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If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do. |
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One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi
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The restored scenes in this extended cut make for a more satisfying and coherent narrative, and bring us closer to Tolkien's original work.
Stand out extra scenes are:
Saruman's last stand; a conflation of the original, but a great scene, faithful to the themes and spirit of the scene in the book. This gives the closure the Saruman story deserved.
Aragon draws the eye of Sauron: this serves to partly explain Denethor's madness, but not as specifically as the book does.
The Mouth of Sauron: A truly revolting and effective creation.
The Mimis Tirith battle scenes are also extended, and we get to see that revolting Orc Captain get his deserts. He just vanishes from the Theatrical version.
As for the documentary features, there's a wonderful, inspiring documentary on Tolkien and the book, intelligent and illuminating.
The next feature is also good, looking at some of thr processes involved in filming the unfilmable. There's a fascinating look at a scene that never was, but we see here storyboarded, where Sauron appears to Aragon in his original Angelic form, before taking on his 'Dark Lord' form to do battle.
There's more, enough detail to satisfy the most obsessive fan. This is a good value dvd package, an essential cut of what until now has been a very flawed release.
But while the extended cut of the movie itself is overlong and rather ponderous, the special features are superb. There are numerous excellent documentaries that cover visual effects, sound, music, etc. There are also films covering pre-production and production, the latter including many tearful moments as the members of the cast each film their final scenes. These documentaries really convey that the Lord of the Rings trilogy are not merely movies - they are a true cinematic 'event'. A multitude of talented people poured their heart and soul into these films over a period of six years in some cases, and in so doing created an epic saga that will be talked about for years to come. Those of us who were able to watch these movies in the cinema on their initial release were truly privileged.
A couple of things for fans of the books to hear. Even at 4 hours running time, the Scouring Of The Shire doesn't make it into the film ... in fact the entire film from the closing scenes of Mount Doom onwards remain as they were in the cinema.. Also push aside those 'too many endings' scoffs, the story was never meant to conclude with the climax of the big battle. Delve into the appendix of Return Of The King and you find that the Fellowship's lives are documented right up to their deaths or parting from the realm of Middle Earth. The War Of The Ring was but a very small part in the history of the world and it was fitting to see in conclude back where the story began.
What a conclusion this series had too! The Two Towers saw a siege with 10,000 attackers throw themselves upon Helms Deep, Return Of The King sees 600,000 attackers in the crucial battle of the world. So many stories intertwine, with Aragorn eventually facing his destiny as the King Of Gondor, Gandalf preparing the city of Minas Tirith for the oncoming assault against the wishes of the deranged steward Dethanor, and most importantly Frodo, Sam and Gollum's final stretch to Mount Doom to destroy the Ring.
Of most interest with this DVD is whats 'new'.
... Read more ›This is the boldest of the three movies in that it necessarily must take the most risks in depicting Tolkien's universe. It's a delicate balancing act. For instance, some will love the Jackson of old re-emerging for the Paths of the Dead sequence, while others will resent its Temple of Doom comedy-horror stylings. Legolas skipping up the leg of an olyphaunt and then sliding down its trunk as it falls: fanboys loathe that stuff; the kids love it. But thankfully, due to Return of the King's structure - a series of action scenes built around Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) dreadful narration - one doesn't have to wait long until the next set-piece arrives. And we're spoiled for choice. Gandalf, for example, doesn't only narrate - he also, exhilaratingly, sweeps onto the plain of Pelennor to ward off the Nazgul with a blinding shaft of light. Shelob doesn't disappoint; Weta have created a memorable monster who tickles the neck-hairs of Tolkien devotees and unsuspecting arachnophobics alike (I had not yet read the novel at this point...). And the lighting of the beacons, erupting from far snow-capped peaks, calling to Gondor under the bellowing strains of Howard Shore's aptly triumphant score, might be the single most rousing sequence in movie history. It's the ignition of hope, a glimmer of unbridled joy before the darkness descends.... Read more ›
It rounds off the trilogy nicely bringing the story to a close. Read more
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