This mind-blowing extended trilogy box-set of the immensely popular Lord of the Rings films is an absolute must-have for any fan of the series or fantasy stories of any kind. Gorgeously presented and smothered in artwork, each film is presented in its seamlessly extended form alongside an innumerable number of well-organised special features. A joy to watch, a joy to own; the ultimate Lord of the Rings experience.
Each film is extended by a minimum of half an hour, and up to 45 minutes in the case of the third film. These extensions include entire extra scenes lasting several minutes, or are sometimes extensions of scenes that were already screened in the cinema. Which scenes are extended and which scenes are added are marked clearly in the chapter lists both on the DVD menus and within the accompanying inlays.
The extensions add greatly to all 3 films, and are not arbitrary in any way. Each additional scene provides more information and depth to the story and keen viewer, explains elements of the plot in greater detail, provides significant further development of characters and much better transitions between
events in the plot. Nearly all extended scenes include incredible visuals that must have cost thousands to execute, so you are in no way being delivered a cheap extra. Indeed, Peter Jackson, who directed the trilogy, has stated that the extended versions are by far his favourite, including all the things he regretted having to remove from the final films. In all cases, Howard Shore, composer for the series, has composed new music to blend the un-extended soundtrack into the extended version.
Many of the scenes address entire chapters of the original Lord of the Rings books that had to be eliminated from the theatrical release. Some of the most memorable additions are as follows. In The Fellowship of the Ring, there is an extended introduction giving more background on Bilbo's book There and Back Again (The Hobbit); extensions throughout the entire Rivendell-Moria sequence; and quite an amazing extension of the entire Lothlorien events, including greater interaction between all the characters that reveals all the tensions growing at that point in the plot, as well as a much-improved gift-giving scene as the fellowship leaves Lothlorien. In The Two Towers we enjoy more perilous navigation through the Emyn-Muil; greater explanation regarding the Ents, Gondor and Aragorn's past; the entire Ent-Draft sequence transferred from the Fellowship; the coming of Fangorn to Helm's Deep; loot at Orthanc; and a final farewell to Faramir. In The Return of the King, the highlights include the entire Voice of Saruman chapter fully realised; extended sequences in Gondor's past; more detail regarding the Hobbits' involvement in the War of the Ring; the entire Houses of Healing sequence; a battle between Aragorn and Sauron across the Palantir; and the entire Mouth of Sauron sequence fully realised. All of these sequences are of the same high standard as the rest of the films, and are blended in perfectly.
Each film is presented on 2 DVDs. This means that half-way through each film the picture cuts to a stylish "The story continues on Disc 2" message. This is done fairly well, especially in the first film, however the split feels slightly haphazard in The Two Towers and The Return of the King. These two discs are presented inside a thick box that folds outwards several times to reveal 2 other special features discs and a pamphlet.
Each box is decorated exquisitely in Lord of the Rings artwork, written in Lord of the Rings fonts, and generally made to look beautiful. The Fellowship of the Ring's box is themed in green, The Two Towers in red and The Return of the King in blue. Each box comes, further, inside another dust-cover box which is shinier and includes gold lettering. These three boxes come, finally, inside a third larger box that contains the whole trilogy. This is made of thick card, is a golden yellow-green in colour, with a lustre finish and golden lettering.
The special features bundled on 6 DVDs with the trilogy include never-before-seen making-of footage, interviews and galleries. The colossal amount of features are presented clearly on a beautifully drawn "map" that is contained inside the pamphlet included in each box. Many of these featurettes are quite interesting and deliver all sorts of inside information on the making of the three films and how the effects were achieved. In some cases, these special feature discs also contain bonus easter eggs - undocumented further footage. The Two Towers disc, for instance, contains a bonus video of Gollum's appearance on MTV.
Overall, this box-set is the ultimate cinematic Lord of the Rings experience, including everything that any previous release has featured plus a whole host of extra features. It is presented in a very artistic way, so it looks absolutely fantastic. Both a collector's item and the culmination of the entire Lord of the Rings saga, if you enjoyed the films, get yourself this trilogy.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2001 - Action/Adventure - Director: Dominic Sena - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Sam Shepard, Vinnie Jones, Camryn Grimes, Zach Grenier
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Sorry for the H, but you're reviewing these on the basis that the reader will already know the films. Whilst your coverage of what is additional to the films is good, this is not terribly helpful for those who have not already seen the films and don't know what was originally there, or for those who last saw them at the cinema and can't remember.
tigerthecat 07.01.2008 23:13
I have the original films but will definitely buy these for my collection.
This is a well written and well thought out review giving loads of info. xxx Phyllis.
rushda 07.01.2008 22:54
Wow, fantastic review of the trilogy set. I haven't watched it myself but will do so at some point (though not all at once! ;))
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