Product Description

This critically acclaimed epic trilogy follows the quest undertaken by the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and his fellowship of companions to save Middle-earth by destroying the One Ring and defeating the evil forces of the Dark Lord Sauron. All three titles in their extended editions are packaged together: "The Lord Of The Rings Motion Picture Trilogy Special Extended DVD Edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #597 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-12-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Number of discs: 12
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 12
• Running time: 681 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The extended editions of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings present the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious sets in DVD history. In bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's nearly unfilmable work to the screen, Jackson benefited from extraordinary special effects, evocative New Zealand locales, and an exceptionally well-chosen cast, but most of all from his own adaptation with co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, preserving Tolkien's vision and often his very words, but also making logical changes to accommodate the medium of film. While purists complained about these changes and about characters and scenes left out of the films, the almost two additional hours of material in the extended editions (about 11 hours total) help appease them by delving more deeply into Tolkien's music, the characters, and loose ends that enrich the story, such as an explanation of the Faramir-Denethor relationship, and the appearance of the Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor. In addition, the extended editions offer more bridge material between the films, further confirming that the trilogy is really one long film presented in three pieces (which is why it's the greatest trilogy ever--there's no weak link). The scene of Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship added to the first film proves significant over the course of the story, while the new Faramir scene at the end of the second film helps set up the third and the new Saruman scene at the beginning of the third film helps conclude the plot of the second.

To top it all off, the extended editions offer four discs per film: two for the longer movie, plus four commentary tracks and stupendous DTS 6.1 ES sound; and two for the bonus material, which covers just about everything from script creation to special effects. The argument was that fans would need both versions because the bonus material is completely different, but the features on the theatrical releases are so vastly inferior that the only reason a fan would need them would be if they wanted to watch the shorter versions they saw in theaters (the last of which, The Return of the King, merely won 12 Oscars). The LOTR extended editions without exception have set the DVD standard 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

Synopsis
Peter Jackson's suitably massive interpretation of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. All three huge, action-packed movies in one box. See individual titles from Entertainment in Video for greater detail.

Customer Reviews

Absoluelty incredible, and stunning value.
I bought the original two disc version of The Fellowship of the Ring and was both miffed when the extended version came out, and disappointed at the paltry extras. I resolved to wait until this version, the complete extended version, came out before buying any more. So I've been waiting nearly two years but, boy, was it worth the wait.

There's not much I can add about the films; the extended versions are incredible, SO much better than the original versions, and stunning on a good TV/surround system. The films are so moving that I've found myself moved to tears at times by the sheer power and beauty of them, and I'm not usually prone to gushing over DVD's.

However I wanted to add that the two discs of extras with each film are equally stunning. They manage to be different for each film, and I've watched, transfixed as they take you through the incredible scale of the productions and the sheer love and craftsmanship that went into making these films.

Really, forty-five quid for these 12 DVD's represents incredible (yes I know I've used that word about 5 times) value, you really will want to watch all of them. Buy it now!

WARNING: check Part 2 of Return of the King on receipt
As soon as you receive your extended-edition box set from Amazon, I suggest you check that the second disc of Return of the King plays correctly. Mine is labelled "Part 2" but actually contains the German version of the Appendices Part 6 disc. I imagine someone messed up the duplication as others have reported this problem but so far not on Amazon.co.uk.

I hope this advice helps prevent the disbelief and disappointment that I have just experienced.

POSTSCRIPT: Both Amazon and the UK distributors responded quickly and courteously to solve this for me, so no complaints there.

Masterful.
To think that after only five years since its release, the quality of the Lord of the Rings is already beyond debate. The word masterpiece is a word that is bandied about too loosely in almost every form of entertainment, and film is no exclusion. If there are only a handful of modern masterpieces in the last few years, then surely the Lord of the Rings is among them.

Taking a cast that is a mixture of experienced thespians - Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Vigo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett - and talented youngsters - Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom to name but a few - the director, Peter Jackson, has crafted a brilliant movie that matches the novel for its sheer epic size and its sprawling storyline.

Taking his idyllic homeland of New Zealand, Jackson managed to bring the world of the books onto our screens, without resorting wholly to CGI. The vast, beautiful countryside that populates New Zealand is so spectacular that you may well question whether it even exists, but it does and Jackson knew this and brought the world of Tolkien to life where others have failed.

This is an excellent DVD that is abundant with extras, but the real pleasure is in allowing the movie to stretch out and breathe in one continuous sitting, which stretches to over 13 hours.

If you are knew to the world of Tolkien, or just coming back for more, you'll be delighted with this box-set. Not only has Jackson created an epic film, he has also put loving care into this box-set to the extent that you wish all directors could be like him.