Fifteen discs...to rule them all, and take up quite a bit of shelf space. My golly goodness is this one hell of a big box set! The Extended Editions of 'The Lord of the Rings Trilogy' have finally arrived on Blu-ray! The packaging itself is a very sturdy,...
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Fifteen discs...to rule them all, and take up quite a bit of shelf space.
My golly goodness is this one hell of a big box set! The Extended Editions of 'The Lord of the Rings Trilogy' have finally arrived on Blu-ray! The packaging itself is a very sturdy, metallic clasping six sided box that's as golden as can be, with light embossing only adding to its beauty. The front folds open to reveal a map of Middle Earth on the inside of the front and spine sections, with a cast shot atop the case holders. Each film in this set gets its own Blu-ray case (unlike the Theatrical Edition set), with a five disc black cased box with identical layouts on the art. The spines themselves for these titles have a very slight hint, matching the colors of the book-fashioned DVD set: blue for 'The Return of the King,' red for 'The Two Towers,' and green (how fitting) for 'The Fellowship of the Ring.'
The first two discs for each film are BD50s, each with half of the film. Yes, dear fans, you'll have to get up off the couch to switch discs. Yes, I know, burning calories is the antithesis of a proper marathon viewing, I get it. However, the end result is worth said minimal strain (and, come on, you'd have to get up to switch movies anyways!). The third and fourth disc for each film contain the Appendices, the final two discs on their respective original Extended Edition DVD releases. The fifth disc in each set contains the Costa Botes documentary for the respective film. Due to the way this set sprawls out, every extra from the DVD releases can be found here, whereas the Botes documentaries were not found in the four disc book packs. The final score on this set is Blu-ray: 6, DVD: 9, where the DVDs could have all easily fit on a single BD50 disc per film (even at a maxed out DVD9, that would just be barely more than a BD25 disc, before reconfiguring and updating menu systems. Like the previous Blu-ray release, there are again Digital Copies, though this time, they're non-disc, contained on a piece of paper with URL and download code information.
There is no extended/new scene indicator, as is found in some other alternate cut home video releases; however, the chapter selection for each film has single and double apostrophes next to each chapter indicating what changes are made. Each film has a booklet in its respective black case, that has a chapter selection (with additional indicator marks), as well as a spreadsheet for the supplement package. There isn't, though, any space in the black cases for anything else, whatsoever. Put in the additional paper inserts in the case (the shameless advertising, such as a Harry Potter mini-catalog...what's that about?!?), and the case will bulge and have difficulty closing.
As of yet, there is no announced release date for these films individually, but it's sure to happen, just as it did for the Theatrical Editions on Blu-ray.
Sound:
"Three films, three DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 mixes, one reason why this release may rule them all."
The adage concerning not fixing what isn't broken applies to the audio New Line provided 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. In fact, I'm much more impressed with the sound this time around than I was back then, even if nothing has changed in terms of what type of mix has been provided. The entire trilogy sounds quite literally flawless, for its entire runtime. Not once in the entire viewing marathon did I have a moment where I wished some element was heftier, or some speaker had more activity. This was perhaps one of the most pleasant, accurate to the action on screen mixes I've encountered in some time.
All three tracks are nothing short of splendid, with pitch perfect dynamics, wonderful directionality, constant and appropriate localization effects, superb clarity, impeccable prioritization, wonderful volume spikes, and plenty of down and dirty bass to keep the entire experience engaging, no matter how thoroughly worn out you are by the length of the material. The soundstage is constantly filled, putting you in the middle of the experience throughout the entire affair, be it in a not-so-crowded hall or a battle littered with combatants from all angles. There's never an inappropriate moment or sound, not a single hair out of place. Range is brilliantly unchecked, and the echoes found in this trilogy, there may not be any better example on this format! I loved how regularly the bass had a different kind of roar, with frequencies and potencies changing, creating a fun new experience each time there was the need for extreme power, and I loved even more the fact that not once in the entire runtime did I need to adjust the volume settings on my receiver. The sharp clangs of sword on sword, the cold thumps of bodies hitting the ground, the whizz of arrows swooping across the room at any given angle, the thunder beneath a massive creature's footstep, the haunting melodies, the sharp spikes of victorious yells and screams, the screeching of the undead, the rumble of a volcano...all part of a perfect audio experience. The Extended Editions of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy all earn perfect marks, with no regret or nitpicks. The most thunderous element after these three tracks played was the sound of my applause for a job more than well done.
Easter Eggs
There are three "easter eggs" on the Blu-ray discs, with each being found on the disc one of each film, in the supplements tab, where an entire tab is a ring. They're not exactly hidden all that well, to be frank, so putting them here is a bit of a stretch, but ah well!
On the 'The Fellowship of the Ring' disc, we get a three minute SD alternate version of the council of Elrond, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jack Black. This one has to be seen. It's definitely not for children. It's horribly crude, yet hilarious at times, especially the Frodo gag.
On the 'The Two Towers' disc, a three minute SD MTV movie award acceptance speech is shown, as Gollum won an award for best virtual performance (tough category, that). It's pretty poor, really, but calling Dobby a %$@ing &^% is quite epic.
On the 'The Return of the King' disc, there is a nine minute SD interview between Monaghan and Wood, played off as a hoax of sorts on Wood. Monaghan doesn't do a bad German, but the joke here is on us, not Wood, as it isn't all that funny.
On the Appendices DVD discs, there is a symbol at the bottom of each page that is a not-so hidden link to the DVD credits.
The following Easter Egg has been found by one of our readers (John Bowdle, take a bow, and thanks!): After finishing 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' watching through the end credits (or even fast forwarding through it all), you are brought back to the main menu, and if you let the screen sit for a short while, past where the audio cuts out, the menu seems to make a choice for you, the screen goes black, and Peter Jackson introduces the theatrical preview for 'The Two Towers.' Jackson says DVD, and it's in SD, so you know this is an old bit of footage from a past home video release, but a three minute HD clip of the second film, that's something, isn't it?
Researching this tip further, when this trick is done to the 'The Two Towers' disc...nothing happens. I kept waiting and waiting, but after four minutes, I had enough. Since there's no way 'The Return of the King' would have a trailer for 'The Hobbit' or one of the previous two films in the series, I didn't even investigate that disc.
Thanks go to reader/forum member Tiny Angel for spotting this extra. On disc two of 'The Return of the King' Blu-ray, at the black screen, select to view the main menu. From there you get a traditional menu, and another not-so-well-hidden ring in the supplements tab. This six minute MTV feature has Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Peter Jackson sitting down as the two actors faux-interview Jackson about making a sequel to the 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. It's not bad, by any means, and gets better as the runtime rolls on. Still, MTV means it panders quite a bit.
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