What's new

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Citizen87645

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
13,056
Real Name
Cameron Yee



The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Studio: Warner Home Video
Packaging/Materials: Three, five-disc Blu-ray cases contained in a heavy cardboard housing with magnetic closure.
MSRP: $119.98

When the Lord of the Rings films came out on Blu-ray last year, reactions were decidedly mixed. Fans ultimately wanted the Extended Editions, which have proved to be the definitive versions for both the mammoth narrative as well the special features detailing every aspect of the production. For Tolkien fans and Blu-ray collectors alike, high definition extended versions would have made for the most ultimate of Lord of the Rings collections, but instead they were forced to wait and even settle for limited video quality. Several months later, Warner Home Video’s announcement of the Blu-ray for the Extended Edition Trilogy seemed to be the fulfillment of fans' and collectors' longtime wishes, but shortly before release date came controversy. Rumors of video quality on “The Fellowship of the Ring” being worse than on the theatrical version led to numerous questions, the ultimate of which was, "Should I buy these movies?"

With the dust of the controversy mostly settled (the issues primarily being an overstatement of the situation) the answer has proved to be, "Yes!” but then for some, “...maybe not right now." Though the collection includes all the extras from the DVD Extended Editions, around five hours of additional documentaries from subsequent releases, and stellar presentations for all three films, pricing continues to influence purchasing decisions in these times, especially for those who already own the films on DVD. However, the release date price has also dropped by about $15 since I started working on this review, making it harder to justify waiting for a hypothetical holiday price reduction. And for what seems like a very fair price, hours and hours of Lord of the Rings HD goodness can be enjoyed right now. Ultimately, it seems like a small price to pay for something that has proved to be so - dare I say - precious.

Overall Score (not averaged): 5/5

  • The Features: See individual titles
  • Video Quality: See individual titles
  • Audio Quality: See individual titles
  • Special Features: 5/5


The Fellowship of the Ring
Year: 2001
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 3:48:17
Video: 1080p high definition 2.40:1 (AVC)
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio: English 6.1 / Dolby Digital: Portuguese 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese

The Feature: 5/5

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) is turning 111 and it's time he was moving on, from the pastoral life of the Shire to the retiring peace of Rivendell’s Elvish society. He leaves the bulk of his estate to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood), including a magic ring he acquired many decades ago. The wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), long suspicious of the nature of the trinket, sees Bilbo's departure as both an opportunity to protect his friend, as well as discern the ring's origins. To his utter dismay, it proves to be as he feared - the ring is in fact the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron as an instrument to rule over all of Middle-earth, but lost for millenia until now. Sauron - long defeated but not dead - also knows of the ring's return and will do everything in his power to reclaim it. He dispatches nine Ringwraiths to hunt down Frodo and his Hobbit companions - Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) - though they will ultimately be joined by the mysterious ranger Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and his Elvish ally Arwen (Liv Tyler), who come to them at their most desperate time of need. Though they will finally find refuge from the Dark Lord's minions, it is but a temporary one, as Sauron's power - and the treacherous influence of his weapon - steadily grows. It's clear the ring must be destroyed, but who possesses the strength and will to do it, when all who have come before have been seduced by its power?

The extended version of "The Fellowship of the Ring" adds approximately 50 minutes to the already significant run time of the theatrical version. However the additions are well-integrated, enhancing the narrative for both the film itself and in respect to the subsequent films. Though not without moments catering to fans of the source material (e.g. Bilbo's longer introduction of Hobbits and Galadriel's gifting scenes) the expansion of Aragorn's back story gives the character both the time he deserves and the humanization necessary to make him more than just a formidable warrior, but a warrior-king burdened by the tragedy of his lineage. This plays out especially well in Boromir's final words to him, imparting him with a confidence we will see grow as the films progress. Though the theatrical version was strong, the extended version makes the story stronger, and proves that increased length need not be synonymous with over-indulgence.


Video Quality: 4.5/5
For anyone who hasn't been following the controversy, Blu-ray video samples and screenshots from "Fellowship" made their way onto the Internet about two weeks ago, raising the hackles of anyone who saw them. The primary issue was a uniform green / cyan cast to the image so severe that reports that the director and cinematographer re-color graded the film didn't make sense, as the supposed final product looked more like someone had thrown the lever in the wrong direction and dumped Middle-earth into the Matrix.

An error on this scale would be unacceptable for any movie, let alone for the seminal film in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. However anyone who has been involved in this hobby for any length of time should be aware of the inherent unreliability of screenshots, whether from trusted or anonymous sources. Experience has shown that a single frame from a film does not definitively represent the quality of a video (i.e. moving image) transfer, and neither does a re-encoded and compressed video sample being streamed over the Internet, captured from the actual Blu-ray disc though it may be. What it has always come down to is how the image looks in person, in motion, viewed under the most controlled and optimal conditions possible, and with a properly calibrated display.

But still a subjective element remains - the eyes of the beholder. On this forum we are fortunate to have a number of industry insiders, not least of which is film restorationist Robert Harris, who is able to provide years of knowledge and experience that we reviewers - for all our enthusiasm and passion for this hobby - can't deliver. For the most definitive of evaluations - and the discussion around it - I recommend Robert's  "A Few Words About" thread, though with it reaching almost 500 posts, be sure to allot plenty of time for the reading.

For this review, I can only offer my views on the matter as an enthusiast, and in them I will try to address some of the questions raised in Robert's thread.

First, the film has been re-graded on approval of the filmmakers, as confirmed by Bill Hunt through his industry sources. The change is fairly obvious - especially for anyone who has watched the movie multiple times - but it's not necessarily offensive. Though it represents a revision that some might not agree with in principle (a thorny topic unto itself), there are few indications that the changes were unintentional or that someone was "asleep at the wheel."

The video samples and screenshots on the Internet do show an obvious green / cyan tint, but it's ultimately not representative of the overall appearance on the actual release. The color changes are not a uniform, corner-to-corner veneer of tint, though they do tend to manifest most obviously in shadow areas of the various nighttime scenes, which tend to look cooler and more stylized compared to the theatrical version. In daylight and outdoor scenes, the cooler tone is less obvious, but still detectable; however, it doesn't adversely affect the rendering of flesh tones nor the purity of whites.

The aerial shot of the snow-covered mountain pass used in one video sample does indeed appear strongly and uniformly tinted, but - not surprisingly - it's an anomaly. Unfortunately, this non-representative sample (which lasts all of eight seconds in a film that contains over 13,000 of them) has gotten repeated play and been interpreted as an indication of how the film looks in its entirety. In fact the whites in the scene right after that aerial - the one in which Boromir picks up the Ring from the snow -  goes back to what most would consider "pure." A tinted quality returns immediately after in the attempt to pass Caradharas, but that scene in the theatrical version also has an overall blue shade, though of a slightly more subdued nature. It is also lit quite differently compared to the previous outdoor daylight shot, as it takes place in the middle of a light-obscuring blizzard (and apparently on a sound stage). Since the scenes occur fairly close to each other, it might be tempting to draw connections between them, but comparing them is ultimately - and effectively - a matter of night and day.

The scenes in the Mines of Moria have a notable absence of the new, cooler shadow tones. As described in the Disc Four featurette on digital grading, those scenes were originally desaturated to impart the coldness and lack of life in the environment. That aesthetic remains, and in fact those who object to the new grading may find the Moria sequences the least offensive, looking minimally stylized but still retaining the starkness and hardness of the tomb-like, geologically excavated setting. This noticeable difference in look compared to the rest of the film also indicates the changes were not some across-the-board shift, as the pre-release captures intimated.

As far as the transfer's other features, viewers should have no problems with its depth of blacks, nor its contrast. Though the color has been changed, there's no questioning the depth and beauty of the color itself, looking richly saturated and outright gorgeous in the Shire scenes. Detail - which was one of the more obvious problems on the theatrical version - is also quite good, holding up well in both wide shots and close ups, though there are some moments that show a bit less clarity or refinement compared to the picture's best. The transfer is also free of artifacts from excessive digital sharpening or noise reduction measures, making for an image that should please the majority of buyers, though the new color grading - and its implementation - will undoubtedly remain a hotly debated topic for the foreseeable future.

Audio Quality: 5/5
The surround channels in the 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track provide balanced and detailed support for the score and an immersive blend of directional and atmospheric effects. Floor-shaking LFE is used constantly in the mix - whether to enhance on-screen action or provide atmospherics - and is consistently clean and robust. Dialogue is likewise detailed, intelligible, and expertly balanced with the rest of the array. Standout sequences include the journey through the Mines of Moria and the Elvish lament in the woods of Lothlorien.

Special Features
The extras include all the items from the 2002 Extended Edition DVD and the feature-length documentary from the 2006 Limited Edition DVD. While the feature and its commentaries are spread over two Blu-ray discs, Discs Three, Four and Five are re-pressings of the DVDs from those past editions.

As it was back in 2002, the breadth, depth and production quality of the special features is amazing, covering every detail of the production from script to visual effects, in exhaustive detail. The addition of the 90-minute behind-the-scenes is just icing on the cake, albeit one that takes hours and hours to consume. Though viewed as a whole the extras look like they are meant for hardcore Lord of the Rings fanatics, its impeccable organizational structure and accessibility also means the casual fan can easily sample a few choice bits and not feel overwhelmed doing so. And with such consistently interesting content, it's likely someone who just starts with a couple items will easily find themselves watching everything before they know it. From content to execution, the extras represent an undeniable best-in-class.

[Various]

Digital Copy download is made via a website. The offer expires June 26, 2012.

Printed Booklet provides an index and map to the content on Discs One through Four.

[Disc One - BD]

Commentaries

  • The Director and Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens
  • The Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah, Tania Rodger
  • The Production / Post-Production Team: Barrie M. Osborne, Mark Ordesky Andrew Lesnie, John Gilbert, Rick Porras, Howard Shore, Jim Rygiel, Ethan Van der Ryn, Mike Hopkins, Randy Cook, Christian Rivers, Brian Van't Hul, Alex Funke
  • The Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean


The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Trailer - The Untold Story (1:38, HD) is a promotion for the console video game.

2002 MTV Movie Awards (3:29, SD) stars that year's hosts, Jack Black and Sarah Michelle Gellar, having an unfortunate experience with the One Ring. Previously included on the DVD as an Easter Egg.

BD-Live

[Disc Two - BD]

Commentaries (continued)

  • The Director and Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens
  • The Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah, Tania Rodger
  • The Production / Post-Production Team: Barrie M. Osborne, Mark Ordesky Andrew Lesnie, John Gilbert, Rick Porras, Howard Shore, Jim Rygiel, Ethan Van der Ryn, Mike Hopkins, Randy Cook, Christian Rivers, Brian Van't Hul, Alex Funke
  • The Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean


[Disc Three - DVD]

The Appendices Part I: From Book to Vision

Introduction (1:18), by Director Peter Jackson, provides an overview of what users will find on the disc and how to navigate through it.

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Creator of Middle-earth (22:29) provides a biography of the author and a background on his celebrated life's work.

From Book to Script (20:04) describes the process of adapting such a challenging book to film, including the risk New Line Cinema took in backing such an arduous production.

Visualizing the Story

  • Storyboards and Pre-Viz: Making Words into Images (13:32) describes the purpose of storyboarding and the digital pre-visualization processes and how Jackson used them.
  • Early Storyboards shows a few of the animatics constructed out of panel sketches, rough animation, and temporary dialogue and audio.
    • The Prologue (7:39)
    • Orc Pursuit into Lothlorien (1:33)
    • Sarn Gebir Rapids Chase (1:43)
  • Pre-Viz Animatics shows the rough 3D animation produced from the pre-visualization process.
    • Gandalf Rides to Orthanc (1:08)
    • The Stairs of Khazad-dum (2:20)
  • Animatics to Film Comparisons provides a side-by-side view of animatics to the final scenes. The multi-angle feature also allows the user to view each element separately.
    • Storyboard to Film Comparison: Nazgul Attack at Bree (1:48)
    • Pre-Viz to Film Comparison: The Bridge of Khazad-dum (2:36)
  • Bag End Set Test (6:34) shows the video footage shot as Jackson worked out camera positions and angles on the yet-to-be-completed set.


Designing and Building Middle-earth

  • Designing Middle-earth (41:14) describes how Alan Lee and John Howe, artists who had previously drawn and painted pieces for the novels and hired by Jackson as conceptual artists, inspired and guided the film's production and costume design.
  • Weta Workshop (43:04) explores the New Zealand special effects and prop company responsible for the film's make up, weapons, armor and various physical items.
  • Costume Design (11:34) takes a look at the early concepts and creation of the characters’ wardrobe.
  • Design Galleries includes a plethora of sketches, concept art, and photographs for the film's characters and settings.
    • The Peoples of Middle-earth
      • The Enemy: Sauron, the Ringwraiths, Orcs, Moria Orcs, the Watcher, the Cave Troll, the Balrog
      • The Last Alliance: Elendil, Gil-Galad, Isildur, Numenorians, Gil-Galad's Army
      • Isengard: Saruman the White, the Fighting Uruk-Hai
      • Bilbo Baggins
      • The Fellowship: Gandalf the Grey, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir
      • Rivendell: Elrond, Arwen
      • Lothlorien: Galadriel, Celeborn
    • The Realms of Middle-earth
      • The Second Age (Prologue)
      • The Shire
      • Bag End
      • Bree
      • Isengard
      • Weathertop
      • Trollshaw
      • Rivendell
      • Moria
      • Lothlorien
      • The Silverlode and the Anduin
      • Amon hen


Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship is an interactive map with about 12 minutes of film clips taking place at various locations, from Bag End to Amon hen.

New Zealand as Middle-earth (9:53) shows the various locations used to create the following settings:

  • Hobbiton
  • Weathertop
  • Ford of Bruinen
  • Rivendell
  • Lothlorien
  • River Anduin
  • Amon hen


[Disc Four - DVD]

The Appendices Part II: From Vision to Reality

Introduction (:28), by Elijah Wood, provides an overview of what users will find on the disc and how to navigate through it.

Filming "The Fellowship of the Ring"

  • The Fellowship of the Cast (34:39) interviews the major cast members about their first meeting and their experiences working together.
  • A Day in the Life of a Hobbit (13:07) describes the daily make up, costuming, and preparation routine for the actors playing the core halflings.
  • Cameras in Middle-earth (49:41) details the work of the five camera units necessary to capture the entirety of the film.
  • Production Photos contains over 50 images from filming.


Visual Effects

  • Scale (15:35) describes the visual tricks and techniques employed to make Hobbits look their proper size.
  • Miniatures
    • Big-atures (16:17) takes a look at the creation and filming of large-scale models.
    • Galleries shows numerous stills of the Orthanc, Rivendell, Moria, Lothlorien, Hobbiton Factories, and Argonauth models.
  • Weta Digital (25:51) describes the visual effects work done by the New Zealand facility.


Post-Production: Putting It All Together

  • Editorial: Assembling an Epic (12:46) describes the basic editing process and the challenges of assembling the massive film.
  • Editorial Demonstration: The Council of Elrond (1:28) provides a visual demonstration of the editing process utilizing six different video tracks drawing on 36 different takes.


Digital Grading (12:09) describes the process used to enhance and amplify the film's cinematography.

Sound and Music

  • The Soundscapes of Middle-earth (12:36) explores the film's sound design for various creatures and sequences, as well as the additional dialogue replacement process.
  • Music for Middle-earth (12:29) describes the film score's composition and themes, as well as the various choral pieces and songs.


The Road Goes Ever On (7:22)

 

Ronald Epstein

Founder
Owner
Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 3, 1997
Messages
66,478
Real Name
Ronald Epstein
Cameron,


Outstanding job with this review. Your opinions

on the video quality should alleviate many concerns.

Thank you for providing a detailed opinion of the

video portion of this set.


I am hoping that as more of us receive our boxed

sets over the next week that man will discover that

more was being made of this "green tint" issue than

was really necessary. Of course, still not having

seen the presentation myself, I have no definitive

opinion to offer -- but yours joins the chorus of many

here who have already seen the set and see no major

problems.


If I may take a break here to interject some humor,

this was just posted on James Finn's Facebook page

and felt it was quite appropriate to include here:






Visit our
imgrepo
DVD,
imgrepo
BLU-RAY and
imgrepo
3D REVIEW ARCHIVES
 

Ethan Riley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2005
Messages
4,280
Real Name
Ethan Riley
Thanks, Cameron. I also hope that your more thorough deduction of the color problems alleviates consumer concerns. It's nice to hear from someone who's actually watched the blu-ray!! I do wish that over-reacting pundits would stop freaking people out about minor disc "problems" (if they really are problems) before release dates. But I guess the internet rewards the stupid and ignores the wise.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,472
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
Thank you for the wonderful review. I can't wait until later this week when I view this BRD release for myself as it seems like ages reading what other people think of it, particularly, this green issue.








Crawdaddy
 

Merrick Gearing

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
161
Real Name
Merrick
LOL. That sadly wont be the case.

Originally Posted by Ethan Riley

Thanks, Cameron. I also hope that your more thorough deduction of the color problems alleviates consumer concerns. It's nice to hear from someone who's actually watched the blu-ray!! I do wish that over-reacting pundits would stop freaking people out about minor disc "problems" (if they really are problems) before release dates. But I guess the internet rewards the stupid and ignores the wise.
 

Cees Alons

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 31, 1997
Messages
19,789
Real Name
Cees Alons
Cameron,


Thanks for a great and thorough review. (But I hardly dare to praise you, if that would be felt as "a reward".)



Originally Posted by Ethan Riley



Cees
 

cineMANIAC

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2008
Messages
2,726
Location
New York City
Real Name
Luis
Anyone who has Amazon Prime and pre-orders this set will receive it on street date? If so, this means they would have to ship before street, which is something Amazon doesn't usually do. Just curious.
 

cafink

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 1999
Messages
3,044
Real Name
Carl Fink
I have Prime and pre-ordered. Amazon shipped it on Saturday; it's expected to arrive tomorrow.
 

PaulaJ

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 9, 2000
Messages
695
Cameron, thanks for the review. I am still hesitating to buy this set. I don't understand at all why any changes were made to the coloring of Fellowship of the Ring. I really wish someone connected to the film would tell us why these changes were made. I wish I could rent this new Fellowship to have a look but it looks like Netflix is not planning to make either the theatrical or extended blu-rays available for rental. At least I can't find any LOTR blu-rays listed at Netflix.
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,848
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
Thanks for the in-depth review, Cameron. And thanks to Ron for that photo of Ian McKellan -- very funny!


I had canceled my Amazon pre-order because I will not have time to watch these films the way I like until at least August, but Amazon's recent price drop changed my mind. The set may drop in price more before the holidays, but I couldn't resist at $70.
 

Phil Carter

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 9, 2003
Messages
337
Location
Austin, TX
Real Name
Phil
Thanks tons for the awesome writeup, Cameron. We can always count on you to give us a well-written and detailed review. I can't wait for my set to arrive.


cheers,

Phil
 

Garysb

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Messages
5,849
Borders, if you still have one near you, is having a 50% off list price up to 2 blu rays in store. Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy is $60 with this coupon.


http://www.bordersmedia.com/coup/20110628sa50bluray.html?cmpid=SL_20110628


Coupon is good for any in stock blu ray in store or only a select list of blu rays on line. Lord of the Rings discount is in store only. Coupon expires 6/30/2011.
 

johnSM

Second Unit
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
439
Real Name
John
Just a heads up to any UK readers that the Extended Edition bluray set is currently available at Tescos online for only £45 - Think I'm going to have to pull the trigger at that price! :)
 

Ronald Epstein

Founder
Owner
Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 3, 1997
Messages
66,478
Real Name
Ronald Epstein
Just came here to post that.


Folks, it you don't mind, use the links below. Costs the
same but supports the forum. Thanks!


 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,107
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
1
Top