dominic Monaghan) : Cousin of Frodo and a mischeivous character who in the beginning inadvertantly ends up joining Frodo and Sam
Pippin (Billy Boyd) : Best friend of Merry and equally mischeivous who also ends up alongside the ...
...sends Frodo on his quest, the first to identify the ring and possibly the only one fully aware of the dangers ahead.
Strider/Aragorn (Viego Mortensson): A Ranger from the north wondering the plains he is a man and perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye
Legolas (Orlando Bloom) : An Elven prince who is both nimble and sharp.
Gimili (John Rhys-Davies) : A proud dwarf with an initial mis-trust of the elves.
Treebeard ... more

Hobbits:
Frodo (Elijah Woods) : He has spent all his life in the shire who bravely takes on a quest. Nephew of Bilbo
Sam (Sean Astin) : Hobbit Gardner for Frodo and Bilbo and also Frodos best friend who accompanies Frodo on his journey
Merry (Dominic Monaghan) : Cousin of Frodo and a mischeivous character who in the beginning inadvertantly ends up joining Frodo and Sam
Pippin (Billy Boyd) : Best friend of Merry and equally mischeivous who also ends up alongside the other hobbits.

Others:
Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) : A wise wizard who sends Frodo on his quest, the first to identify the ring and possibly the only one fully aware of the dangers ahead.
Strider/Aragorn (Viego Mortensson): A Ranger from the north wondering the plains he is a man and perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye
Legolas (Orlando Bloom) : An Elven prince who is both nimble and sharp.
Gimili (John Rhys-Davies) : A proud dwarf with an initial mis-trust of the elves.
Treebeard (John Rhys-Davies) : An Ent of Fangorn Forest, ents being one of the oldest creatures and tree shepards. Like to do things very slowly.
King Theoden (Bernard Hill) : King of Rohan
Eowyn (Miranda Otto) : Neice of Theoden who is determined to prove herself in battle
Eomear : Nephew of Theoden
Denethor : Deranged Steward of Gondor
Faramir : Boromirs brother and son of Denethor constantly seeking his fathers approval

Plot:

When last we left Frodo and Sam Gollum was plotting to have them killed by Her... We soon learn he is referring to a giant spider named Shelob who chases and eventually catches Frodo. Sam discovers his friends "dead" body and watches as he is carried away by the orcs. After a daring rescue the two head into Mordor to end their quest but even the best laid plans...

Gandalf and Pippin ride for Gondor to discover a city preparing for war, Gandalf tries in vain to get Denethor to light the beacons that will call for aid from Rohan and failing this him and Pippin take matters into their own hands as Saurons armies descend upon the Gondorian city of Minis Tirith, with Denethor driven mad by the death of Boromir it is up to Gandalf to lead his men into battle

Aragorn meanwhile remains in Rohan with Legolas, Gimli and Merry. He tries to persuade Theodon to go to Gondors aid only to receive the response where was Gondor when we needed them. However once a signal arrives from Gondor Theodon agrees but with far fewer men than needed Aragorn realises he must call for aid from an unlikely source, the paths of the dead.

As all but Frodo and Sam converge for battle at Minis Tirith is time running out...

Soundtrack:
Inspirational at some parts and really lends weight to some of the more emotional and dramatic scenes

Special Features:

Commentary by: The Director and Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens,The Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah, Tania Rodger,The Production/Post-Production Team: Barrie M. Osborne, Mark Ordesky, Jamie Selkirk, Annie Collins, Rick Porras, Howard Shore, Jim Rygiel, Ethan Van der Ryn, Mike Hopkins, Christian Rivers, Alex Funke, Joe Letteri, Randy Cook, Brian Van't Hul ,The Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Lawrence Makoare, Smeagol & Gollum
DISCS 1-2: The Feature:
DISCS 3-4: The Appendices:
Disc Three: The Appendices Part Five - "The War of the Ring"
Peter Jackson Intro
"J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth" documentary
From Book to Script:
- "From Book to Script - Forging the Final Chapter" documentary
- Abandoned Concept: Aragorn Battles Sauron
Designing and Building Middle-earth
- "Designing Middle-earth" documentary
- "Big-atures" documentary
- "Weta Workshop" documentary
- "Costume Design" documentary
Design Galleries - 2, 123 images
- The Peoples of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio)
- The Realms of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio)
- Miniatures (galleries with docent audio)
"Home of the Horse Lords" documentary
"Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship" interactive map
"New Zealand as Middle-earth" interactive map with on-location footage
Disc Four: The Appendices Part Six - "The Passing of an Age"
Elijah Wood/Sean Astin/Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan intro
Filming The Return of the King
- "Cameras in Middle-earth" documentary
- Production Photos (gallery) - 69 images
Visual Effects
- "Weta Digital" documentary
- "The Mûmakil Battle" demonstration/interactive feature
Post Production: Journey's End
- "Editorial: Completing the Trilogy" documentary
- "Music for Middle-earth" documentary
- "The Soundscapes of Middle-earth" documentary
- "The End of All Things" documentary
"The Passing of an Age" documentary
Cameron Duncan
- "Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for 'Into the West'" documentary
- "DFK6498" short film
- "Strike Zone" short film
Easter eggs: Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn interview Peter Jackson (2004 MTV Movie Awards), Dominic Monaghan interviews Elijah Wood posing as a German journalist
All four discs are DVD-ROM enabled, featuring a link to lordoftherings.net and access to exclusive online features

Overall:
A new version of the third installment includes 50 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film. (approx. 250 minutes) retailing at the moment for around £20. This is by far my favourite film out of the entire trilogy the tension builds and builds into dramatic battle scenes and emotional heart tugs. The ending dragged out a little bit with many people thinking the film had finished when it hadn't. This was dissapointing in that a large chunk of the ending of the book was dropped even from the extended version and perhaps this would have been a better use of the ending half an hour.

Overall an excellent film that could more than likely be enjoyed even by people who had not seen the first two, although obviously it is better when you know the whole history of the characters.

This trilogy should be watched and appreciated by all!
 

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