DVD Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition) – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Jul 11, 2011, 15:27 GMT

The Quest Is Over: All three extended versions in dazzling 1080p and DTS HD-MA 5.1 Audio. Deluxe set includes over 26 Hours of spellbinding behind-the- moviemaking material, including the Rare Costa Botes documentaries, on 15 discs. ...more

Director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition) arrives on Blu-ray looking incredible and well worth the price – even if the lack of any new special features is a bit of a letdown.

Jackson’s three films captures all the epic fantasy found J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic stories, and Blu-ray’s 1080p quality brings the films to light with a level of definition that makes it feel like you are watching the films again for the first time.

The picture is crystal clear and every little detail is on display – from simple things as the weaving design in the Elven cloaks worn by the Fellowship to the more grotesque Uruk Hai birthing sequences. Add to the fact the character development and extra screen time of the Extended Editions, and this is without a doubt the way to watch Lord of the Rings.

I have read some viewers didn’t care for the DTS HD-MA 5.1 Audio, but I didn’t have any problems with it. With that said, there was nothing to make it stand out against what I have heard on my DVD collection of the extended versions of the films – which could be why some have a problem with it.

The screenplays for the three films were written by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Stephen Sinclair (The Two Towers). The films also features a great musical score by Howard Shore - who does an excellent job having the music keep the audience emotionally invested with what is happening on screen.

The Lord of the Rings films are perfectly cast and feature a number of great performances from an ensemble cast. Main characters in the three films include Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Sean Bean as Boromir, Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck, Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Billy Boyd as Peregrin "Pippin" Took, Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Hugo Weaving as Lord Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Lady Galadriel, Andy Serkis as Sméagol/Gollum and the legendary Christopher Lee as Saruman.

The cast is as epic as the story and includes solid performances from a host of more actors including Brad Dourif, John Noble, Karl Urban, Miranda Otto, and David Wenham.

In case anyone has not yet had the opportunity to experience Lord of the Rings, I will try and keep the plot descriptions brief and as spoiler free as possible.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings – The first film does an excellent job of setting up the story, establishing the characters, and getting the viewer hooked on what is to come.

In this first part of the Trilogy, Jackson quickly (or quickly in Ent time) introduces all of the characters and sets his main players on their quest. Frodo Baggins takes on the burden to take the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it before the dark lord Sauron can find it and use it to rule Middle-earth.

Frodo is aided on his quest by the Fellowship of the Ring – which includes three of his Hobbit friends; the legendary wizard Gandalf; a ranger called Strider who has a larger role to play in the story as Aragorn; the wise-cracking and fierce dwarf Gimli; the elf archer Legolas; and the human Boromir who believes the ring should be used as a weapon against Sauron.

The Fellowship’s journey is hard and long. The group is put to the test against a host of Sauron’s allies and other evil creatures that stand in their way. The Fellowship also has to deal with the ring’s corrupting influence and the temptations it lays before them.

The film won four Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Cinematography, Makeup and Original Score. The Extended Edition of the film features about 30 more minutes of footage.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – The second film sees the Fellowship shattered and split. The film follows the main characters in separate storylines. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas chase after Merry and Pippin while Frodo and Sam are forced to make an uneasy alliance with Gollum so they can find a way into Mordor.

The film follows the established formula of the first one mixing character development and emotion with massive amounts of action.

Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas face death in the epic battle of Helm’s Deep as Frodo and Sam struggle to fulfill their quest. Frodo also has to deal with the ring’s corrupting influence and he sees his world slowly starting to parallel that of Gollum’s.

In a film filled with action, its true strength lies in the quiet moments between the heroes (some of my favorite scenes are in the exchanges between Gimli and Legolas or Pippin and Merry’s exchanges with Treebeard), and in Serkis’ heartbreaking performance as Gollum.

The film won two Oscars: Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. The Extended Edition contains about 44 minutes of extra footage.

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – The epic story comes to an equally epic ending with Return of the King. The film sees Aragorn accepting his legacy as the rightful king, and the forces of good meeting Sauron’s evil in open battle (complete with Aragorn delivering a speech to stir the hearts of his men and the audience).

Frodo and Sam complete their journey to Mount Doom to destroy the ring, and once again have their friendship pushed to the very limits. Frodo has to endure the ring’s treachery and show he can overcome its evil influence once and for all.

Jackson also takes time to complete the story of the tragic Gollum, and the character’s journey throughout the film moves him from villain to victim by the end.

Again, Jackson does an excellent job of mixing epic action with quiet moments of strong character development and heart (as when Sam struggles against all to help Frodo on Mount Doom literally carrying his friend on his back to be rid of the ring’s evil).

The film won Academy Awards in all 11 categories for which it was nominated and took wins for Best Picture, Director, Editing, Art Direction, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Makeup, Adapted Screenplay, Sound Mixing, Original Song and Original Score. The Extended Edition contains about 52 minutes of extra footage.

While Blu-ray’s picture and the quality of the films make the set worth the purchase price, the lack of new special features are an extreme letdown. I understand that Jackson and company are a tad busy with The Hobbit films, but it would have been nice to have something new to go along with the purchase price. Still, the lack of features is hardly a reason to not buy the Blu-ray set.

Without a doubt, The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition) is the way to watch these three movies, and Blu-ray is the best format for these movies to be seen. Jackson and company did an incredible job bringing Tolkien’s world to life on the screen and Blu-ray captures every detail. I highly recommend this set.