Product Description

This critically acclaimed epic trilogy follows the quest undertaken by the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, and his fellowship of companions to save Middle-earth by destroying the One Ring and defeating the evil forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8033 in DVD
• Brand: WOOD,ELIJAH
• Released on: 2004-05-25
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, DVD, Widescreen, Surround Sound, Dolby, Digital Sound, Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: 1.15 pounds
• Running time: 557 minutes

Amazon.com
As the triumphant start of a trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring leaves you begging for more. By necessity, Peter Jackson's ambitious epic compresses J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings, but this robust adaptation maintains reverent allegiance to Tolkien's creation, instantly qualifying as one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. At 178 minutes, it's long enough to establish the myriad inhabitants of Middle-earth, the legendary Rings of Power, and the fellowship of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and humans--led by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the brave hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood)--who must battle terrifying forces of evil on their perilous journey to destroy the One Ring in the land of Mordor. Superbly paced, the film is both epic and intimate, offering astonishing special effects and production design while emphasizing the emotional intensity of Frodo's adventure, and ends on a perfect note of heroic loyalty and rich anticipation.

After the breaking of the Fellowship, Frodo and Sam journey to Mordor with the creature Gollum as their guide in The Two Towers. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) join in the defense of the people of Rohan, who are the first target in the eradication of the race of Men by the renegade wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the dark lord Sauron. Fantastic creatures, astounding visual effects, and a climactic battle at the fortress of Helm's Deep make The Two Towers a worthy successor to The Fellowship of the Ring, grander in scale but retaining the story's emotional intimacy.

With The Return of the King, the greatest fantasy epic in film history draws to a grand and glorious conclusion. The trilogy could never fully satisfy those who remain exclusively loyal to Tolkien's expansive literature, but as a showcase for physical and technical craftsmanship it is unsurpassed in pure scale and ambition, setting milestone after cinematic milestone as Frodo and Sam continue their mission to Mordor to destroy the soul-corrupting One Ring. While the heir to the kingdom of Men, Aragorn, endures the massive battle at Minas Tirith with the allegiance of Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf, Frodo and Sam must survive the schizoid deceptions of Gollum, who remains utterly convincing as a hybrid of performance (by Andy Serkis) and subtly nuanced computer animation. Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have much ground to cover; that they do so with intense pacing and epic sweep is impressive enough, but by investing greater depth and consequence in the actions of fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), they ensure that The Return of the King maintains the trilogy's emphasis on intimate fellowship and remains faithful to Tolkien's overall vision. By ending the LOTR trilogy with noble integrity and faith in the power of imaginative storytelling, The Return of the King, like its predecessors, will stand as an adventure for the ages. --Jeff Shannon and David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Wait for the extended versions instead!
These are the theatrical release films, not the superior extended versions which are preferrable due to their better coverage of the books and better overall flow.

Hopefully the extended version of the third will also be a big improvement, much needed as important parts of the story are absent in the theatrical relase of Return of the King. Unfortunately Peter Jackson added a Hollywood passionate love story to the film that was contrary to the more virtuous actions of the characters in the book. By twisting the story around, the film substituted feelings and passion for Tolkien's characters' charity, honor, and duty.

The extended "Fellowship of the Ring" is one of the best movies ever made. Hopefully the extended "Return of the King" will live up to that standard by flowing more smoothly and reflecting Tolkien a little better.

In short, save your money and time for the better trilogy, or if you haven't seen the first 2, buy the separate extended versions and wait for the third.

more than epic battle scenes
For most of us who have loved LOTR for decades, our initial wariness in anticipation of the films carefully gave way to general delight upon experiencing the results of Peter Jackson's vision. It's certainly not the original LOTR, but it's a lovingly and extremely well-interpreted version. For many fans of the films, the new boxed DVD set will be wonderful and will be plenty. For those who also enjoyed the books, however, the extended version will be worth waiting for.

While Jackson is being lauded for his amazing battle scenes, there is so much more to the books--and the films--than that. Considering Tolkien wrote the books decades ago, even the female characters, though few, are strong in their own right, rather than passive victims to be rescued. And, yes, Peter Jackson made some changes, but kept true to Tolkien's conception. A previous reviewer's correcting of Jackson's "changes" are themselves not completely accurate:

1. The time constraints of a movie are exceedingly different from the pacing of a book. Jackson did give proportionately more time to the love between Aragorn and Arwen than the book does, but it is not true that in the book it is "almost nonexistent". Try reading Tolkien more thoroughly. The appendices are almost a third of the last book, and add a lot of information.

And speaking of book/movie comparisons, the time spent on special effect battle scenes in the movies far surpasses the space given to battle scenes in the books. We're not hearing a lot of complaining about that, but if you haven't read the books and are intrigued by Tolkien's world, you'll find much to love in the full works.

2.The same reviewer claims that Eowyn's slaying of the king of the Nazgul was politically correct cuteness on Jackson's part. Not true. Read the scene in the book again. It did matter that she was a woman, and while Merry's help was invaluable, the final mortal blow was Eowyn's:

" 'Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'
'But no living man am I! You look upon a woman.'
The Ringwraith made no answer, and was silent, as if in sudden doubt....Then tottering, struggling up, with her last strength she drove her sword between crown and mantle, as the great shoulders bowed before her after being stabbed behind the knee by Merry. The sword broke sparkling into many shards. The crown rolled away with a clang. Eowyn fell forward upon her fallen foe."

Scenes in the book are certainly open to interpretation. But there's a lot of evidence for Jackson's correct interpretation of this scene.

All in all, wonderful--books and films, both.

EXTENDED Versions of the TRILOGY Are More Fullfilling!
This trilogy contains the theatrical cuts. Buy the extended versions of this wonderful trilogy. We already know how incredible the extended versions are of "Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Twin Towers".

In December, the final extended version of the trilogy will be released, and just look how incredible it will be compared to the theaterical cut:

From THE DIGITAL BITS: "In other DVD release news, Entertainment Weekly magazine posted a short blurb in their June 19th issue about what we can expect on the forthcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended DVD Edition (which arrives in December - street date TBA). Look for the film to be a whopping 49 minute longer, complete with more than 300 new FX shots completed just for this release. Among the new scenes you'll see will be Gandalf facing down the Witch King at Minas Tirith, the Mouth of Sauron taunting Aragorn and company at the Black Gates, Aragorn tending to Eowyn at the House of Healing, and Gandalf's final confrontation with the wizard Saruman. You'll also get more audio commentaries from everyone involved, two discs worth of exclusive, in-depth documentaries and (we've heard) a pretty funny Easter egg or two. Look for the 4-disc set's faux leather slipcase to be blue. We'll post further details as they become available."

The directors extended versions are much more fullfilling and tell the story better than the theatrical cuts!