Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu Ray news (bonus! back in theaters too!)

[metallicorphan]

I'm very disappointed that they went for DVDs for all the extras. There's a reason why we're buying the Blu-ray edition, people!

I'm also somewhat disappointed (but not surprised) that most of the material seems to be exactly the same as the DVD edition, plus a few documentaries (that do look interesting). This means I'm going to have duplicates of 6 of the included DVDs, which sucks ass.

People actually watch the bonus stuff that comes with movies?  Holy crap!  Though for me, it is usually hard to get me to sit down for 2 or 3 hours to watch a movie at all, so there is slim to no chance I am going to watch extras or listen to director commentary mucking up the dialog.

i always buy the two disc set on DVDs if i can,although i never usually get to the extras...however Lord of the Rings(and Star Wars)are one lot of films that i watch everything,i have listened to the Actors Commentaries and the Directors Commentaries on LOTR,infact i just restarted to watch the films again last week..watch the first film and then watch the first film again with Peter Jackson,Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens commentaries,there are some interesting titbits,apparently Gandalf didn't mean to bang his head in Bilbo's house on his ceiling..but they kept it in,i personally think that's bullshit,but whatever,LOL

[The Grue]

Though for me, it is usually hard to get me to sit down for 2 or 3 hours to watch a movie at all,

You know these extended versions are about 4 hours each, right?  

Yeah, I know.  I own them on normal DVD.  I usually watch them over two days.  One movie, that is.

[CeeKay]

just in time for the blu ray release, the extended cuts come to theaters.

[metallicorphan]

well...what the hell,if they come to my area,i will be going

[Moliere]

I will go only if I can watch all 3 back to back to back. What is that, like 12 hours?

[disarm]

I will go only if I can watch all 3 back to back to back. What is that, like 12 hours?

total running time for all three is 682 minutes (11 hours and 22 minutes).  those three films together are longer than the entire six-film Star Wars saga.  back when the last of the Extended Edition DVDs was first released, i actually got together with Zaxxon and JeffV (from OO/GT) and we did an all-day marathon to watch the entire trilogy in one shot.  while it is a lot to sit through, i'd totally do it again if i could see them all on the big screen

[Chaz]

I almost did a complete re-watch on Christmas this year.  Didn't get all the way through because I was waylaid by a bunch of phone calls in the evening.  A bunch of friends and I did the full marathon a few years ago with breaks between movies to get takeout.  It was awesome.  I'm going to try and organize something like that again when the blurays release, but since they're all married and half have kids now, I don't know how successful that'll be.

I'm torn about seeing them all in the theaters.  I'd love to do it, but I worry about the availability of the necessary food to get through the whole thing in one shot.  Man cannot live on theater popcorn alone.

[CeeKay]

I'm torn about seeing them all in the theaters.  I'd love to do it, but I worry about the availability of the necessary food to get through the whole thing in one shot.  Man cannot live on theater popcorn alone.

they're doing one per week:

Begin the epic journey of The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) on June 14th 2011, experience the union of The Two Towers (Extended Edition) on June 21st 2011, and behold the end of all things with The Return of the King (Extended Edition) on June 28th 2011.

[leo8877]

Just did a rewatch of all 3 over the course of a couple weeks and damn they are good!

[CeeKay]

dammit dammit dammit dammit DAMMIT! I totally forgot about them showing the extended cuts in theaters, and the first one was tonight.  FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-

[pr0ner]

dammit dammit dammit dammit DAMMIT! I totally forgot about them showing the extended cuts in theaters, and the first one was tonight.  FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-

No intermission means no sale for me, unfortunately.

[Isgrimnur]

I was reminded yesterday and saw it this evening. Nothing like watching Sean Bean die twice in three nights.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Might want to spoiler that for people that haven't been following GoT.

[Asharak]

Man cannot live on theater popcorn alone.

Duh. That's why God made theatre candy, too.

- Ash

[Isgrimnur]

You need a spoiler for Goldeneye?

[CeeKay]

You need a spoiler for Goldeneye?

I thought you were talking about The Hitcher.

[Isgrimnur]

It was either that or Patriot Games.

[CeeKay]

It was either that or Patriot Games.

hmm.. he seems to die quite a lot in movies.

[CeeKay]

woohooo!  it's on it's way! 

of course there is bad news in the one review I've seen:  seems like there is something odd with the Fellowship of the Ring:

'The Fellowship of the Ring' - When 'The Lord of the Rings' debuted on Blu-ray last year, with the versions that hit theaters, the video qualities created quite the controversy, with 'The Fellowship of the Ring' being the most...well, disastrous. Riddled with DNR, the film looked like no film at all, really. The latter two films in the series had their problems, sure, but nowhere near the scale of 'Fellowship.' So, when Warner Bros. and New Line announced that the Extended Editions, the fan favorite cuts of the trilogy, would arrive on Blu-ray in 2011, the only film mentioned as receiving a remastering for the upcoming release was, naturally, the one that created the big stink.

Now, with the Blu-rays of the Extended Editions falling into consumer hands earlier than street date, controversy again would erupt. Much like 'The French Connection,' 'Fellowship' received some altered color timing, it would seem. The internet would soon become loaded with screenshots, comparisons, all sorts of science analyzing this first film in the set to the point where the improvements in the video became secondary to the puzzling "greenness" of it all. What did Peter Jackson or Andrew Lesnie intend for the video to look like, and did they have a hand? Is the Blu-ray release exactly to their specifications? The answers, or rather, the truth of the matter has not yet become clear, and at this point, it's all theory and conjecture. Intentions are great, but actuality usually beats them out. So, what is this controversy about? Is it legit? Is there something wrong with the Blu-ray for 'Fellowship' for the second time? Has the whole situation been blown out of proportion?

For this review, I went back and compared the new Extended Edition of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' to its Theatrical Edition counterpart, especially in scenes that I found to be...questionable, shall we say. Until Jackson (or Lesnie) himself speaks out on the matter, there may not be such a thing as "right" or "wrong," so, neither of those words will be used to describe the video. However, regardless of "right or "wrong," I want to stress that distractions, jarring moments or changes that alter the way a scene is perceived do, and will, affect the scoring on this release. A film may be, sometimes, locked in to how good it will ever look, with numerous standard definition films having arrived on Blu-ray, and no matter how truthful they are to the source, the end result just does not compare to other films that are faithful to their source and aren't an eyesore.

The big to-do on this first film in the series, the talk of the movie forums and blogs, is the color timing, so let's just hop right into that before anything else. Is 'The Fellowship of the Ring' tainted, or tinted, in a greenish, sometimes cyan hue, in ways that it was not on the previous Blu-ray release? Yes, but, and this is a very important but, it is not as much a travesty as some believe it to be. For starters: the entire film may be tinted, but many alterations or changes can be unnoticeable and/or borderline indistinguishable, rather than being the eyesores or distractions some are making them out to be. There is little doubt in my mind that this tint effects the entire run time, but for some reason or another, some sequences become blatantly obvious while others are still pretty darned passable, as there are many sequences where there is no tint in sight, with believable grays and whites. Skies aren't always turquoise, as beautiful marine blues do show up to provide fantastic brightness to a number of sequences. But...there are those moments where the changes seem hard to miss. Mists, which appear white in previous releases, now have an odd tinge to them, as they are no longer pure or unsullied, and what was once beautifully clean, white snow can look like someone was making snow cones with watered down dye. The title card for the film has a very slight hint of green to it, as well, while rocks in the shire have an odd taint that isn't from moss. Arwen's dress, which originally looked like a sparkly, completely white beauty in Frodo's hallucination, now looks like beautiful emerald, like a key lime pie, and the moment before, where Aragorn fights the Ring Wraights, their cloaks and his attire have olive hints and tints. Skin tones wear this issue, as well, as there are more than a few moments in the film where characters look ashen due to the way red levels are overpowered by greens, when they aren't excessively affected by lighting, far more than the other films in the set. The cyan tints are odd, and make some random sky shots a massive distraction with their new peculiar tint, while there are times where actors look like they have spider veins. That's not good.

There is no comparing the Extended Edition Blu-ray of 'Fellowship' to the previous release, though, as, hands down, this new edition thoroughly and regularly trumps its shorter cousin mercilessly. Detail levels are beyond improved, and the amount of tinkering and tampering has been reduced so dramatically that, get this, it looks like a film again! Beards never get blurry, not once, and facial features remain pure. I dare any viewer to have a staring contest with Gandalf's beard, since, I promise you, there's no aliasing or DNR in sight in what was once their most obvious home. Edges are much more natural, with nary a moment that caught my eye as being egregious or obviously enhanced. Depth? Hoo boy, does this release have it in spades! Crush? Not one inch of it touches the film, no matter how dark some sequences get. The picture is wonderfully clean, with only a tiny, tiny blip here and there, spread so far apart that it takes a keen eye to spot them all. Textures, they're so vivid, so strikingly real, metal surfaces reflect where applicable, rough blades feel dingy, the forest, water, wood, it's so marvelous, it's hard not to get sucked in to the beauty of this release (when it isn't the home of the Green Goblin).

Yes, I'll admit, I did tire of the randomly blue eyes or teeth. I also got a bit tired of the constant contrast between the wonderfully vivid, colorful moments and those that are obviously afflicted by some excessive color change stigma. The random darkness of the film also got to me, especially when Gandalf first knocks on Bilbo's door, as that shot looks the same on this release as it would if you watched the Theatrical Blu-ray wearing sunglasses, and that isn't even an exaggeration. This release has its flaws, serious, unmistakable flaws that do rain on what should be its parade. Is this a truly satisfying, breathtaking, stunning image? Not as much as it should be, nor as much as its untampered with brethren are. So, sadly, what may be the finest long cut of the trilogy is (there is no may be's or possibly's here) the weakest visually, with completely unnecessary little "fixes" that don't quite fix anything. If you love the color green, this may very well be the an "achievement unmatched in the history of cinema." If you love films looking natural, realistic, and untampered with...this may be the new test case for what all can go wrong when revisionist history takes a spin at creating a new look for a film people have seen so many times that they cannot accept the differences made. A remastering was necessary. A re-envisioning was not. No matter what gets said down the line (if anything is said at all), the end result is a picture that is not as engaging or inviting as the other two films in the epic motion picture trilogy. No words can change this problem, be it an intentional change or a mishap, unless they are the phrase Paramount has had to utter quite often with their Sapphire Series: disc exchange.

[metallicorphan]

It was either that or Patriot Games.

hmm.. he seems to die quite a lot in movies.

in both senses of the word   

[CeeKay]

damn, I was thinking of ditching the box and just putting the individual case on my blu ray shelf but the box is actually kind of neat.  it's got a magnetic catch, and inside it has a map of Middle Earth.  kinda annoyed the movies are still on two discs each, but oh well.

[hepcat]

Hmmm...Best Buy has the set for 69.99 and I have a 5 dollar rewardzone certificate.  I already have the extended editions on DVD, but this and Star Wars are two franchises for which I would consider the upgrade.

[gellar]

Anyone know if these are going to be available for rent somewhere?  I'd really like to watch them in the Blu-Ray format one time, but have no real desire to own the set.

Alternately I guess I could buy and then resell the set.

[Chaz]

I swapped the movie discs into my DVD cases.  I like the way the DVD extended edition cases look like books, and I got this cool metal laser-etched case to hold them.  The box for the br versions is indeed pretty nice, but not as nice, so it's relegated to the DVD ghetto shelf. 

There's an extra disc of extras for each movie, which I wasn't expecting.  What's on there that wasn't in the DVD extended editions?

[Barrakketh]

I swapped the movie discs into my DVD cases.  I like the way the DVD extended edition cases look like books, and I got this cool metal laser-etched case to hold them.  The box for the br versions is indeed pretty nice, but not as nice, so it's relegated to the DVD ghetto shelf. 

There's an extra disc of extras for each movie, which I wasn't expecting.  What's on there that wasn't in the DVD extended editions?

I started watching the extra disc from Fellowship. It contains more than an hour of behind-the-scenes footage. I watched about 40 minutes of it last night. Very interesting stuff. from PJ arguing for more FX budget, a confrontation between a production manager and an assistant director, lots of shots of them filming scenes and between takes (the Nazgul still seated on their horses for the Flight to the Ford scene, but all holding huge umbrellas because it's pouring rain), footage of that heavy snowfall when they were trying to shoot the midgewater marshes scenes, and a few bits that I had seen before, like Billy, Elijah and Domenic clowning around on set. There's no narration, just strung together footage. I plan to watch it all as soon as I have the time.

[hepcat]

Picked up my copy at lunch.  I'll have to have a marathon this weekend.

[CeeKay]

finally getting around to watching FotR and I can't see this green tint everyone is talking about.  here's a video of the issue and when I compare the scene off of my TV versus the video the tint is just not there.  anyone else have the green tint issue?

[MonkeyFinger]

Your link be bad.

[leo8877]

finally getting around to watching FotR and I can't see this green tint everyone is talking about.  here's a video of the issue and when I compare the scene off of my TV versus the video the tint is just not there.  anyone else have the green tint issue?

Peter Jackson said the tint is intended, iirc.

[metallicorphan]

finally getting around to watching FotR and I can't see this green tint everyone is talking about.  here's a video of the issue and when I compare the scene off of my TV versus the video the tint is just not there.  anyone else have the green tint issue?

Peter Jackson said the tint is intended, iirc.

isn't that The Matrix where the green tint is intended

[hepcat]

I just finished Return of the King on Friday night and I never once noticed anything but stellar quality...especially in the sound, where I think the most noticeable upgrade was for me.  it really was a great experience rewatching all three films in blu ray.

[Jag]

$90. Ouch. Going to wait for a sale somewhere.

[CeeKay]

finally getting around to watching FotR and I can't see this green tint everyone is talking about.  here's a video of the issue and when I compare the scene off of my TV versus the video the tint is just not there.  anyone else have the green tint issue?

Peter Jackson said the tint is intended, iirc.

I hadn't heard that. Like I said it doesn't seem to be present in my copy like it is in the one shown, maybe my TV isn't calibrated right for the PJ Effect.

[TiLT]

I've got a high-quality plasma TV with excellent color reproduction, and have also calibrated it with values from expert tuners. I still couldn't see the tint. White looked white to me.

[leo8877]

finally getting around to watching FotR and I can't see this green tint everyone is talking about.  here's a video of the issue and when I compare the scene off of my TV versus the video the tint is just not there.  anyone else have the green tint issue?

Peter Jackson said the tint is intended, iirc.

I hadn't heard that. Like I said it doesn't seem to be present in my copy like it is in the one shown, maybe my TV isn't calibrated right for the PJ Effect.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50193

Scroll down on that post for the LotR stuff about color.

[metallicorphan]

anyway,yeah i am out..

So,just bought these

they were on sale for 25 quid and thought why not

bit gutted about it being 3 separate Blu Ray cases inside,i was expecting a nice panorama of disc holders to unfold when i opened it,but i like the outer case for all 3

I will see if those FotR colour issues are true as well that i heard

[metallicorphan]

There is only DTS 6.1 sound option for these films,so with my 5.1 Headset or through my Sony Bravia TV when there is a lot of noise,like the big battle in the prologue the noise starts to buzz or get distorted

I looked into my PS3 sound options
Audio Output Settings>>HDMi>>>Manual>>

then there is a large list of different sound settings some 5.1 options,some options i am not sure about(things like Linear PCM 2 Ch 88.2 KHz) right up to 7.1 options but there are no 6.1 options....should i just check everything in the list?..would 7.1 option cover 6.1 ??

I am sure 6.1 is great,but i wish there were more sound options on the BR