Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship embarked on a long and dangerous journey. So did I. Frodo carried the One Ring; I watched all fifteen discs, including over twenty hours of film and extra footage.
Is this boxed set your “Precious” or should it be cast into the fires of Mount Doom?
I have always been a fan of Tolkien’s work. My father read me The Hobbit as a child and from there I went on to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When the film was first released on Blu-ray I was extremely excited, until I found out it was the theatrical release.
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing really wrong with the theatrical release, but I wanted a version that had more. And the Extended Version was what I was craving.
Video
From The Shire to Mount Doom, Middle Earth comes to life in 1080p.
The visual effects look ageless: from Minas Tirith to Isengard, every monster looks tangible and real. Gollum never looked better, and that’s saying something. This is, by far, one of the best films to be re-released on Blu-Ray I have seen.
Sound
The score of Middle Earth is pitch-perfect on this Blu-ray. During the battle I felt as if I was riding with the warriors of Rohan — the sounds of smashed and broken armor filled my apartment. You truly get immersed thanks to excellent sound quality. Each film also features bonus footage of the musical composition process and the debates over creating the score.
Bonus features:
The collection comes with appendices — an incredible six discs. It is an in-depth look at each film, from pre-production until the premiere. Ir was not a waste of time. My personal favorites are: a look at Tolkien’s life, the creation of Lord of the Rings, and the in-depth look at the Weta Workshop visual team. Furthermore, each film comes with its own behind-the-scenes.
However, the appendices and behinds the scenes are on DVD, not Blu-ray. This is the only aspect that stands out as less-than-perfect.
Packaging:
Each of the three films comes in its own black Blu-ray case. They’re very sleek, and the style’s unique. The overall container resembles an old book, weathered but still in fine shape, with a gold tinge. The inside fold features a map of Middle Earth.
Each film comes with a booklet listing the features and a brief index of the discs’ contents. Very nice touch. The collection includes a catalog of LOTR memorabilia and one for Harry Potter as well.
Overall thoughts:
This is a must-buy for any fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even the mildly interested will sit down and take in the beauty riding over the hills of your screen. The films have never looked, nor sounded, better and, with the collection’s massive array of extra features, it is truly worth the Spare Change.
Retails at $99.99
Photos by. Payne Curlin