Hope it’s OK to start a second thread on the EE ;I want to focus more on comparing this DVD with other DVD’s. I haven’t had the time to watch the film or see the features but anyway(as most of you probably know) the EE has:
1)Four audio commentaries: is this a record? I can’t think of any other DVD with this many.
2)Packaging which is almost a work of art in itself. The best ever?
3) Half an hour of extra footage seamlessly integrated with the film.
4)Two fat DVD’s full of extra features.
5)An amazing transfer which looked and sounded great even on my plain-vanilla TV. Probably one of the best ever.
And all for just 25$. I was amazed it was this cheap.
Has there ever been a better DVD than this? . Will LOTR:EE set a new standard for future DVD releases?
Fight Club and Seven have four commentaries. I’ll agree though that it’s an amazing disc and a pretty great price for four discs worth of stuff. The Extended Edition and Director’s commentary are worth it on their own.
Raygun’s right that there are other DVD’s with four commentaries. The commetaries on Seven are all pretty amazing.
But I agree… I think that the LOTR Extended edition is the best DVD release I’ve ever seen. The improved transfer, the incredibly diverse extra features, and the simple fact that it’s actually a different cut of the film from what we saw in the theatres, including new score elements and all. Oh, and the lovely packaging. For $25-30 I’m pretty damn impressed. And I’m loving the movie.
I think I’m with CP. This is the finest DVD release I’ve ever seen.
Actually I hadn’t realized that there was yet another “collector’s edition” which is even better. Still that’s double the price so I will stick to the EE as the best regularly priced DVD (ie below $30) ever.
I hope not. I know some people go into spasms of ecstasy over comentary tracks and what not, but I don’t ever listen to them. If there’s anything more annoying that having someone talk through a movie while you watch it, I’m not sure what it is. I like deleted scenes, cast filmography screens, subtitles and music videos, but that’s about it for extras- I rarely watch everything on things that have just one disk of extras.
My point is, I paid $14.95 for the version of LOTR that was released this summer, and I’m fully satified with its contents. You paid $25 for your version. If your version became the standard, then I’d end up pay $10 more per dvd for a bunch of stuff I have no interest in whatsoever.
I think that elfkin477 is a good example of the problem with this release: Its limited appeal. From what I understand (haven’t seen it yet, until 6:00 tonight at least), the scenes cut from the theatrical release are mostly things which appeal primarily to hardcore fans of the book. Now, I’m one of those aforementioned hardcore fans, and I’m looking forward to those cut scenes, but to somone like elfkin who didn’t like the books, they would probably just slow the rest of the movie down.
So really, releasing two versions of the DVD was exactly the right thing to do. Those of us who want the extra scenes can pay extra for them, and those who don’t care about the extra scenes can just get the cheaper one.
Right – that’s one of the separate “gift” items in the gift set. It’s the same Extended Edition pack for the actual 4 DVD set.
Personally, I didn’t feel like springing for another $25 or so just for the National Geo thing and the bookends. But I did think it was a pretty good deal getting it now, especially since it’s supposed to have that free TTT movie pass inside – and since I was darn well going to buy that anyways… So, yes – that’s like an extra $7 discount on the DVD.
BTW, if anybody here got the original version AND the extended edition, don’t forget that you can get a $5 rebate (or $10 if you got the original and the EE gift set) – the rebate form should be inside any LOTR DVD you buy.
I don’t know that I’m really a “hardcore” fan of the books–but I think the extended cut is a superior cut. Gimli’s no longer just a comic-relief dwarf, and the new cuts of the battle scenes make its clear he’s not just hopping around shouting in the background while the tall people kill everything. Ditto for Merry and Pippin, particularly during Boromir’s last stand. The Moria battle scene in particular is far less confusing–orcs don’t just vanish when the cave troll busts in, and the action is, in general, a little more smooth and flowing.
“If your version became the standard, then I’d end up pay $10 more per dvd for a bunch of stuff I have no interest in whatsoever.”
Well I agree that there should be also be plain-vanilla editions available for 15 dollars or so. When I talked about setting a standard I was referring to special editions priced at 25-30 and the EE sets new standards here compared to past releases. For instance I don’t think that the Spiderman special edition is nearly as good as EE.
BTW I don’t think the appeal of this DVD is necessarily restricted to Tolkien fans. I,myself, haven’t read the books yet. Features like audio-commentaries and making -of documentaries are interesting in themselves to many people. And I haven’t seen most of the extra footage yet, but what I have seen I liked. For instance the little commentary by Bilbo about hobbit-life at the begining.
You only get the rebate if you have the receipt from both DVDs. How many of you held onto your receipt when you bought the first DVD a few months ago?
I am still debating whether I should get the collector’s set or just the extended edition. The reviews of the National Geographic documentary weren’t very flattering. I’m picking up one or the other on my way home from work tonight and I’m watching the movie. Sounds like I’m going to like it even more than the original version.
Well, I still thin that Criterion’s Brazil is the best ever DVD release, starting with the fact that I think it is a better movie. Don’t get me wrong, I love LOTR: FOTR and the EE is fantastic.
I don’t have a reciept for the theatrical release because I got it for free. I pretended to test drive a Kia. I got the fullscreen copy, but was able to exchange it for widescreen.
so I got BOTH versions for ~$50, of which I can deduct one TT ticket.
It is a great DVD. As mentioned before, Seven and FIght CLub are also very good. However, no one mentioned the T2 Collector’s dvd- which was the first one I saw to offer so many special features. Also, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of my favorites, on a personal note.
It was a gorgeous transfer. And I thought the added scenes did make for a clearer understanding of the movie. “UHF” also deserves mention as a great DVD release. It was really inventive. Grade “A” Weird Al material. “This is Spinal Tap!” also had a great DVD. Almost a second movie with the cut scenes and the funniest intro to a DVD ever. But I do think this was the perfect release for this movie. Makes me wish I had a really nice house to watch it in.
Now there’s no trailers on these discs for “The Two Towers” is there? Ah well. Just … what about 45 days till it’s released?
Yes, there is a TTT trailer on the DVD! As an Easter Egg.
On the second DVD, select the page that has scene 48. Then go to the right hand side of that page, and scroll all the way down to below the 48. You’ll see two towers pop up. That’s the theatrical trailer released in May, that was attached to the end of FOTR.
Do the same thing with the last section on DVD 2, I believe it will be section 24-27. Then scroll down and you’ll see a gold ring in front of the words at the bottom. Select that and you’ll get an MTV spoof of the Council of Elrond.
I finished the film. I agree 100% that it’s better than the theatrical release. I thought that the action/character development ratio was a little high in the latter(especially in the latter parts) but the EE corrects this beautifully. However PJ and New Line were probably right to make the cuts they did for the theatrical release.
One exception is Bilbo’s introduction to the hobbits which I thought would have been ideal for the theatrical release. Quite a few people found the shire sequence a little dull and Bilbo’s commentary was a great way to make the hobbits more interesting. I think it would have especially useful for those ,like me, who hadn’t read the book.
BTW does anyone have a problem with occasional skips especially with the soundtrack. Perhaps it’s because of my DVD player which is a 60 dollar Apex (though it’s worked fine till now).
Thanks for the Easter Egg tip, Hubzilla. Us non-cyber-brainiacs would never have found it otherwise. Watched the trailer this morning – those glimpses of Helm’s Deep are just jaw-dropping.
Even if you DID like the books, many of the added scenes… well, it’s pretty obvious why they were cut. Of the extra 30 minutes of footage, 25 of them absolutely should have been cut. There were a few I thought should have been included, but most were either poorly done scenes or just unnecessary.
I’m surprised anyone would think the EE version is a better film; to my eyes it was markedly inferior. The extra scenes were interesting to see and I’m glad I bought the DVD, but the theatrical release was a better movie.
I loved the books, but a longer and more detailed movie is not necessarily a better movie.
