credit: www.amazon.com
New Line Home Entertainment presents Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King: Limited Edition. Written by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson. Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. Running Time: 200 minutes (theatrical version) 250 minutes (extended edition). Rated PG-13 Intense epic battle sequences and frightening images.
Director:
Peter Jackson
Cast:
Elijah Wood……….Frodo
Sean Astin………Sam
Ian McKellen……….Gandalf
Andy Serkis……….Gollum/Smeagol
Viggo Mortensen……….Aragorn
Orlando Bloom……….Legolas
John Rhys-Davies……….Gimli
Dominic Monaghan……….Merry
Billy Boyd……….Pippin
Sean Bean……….Boromir
Cate Blanchett……….Galadriel
Ian Holm……….Bilbo
Liv Tyler……….Arwen
Hugo Weaving……….Elrond
Christopher Lee……….Saruman (extended edition)
The Movie:
What can be said about this film that hasn’t already been said. It’s part three of one the most popular film trilogies in history. It’s the winner of 11 Academy Awards and this is the third time this film has made its way to DVD. To recount the plot at this point seems utterly pointless.
One of the biggest complaints about the Extended Edition release was that it did not include the theatrical release. You had to buy them separately. That and the extended editions were so long that the films were on two discs. And there’s nothing more annoying than having to put in a new disc half way through the film. Perhaps that’s part of the reason laserdisc never made it.
So Peter Jackson is giving his fans what they’ve been asking for or is he? In this new DVD release you get both versions of the film and a “New” behind-the-scenes documentary. Seriously, after the four disc release, how much new behind-the-scenes footage can there be?
Well, it turns out that now you have to flip the disc over no matter which version you want to watch. When you put the first disc in you get a choice of theatrical or extended. In the theatrical version it cuts off at one hour and thirty-seven minutes. The extended edition cuts off at two hours and seven minutes. The funny thing is each version cuts off at pretty much the same place. So all in all you’ve got about three and a half hours of Return Of The King goodness on each side of the disc. But having to flip the disc every time you watch it is really annoying.
Really though, all this is redundant. Besides some really nice packaging, and let me tell you, it is really nice, there’s nothing really new here. Odds are, if you’re a Lord Of The Rings fan then you’ve, purchased one if not both versions of this film already. Leaving the new documentary the only reason to shell out another 30 bucks.
Of all the complaints or nice things I could say about this film, I imagine they’ve all been said before. However, I will say this. Of all three of the films I think this one stands best on it’s own. Fellowship is a great intro to the story but has no true ending. Two Towers is maybe my favorite of the three but has neither a beginning nor end. While Return of the King may not have a true beginning, most people know the story well enough that they could pick it up with this one and not be too confused by what’s going on. I mean the film is practically one big long battle sequence with some plot thrown in for good measure and that’s pretty much some of the best battle sequences you’ll find in any movie.
The real question here is: With this being the third release for this trilogy, is Peter Jackson the new George Lucas? Can we expect a new limited release of this trilogy every few years? Is Jackson going to digitally replace Bilbo after he makes The Hobbit with someone other than Ian Holm? Is he going to make it so Saruman strikes first? Let’s hope Jackson has more sense than that!
STORY: 9/10
ACTING: 9/10
LOOK/FEEL: 10/10
ORIGINALTY: 9/10
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 10/10
FINAL SCORE: 9.5/10
Theatrical Version: The better of two menu screens.
The DVD:
The Video:
This film is widescreen, 2.35:1. These are beautiful films that Peter Jackson has given us, there is no two ways about it. Both editions of the film looks as good as ever here.
The Audio:
This film is presented in Dolby 5.1 and Stereo surround. Sound doesn’t get much better than this. What else can I say? When those Fell Beasts scream it hurts your ears as much as the brave warriors of Minas Tirith.
Extras:
Documentary: This new documentary is an hour and 52 minutes long and directed by Costa Botes. Following the four disc version of the film the big question is: What else could Peter Jackson possibly have to offer us? The answer: Not much. While this is a long documentary, it doesn’t offer much in the way of new or interesting. Basically it’s like the King Kong Production Diaries, although, there seems no rhyme or reason to the order of things. And you get tons of hijinx as well. So for more hijinx check this out.
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for Lord Of The Rings: Return of The King: Limited Edition | |
The Inside Pulse
There is no denying that the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy is some good filmmaking and Return of the King, on its own, is a fantastic film. But this new edition is pretty pointless. There is really no need to own both versions of the film. You’ll find which one you like and just watch that one.
