Product Description

The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam led by Gollum continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn struggles to fulfill his legacy as he leads his outnumbered followers against the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron so that the Ring-bearer may complete his quest.Running Time: 200 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 794043692925 Manufacturer No: N6929

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5860 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2004-05-25
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .35 pounds
• Running time: 200 minutes

Amazon.com
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave "double-dipping"--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This "triple-dip" 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans.

What do you get?
Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Return of the King are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes that are common to both versions are stored on the disc only once. If you choose to watch the extended version, the disc "branches" out to the added or extended scenes. What does this mean to the viewer? Not much. The viewing experience is the same because the branching is imperceptible. But because both versions of the film don't have to be stored on the disc in their entirety (which would be seven and half hours total), both versions together fit on two sides of one disc. The downside is that whichever version you watch, you have to flip over the disc halfway through; the film breaks at the same spot it did on the Extended Edition, right after the entrance of the wolf-head battering ram. Also lost are the meager features included on the theatrical edition, plus the four commentary tracks, two discs of bonus features, and DTS 6.1 ES sound from the four-disc Extended Edition.

What's new?
The second disc has an 112-minute documentary directed by Costa Botes, who was personally selected by Peter Jackson. Rather than the formal documentary structure of other editions, it consists of off-the-cuff interviews and random bits of behind-the-scenes action and special-effects work: The charge of the Rohan, the horses, the Mumakils, the lava of Mount Doom, and the burning of the ring. You'll also see Ian McKellen flubbing his lines and conducting the crowning ceremony in a flowery wig. It's entertaining, but because there's no structure (there are chapters, but no menu or chapter listing), it's not as convenient to watch, and go back to, as a documentary broken up into bite-size pieces. Note: New Line Home Entertainment couldn't release this material on its own à la the King Kong Production Diaries due to contractual restrictions.

Bottom line: Do I need this edition?
This Limited Edition combination of theatrical and extended versions plus new documentary seems likely to appeal to two camps. One is the devoted fan, who already owns both editions but has to have everything LOTR. The other is the casual fan who liked the movie in theaters, heard good things about the Extended Edition, and doesn't need a ton of bonus material. This edition is attractively priced for that buyer, and the packaging is quite handsome. In between is the devoted fan who already owns both editions but doesn't feel the need to watch more bonus material. When watching the whole movie, that fan will always choose the Extended Edition, but keeps the theatrical edition for (1) watching with guests, (2) the music video, or (3) the convenience of skimming through favorite scenes without having to change discs. That fan can safely skip this edition, as can home-theater fans who love DTS. --David Horiuchi

DVD features
Like the first two Lord of the Rings installments, the theatrical-release DVD of The Return of the King has superior picture and sound quality, and that's the important thing. The features on disc 2, however, fall a little short. Two brief documentaries (23 and 28 minutes) chronicle the making of the trilogy and have some good information, but they're best suited to those who aren't very familiar with the films, and some of the material overlaps. A surprise is the complete National Geographic Beyond the Movie program, but it's mostly an excuse for film clips as it draws rather tenuous connections between Tolkien and history, such as comparing Aragorn to William Wallace or Gandalf to Ben Franklin. The six lordoftherings.net featurettes (17 minutes total) are part recap and part making-of, and the Eowyn and digital-horse segments have some appeal. Also included are trailers (including the trilogy supertrailer), TV spots, and a pitch for the related video games (the already-released Return of the King plus the upcoming Battle for Middle-Earth). Unfortunately, some of the more enticing features of the previous theatrical releases are missing: no music video, no preview of an upcoming movie (obviously, because all the films have been released), and no preview of the inevitable extended edition (presumably because there's a longer time between the release of the ROTK theatrical version and the release of the extended version). Still, the film doesn't really need any extras to make it a worthwhile pickup. --David Horiuchi

From The New Yorker
The final act of Tolkien's saga. Many hours after Gandalf (Ian McKellen) showed up in the Shire and arranged for the transportation of a significant piece of personal jewelry, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) staggers to the brink of Mount Doom and prepares, if he can muster the will, to cast the One Ring into the flames. By any standard, it has been an exhaustively splendid trip, crammed at once with private anxiety and lofty overviews of public strife. In this last installment, we are privileged witnesses not just to the Ringbearer's quest but also to a furious pitching of battles, as an ocean of orcs beats against the shining walls of Minas Tirith. The old gang-Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)-is on hand to save the day and, by implication, the future of a civilization. The director, Peter Jackson, loyal as ever to the original book, has inherited a serious case of anticlimax; he is no more capable than Tolkien of finding a pastoral peace, at the close, that can match the energy of his war. Nevertheless, there should be enough here to dazzle the doubters; will Jackson have the nerve to remix his work, in all its majesty, and release a ten-hour marathon next year? -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A modern--albeit lengthy--classic
As the third and final installment in Peter Jackson's directorial magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is a must-have title--if you already own the other two. Like its predecessors, it is a very long film that could easily be shortened by 45 minutes to an hour without losing anything from the plot. Yes, it's a visually stunning interpretation of a classic piece of 20th century literature, and it deserved the 11 Oscars it won, including best picture, but at almost THREE AND A HALF HOURS it's just too darned long. I mean, just how many monster battles does one need to sit through to get the point? If you're totally into that kind of thing, then this is your all-you-can-eat buffet. For me, the best thing about having it on DVD is the pause button, because you can periodically get up to relieve yourself, of fix a snack, or even have a life while watching it. Taking the thing in at a single sitting isn't just a pastime, it's a commitment.

Of course, we haven't even mentioned the second disc containing several hours of bonus features yet. They're great, by the way, and there's a lot of them. One thing that can definitely be said for this package is that if you like the content, you more than get your money's worth.

Amazingly, there is actually an extended version of this film available that has a running time of more than four hours!!! Now that's the epitome overkill, both literally and figuratively.

I LOVE THE MOVIE!!!
I LOVE THE MOVIE OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. CHECK OUT THE TOTAL INFO...

DISC 1:
4 AUDIO COMMENTARIES
- Director/Writer/Producer Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh (Writer/Producer), Philippa Boyens (Writer)
- The Design Team
- The Production/Post-Production Team
- The Cast

SELECT A SCENE:
* New Scene! - ** Extended Scene

AUDIO SOUND:
- Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound
- DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound
- Stereo Surround Sound

LANGUAGE:
- English

SUBTITLES & CLOSED CAPTION:
- English
- Spanish

WIDESCREEN 2:35:1
- Movie Running Time (2Hrs, 7Mins)

THE STORY CONTINUES ON DISC TWO...

DISC 2:
4 AUDIO COMMENTARIES
- Director/Writer/Producer Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh (Writer/Producer), Philippa Boyens (Writer)
- The Design Team
- The Production/Post-Production Team
- The Cast

SELECT A SCENE:
* New Scene! - ** Extended Scene

AUDIO SOUND:
- Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound
- DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound
- Stereo Surround Sound

LANGUAGE:
- English

SUBTITLES & CLOSED CAPTION:
- English
- Spanish

WIDESCREEN 2:35:1
- Movie Running Time (1Hrs 54Mins)
- End Credits (21 Mins)

TOTAL RUNNING TIME (4Hrs 22Mins)

THE END...

DISC 3:
The Appendices Part 5 - The War of the Ring
TRT = Total Running Time

Introduction by Peter Jackson = (TRT - 1:33)

PLAY ALL - DOCUMENTARIES (UNINTERRUPTED 3 HRS. & 24 MINS. EXPERIENCE)
- J.R.R. Tolkien - The Legacy of Middle-earth = (TRT - 29:29)
- From Book to Script: Forging The Final Chapter = (TRT - 25:02)
- Designing and Building Middle-earth = (TRT - 39:57)
- Big-atures: = (TRT - 19:59)
- WETA Digital = (TRT - 47:23)
- Costume Design = (TRT - 12:03)
- Home of the Horse Lords = (TRT - 30:16)

CHAPTERS:
* J.R.R. TOLKIEN: THE LEGACY OF MIDDLE-EARTH
* FROM BOOK TO SCRIPT
* DESIGNING AND BUILDING MIDDLE-EARTH
* HOME OF THE HORSE LORDS
* MIDDLE-EARTH ATLAS
* NEW ZEALAND AS MIDDLE-EARTH

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
- Abandoned Concept: Aragorn Battle Sauron = (TRT - 5:18)
- Middle-earth Atlas
- New Zealand: Locations of Middle-earth = (TRT - 16:07)

GALLERIES:
* Audio Commentary: Image with (Blue Stamp) Symbol
* Slideshow Features: By Activating Feature Image with Audio Commentary
- The Peoples of Middle-earth = (1443)
- The Realms of Middle-earth = (679)

SUBTITLES & CLOSED CAPTION:
- English
- Spanish

DISC 4:
The Appendices Part 6 - The Passing of the Age
TRT = Total Running Time

Introduction by Billy Boyd "Pippin" - Dominic Monaghan "Merry" - Elijah Wood "Frodo" = (TRT - 1:40)

PLAY ALL: DOCUMENTARIES (UNINTERRUPTED 3½ HRS. EXPERIENCE)
- Cameras in Middle-earth = (TRT - 1:13:08)
- WETA Digital = (TRT - 42:01)
- Editorial: Completing the Trilogy = (TRT - 22:14)
- Music for Middle-earth = (TRT - 22:02)
- The Soundscapes of Middle-earth = (TRT - 22:09)
- The End of All Things = (TRT - 21:29)
- The Passing of an age = (TRT - 25:11)

CHAPTERS:
* FILMING "THE RETURN OF THE KING"
* VISUAL EFFECTS
* POST-PRODUCTION: JOURNEY'S END
* THE PASSING OF AN AGE
* CAMERON DUNCAN: THE INSPIRATION FOR "INTO THE WEST"

INDEX:
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
- Production Photo Gallery = (69) * Slideshow Auto Image
- Visual Effects Demonstration: "The Mumakil Battle"
- Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for Into the West = (TRT - 32:21)
- DFK6498 = (TRT - 4:38)
- Strike Zone = (TRT - 11:16)

THE END...

COMING SOON!

Director Guillermo del Toro
The Hobbit (2011) (announced)
The Hobbit (2012) (announced)
Local Shire Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, relative of Frodo Baggins, is living a quiet, peaceful life until Gandalf the Grey walks into his home with a band of wandering dwarfs and drags poor Bilbo into a quest that entails defeating a dragon, a three way battle of men, dwarfs and monsters and, most importantly of all, lead Bilbo into contact with a peculiar ring that has had and will have a great impact on the future of their world. - More info at IMDb.com

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Redefines Catharsis
Ambitious in vision, epic in scope, and beautiful in execution, Peter Jackson's "Return of the King" is a fitting end to his adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy that is a magnum opus if there ever was one. Everything that you loved about the first two movies are here--if you didn't love or see the first two, don't bother with this, because it's literally the direct continuation--though things in this one take all of that to the next level. While the first two movies were entertaining and told great stories, they were largely build-up for the various climaxes that redefine the term "catharsis" of this movie.

Jackson does a stellar job in adapting these acclaimed books into what may be the best fantasy trilogy of all time, ending it as nicely as he begun it. The level of quality remains consistent throughout, and the level of attention given to each battle, each character moment, each bit of score (which, alone, was tragically beautiful), and each special effect is commendable. Not only did Jackson do a great job of translating the book to work as a film, he also showed a large amount of bravery while doing so. Many lovers of the book might have been disappointed with how Jackson tampered with the structure of the book (leaving out how Saruman took out The Shire in the book version, as well as restructuring Frodo, Sam, and Gollum's journey, moving the Shelob build-up and conflict to this movie instead of keeping it as a part of The Two Towers, but for me that just showed that he was willing to change a coupe of things to make this the best movie as it could possibly be--and his efforts paid off in large, large ways.

Though I'm giving this movie a 10/10 because it is indeed a classic and deserves full marks, it's not perfect. No movie is. I thought that the ending employed too many fade-to-whites and fade outs, which tricked the audience many times over, making them think it was about to end. If Jackson had just used cuts instead of fades, it would have been fine, but when he faded for the third time and the movie still didn't end, I find that most people who haven't seen it before actually laugh--and that certainly isn't what the end of the movie should do. The battle scenes are a bit drawn out, especially the scenes before Aragorn and the army of the dead arrive. Jackson could have achieved a more powerful effect if he trimmed two or three minutes off of the war scenes.

All it all, it's as perfect a fantasy film as there is out there, and highly deserves all the acclaim it's gotten. "The Return of the King" is a fitting end to one of the best stories ever told, and--despite it's length--it has high rewatchability.

10/10 Classic.