Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34346 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-02
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Limited Edition, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 222 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave "double-dipping"--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This "triple-dip" 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans.

What do you get?
Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Two Towers are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes that are common to both versions are stored on the disc only once. If you choose to watch the extended version, the disc "branches" out to the added or extended scenes. What does this mean to the viewer? Not much. The viewing experience is the same because the branching is imperceptible. But because both versions of the film don't have to be stored on the disc in their entirety (which would be almost seven hours total), both versions together fit on two sides of one disc. The downside is that whichever version you watch, you have to flip over the disc halfway through; the film breaks at the same spot it did on the Extended Edition, right after Faramir finds Frodo and Sam. Also lost are the meager features included on the theatrical edition, plus the four commentary tracks, two discs of bonus features, and DTS 6.1 ES sound from the four-disc Extended Edition.

What's new?
Costa Botes' 105-minute documentary reminds us just how rich The Two Towers is. It covers the mechanics of Treebeard, Gollum, Rohan, and other elements, and all that iss before we get to the half-hour segment on Helm's Deep. What's interesting is how Peter Jackson and others appear in the documentary, but even more time is spent interviewing the extra actors and the lesser-known technicians who get into the nuts and bolts of how the film was made. Most of the cast members aren't interviewed at all, though Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd's clowning serves as a framing device. Some of the shots are quite funny, including the anachronistic glimpse of someone vacuuming the Great Hall of Rohan. It's entertaining, but because there's no structure (there are chapters, but no menu or chapter listing), it's not as convenient to watch, and go back to, as a documentary broken up into bite-size pieces. Oddly, the documentary is in widescreen, but not anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs. Note: New Line Home Entertainment couldn't release this material on its own a la the King Kong Production Diaries due to contractual restrictions.

Bottom line: Do I need this edition?
This Limited Edition combination of theatrical and extended versions plus new documentary seems likely to appeal to two camps. One is the devoted fan, who already owns both editions but has to have everything LOTR. The other is the casual fan who liked the movie in theaters, heard good things about the Extended Edition, and doesn't need a ton of bonus material. This edition is attractively priced for that buyer, and the packaging is quite handsome. In between is the devoted fan who already owns both editions but doesn't feel the need to watch more bonus material. When watching the whole movie, that fan will always choose the Extended Edition, but keeps the theatrical edition for (1) watching with guests, (2) Sean Astin's short film, or (3) the convenience of skimming through favorite scenes without having to change discs. That fan can safely skip this edition, as can home-theater fans who love DTS. --David Horiuchi

Synopsis
Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Jackson's THE TWO TOWERS throws the remaining members of the Fellowship into the scattered chaos of Middle-earth, now fully under siege by the forces of Sauron. While Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to the dreaded Mordor, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are held captive by orcs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) search for their abducted companions. Soon Frodo and Sam are joined by the sulking and duplicitous Gollum (portrayed by the voice and motion-captured acting of Andy Serkis), who becomes their guide through the barren lands leading to Mount Doom. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin encounter the looming Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies) and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in the land of Rohan, accompanied by an old friend. As the tale continues, each scenario becomes more perilous, and fierce battles erupt at both Isengard, home of the treacherous Saruman (Christopher Lee), and the massive Helm's Deep. After masterfully setting up the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Jackson continues the trilogy with the increasingly dark and battle-filled TWO TOWERS without skipping a beat. Although the director takes a few more liberties in adapting the second instalment, he skilfully cuts from one scenario to the next, creating a tightly woven tapestry with the various storylines. Joining the impressive cast this time around are Miranda Otto as Eowyn; Bernard Hill as her father, King Theoden; Brad Dourif as the aptly named Grima Wormtongue; Karl Urban as Eomer; David Wenham as Faramir and Serkis, under the remarkable CGI facade of Gollum. An intense epic that features one jaw-dropping sequence after another, THE TWO TOWERS more than carries its weight as the crucial centrepiece of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Customer Reviews

Lord of the Rings
Don't buy this DVD! Although this is an amazing film, why not have the entire film on one side of the disc? I don't want to have to get up halfway through the film to change it over to side B to see the second part. Who are these morons? Is is so difficult to have the theatrical edition of the film on Side A and the extended version on Side B. Why oh why do we need to have the first parts of both films on one side of the disc and the second part on the reverse.We don't need an intermission. This isn't the theatre! Just let us have the film in its entirety all the way through on one disc.

Is there no dvd where I can see the extended film all the way through to the end without the inconvenience of having to change the disc or turn the disc over to the other side. What a wasted opportunity.

One Film - One Disc - The way it should be
I never bought the extended edition because I was considering to wait until the price was low enough, either via a sale or a market seller on Amazon, to justify the cost to have to watch one film over two discs.

Who the hell wants to get up halfway through the film to change discs? You want to watch it throughout, right? Right!

Now you have that opportunity. This is both versions on one disc. If you can sell the extended edition with a bunch of stupid commentaries on it - go ahead and buy this again. This is what we were waiting for, Thanks to God, and it's well worth having.

I have seen the previous reviews, they say it's nothing new but they obviously bought the extended edition. This extended edition was extended over two discs due to the numerous commentaries on the edition but this obviously doesn't have them, so logically speaking, if you are the kind of person who doesn't have, lets say about 24 hours spare in your life to watch each Lord of the Rings film 5 times over and over again to hear people who made the film talk about each intricate scene and what they did...

Buy this. We want to watch films. Buy this. You will not be disappointed.

An opportunity to have the extended edition of Lord of the Rings on one disc.

Fantastic behind the scenes! Precious stuff here!
Since the films are top notch, specially the Extended cuts and this editions have new purpose for the older fans - the (new) documentaries.
I thought the reviews about this edition were accurate about the "needless" new documentary.

Well, even so I bought the R1 Box. And I have to say that I'm glad I did. The documentaries are absolutely for the fans and casual viewers. It gives the feeling how the filmming, production processes went on. It is raw but is soulful - In the studios with the designers, special effects, production people, customs, Peter Jackson behind everything that went on screen (even the Boromir's pocket!!!)... Hilarious stuff, Wow.

This is a special movie. I know that the 4disc SEE DVDs are better, BUT this was a behind the scenes camera, filming what wasn't supposed to be filmed, even if the director Costa Botes was chosen by Peter...

Grab it. Treasure it. Even if you have the SEE DVDs or you love "The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy".