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The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)

starring: Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler

: The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: MORTENSEN/TYLER/MONAGHAN/HAWARD
EAN: 9780780646537
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0780646533
Label: New Line Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: New Line Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 4
Publisher: New Line Home Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: December 14, 2004
Running Time: 250 minutes
Sales Rank: 1022
Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: December 17, 2003



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Editorial Review:

Description:
The WINNER of 11 Academy Awards* including BEST PICTURE is now 50 minutes longer! This extended version of the epic conclusion of The Lord of the Rings trilogy includes new score by Howard Shore and over 350 new digital effects shots.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Documentaries




Amazon.com:
The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.

What's New?
One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls 'pure Tolkien,' and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film. In fact, 'valuable but not critical' might sum up the ROTK extended edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields. It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut.

If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.

How Are the Bonus Features?
To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition. Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear Jackson break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ('So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!'). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron.

One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Honestly Susprised :)
I did not think they could suscessfully make a flim of this story without it being a shambles. I was ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Part 3 in the Epic Trilogy!!!
I love The Return of the King a lot better than the theatrical version, because a lot of really awesome ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Perfect product! Got here right on time!
I would definitely recommend this product to anyone. Perfect product, exactly like description. Got here ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - THIS IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER!
I sat trying to think of a cool, witty, or flashy title for this review, but I couldn`t think of one good ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - New Item
Item shipped in a timely manner and packaged well against damage. Love the LOTR series and this is a welcome ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.