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DVD Shopping Bag: The Lord of the Rings Blu-ray

Not so Precious

By Robert T. Trate     April 06, 2010


LOTR the theatrical cuts are now on Blu-ray
© New Line Home Video

 

Should I state the obvious? The one fact that we all already know? These are not the extended cuts of Peter Jackson’s masterpiece The Lord of the Rings on Blu-ray. I thought I should be the one to bite the bullet so you, my fellow Maniacs, wouldn’t have to. I picked these up and decided that I would give The Two Towers a glance in 1080p and DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 sound. The Return of the King is still very fresh in my mind and the one I have probably seen the least. So in watching the original cut I wouldn’t notice the difference. The Fellowship of the Ring I have seen the most so all those extended scenes not present now stick out like a sore thumb. To me they are a part of the film and essential. I won’t dwell on the negative right away. Let us turn to the happy aspects of getting The Lord of the Rings on Blu-ray.
 
The biggest difference that you notice right away is that you don’t have to change discs half way through the film. Yep, because of the amount of space on a Blu-ray disc you can now watch the film uninterrupted. That might not seem like much but… wait you did that with the original theatrical DVDs of the trilogy anyway. Now let’s turn to a favorite topic of mine, shelf space. Sure these big cumbersome box sets take up a lot of valuable but now the theatrical cuts all fit into one box. This is the equivalent of one extended cut box set, for those of you keeping track or one DVD case. Everything is one box and the other set of discs is the digital copy. Perfect if you wish to put it on your mobile device, though you might have to charge it in a few times to watch the whole movie let alone the full trilogy.
 
It has been a while since I had sat down and watched The Two Towers. It was a movie I was so excited to see that I went to the midnight show then came back the next morning to the 10:30 a.m. screening. That is a lot of time in Middle Earth for one day. The opening battle between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the Balrog really set the tone for the Blu-ray. As Gandalf falls, catches the sword and then the Balrog you are completely swept away. There are several instances where I was reminded that here is where one extended scene goes and there another. I knew that if I stuck it out to Helm’s Deep it would probably be worth it.
 
The Two Towers is already eight years old and the Blu-ray already highlights some of its flaws. There are several moments in Jackson’s sweeping panoramic views of Middle Earth where you can now clearly see a village far away or even more soldiers marching towards our heroes. However Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) look completely out of place, digitally, when Faramir (David Wenham) has them captive in his cave. Gollum (Andy Serkis) has contrasts as opposite as his two personalities. In broad daylight he looks like a digital character but at night or inside he looks as if he will reach out and grab you. Now I know that many doubles were used for the Hobbits and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). I don’t think I was looking for it but this time, on Blu-ray, it was obvious when it was John Rhys-Davies and when it wasn’t. Perhaps that is the latest downfall to 1080p and having size doubles in this type of film.
 
There was another interesting moment where the memory of the extended cut began to ruin my enjoyment of the film on Blu-ray. Being a fan of Fringe I suddenly remembered that the scenes with its star, John Noble, were not in this cut. Why did they go through all this effort to release the films on Blu-ray in their theatrical cuts? The Hobbit is in development hell, at least its start time anyway, so it isn’t like they are trying to cash in on the hype. Are they trying to build some hype? Do they really think they can get us twice, again with the same series of films? All this does is piss off the fans. Fans that would have bought the box set and for some might have finally switched to Blu-ray. Perhaps they are testing the waters to see if the people will wait to buy the extended versions.
 
If you are like me the extended cuts are the definitive versions. I thought I could sit back and enjoy one of the movies like I once did, twice in less than 24 hours. This collection on Blu-ray is a preview to some other Blu-ray collection we will probably get when The Hobbit finally finds its way into theaters. The Lord of the Rings (1978) Animated Movie seems like a better way to spend time in Middle Earth right now. Ralph Bakshi’s film is also being released today on Blu-ray.
 
Maniacs, I want you to sound off below. Will you buy The Lord of the Rings just to have it on Blu-ray or will you wait for the extended cuts?
 
ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS
 
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans ~ Fairuza Balk, Tom Bower, Nicolas Cage, and Vondie Curtis-Hall
 
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans [Blu-ray]
 
Bridge Too Far (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, and Michael Caine
 
Brothers Five (Blu-ray) (Shaw Brothers) ~ Pei-pei Cheng, Han Chin, and Yi Chang
 
Bulletproof Monk (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Seann William Scott
 
Commando (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
 
The Dam Busters ~ Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave, Ursula Jeans, and Charles Carson
 
The Delightful Forest (Shaw Brothers) (Blu-ray) ~ Lung Ti, Mu Zhu, and Chin Tien
 
Dolan's Cadillac [Blu-ray] ~ Christian Slater, Wes Bentley, and Emmanuelle Vaugier
 
Dolan's Cadillac
 
Flight of the Intruder [Blu-ray] ~ Rosanna Arquette, Adam Biesk, Reb Brown, and J. Kenneth Campbell
 
Hart's War (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, and Terrence Howard
 
The Heroic Ones [Blu-ray] ~ David Chiang, Han Chin, and Lung Ti
 
Jade [Blu-ray] ~ David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Cazz Palmintieri, and Richard Crenna
Murder.com ~ Alexandra Paul, David Chokachi, Robyn Lively, and David Moretti
 
Out of Time (2003) (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Denzel Washington
 
Poseidon [Blu-ray] ~ Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, and Emmy Rossum
 
Road House (1989) (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Patrick Swayze
 
Rollerball (2002) (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Chris Klein, Jean Reno, and LL Cool J
 
Sharpe's Peril ~ Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Michael Cochrane, and Velibor Topic
 
Sharpe's Peril [Blu-ray]
 
Sharpe's Challenge [Blu-ray] ~ Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Toby Stephens, and Padma Lakshmi
 
Speed (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Keanu Reeves
 
The Thomas Crown Affair [Blu-ray] ~ Pierce Brosnan, Denis Leary, Ben Gazzara, and Frankie Faison
 
The Unusuals (Amazon.com Exclusive) ~ Jeremy Renner, Amber Tamblyn, and Harold Perrineau
 
Usual Suspects (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, and Kevin Pollack
 
Walking Tall (2004) (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Dwayne Johnson, Johnny Knoxville, and Neal McDonough
 
Windtalkers (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, and Peter Stormare
 
ANIME
 
Code Geass Leouch of the Rebellion: R2, Part 4 (Limited Edition)
 
Code Geass Leouch of the Rebellion: R2, Part 4
 
Hidamari Sketch X 365: Complete Collection (3pc)
 
Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens Complete Collection
 
Lucky Star Anime Legends
 
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 2, Part 1
 
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 2, Part 1 (Special Edition)
 
Naruto Shippuden, Vol. 8
 
RENTAL MAGICA PART 2 - DVD Collection
 
CARTOONS
 
Igor (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray]
 
King of the Hill Season 6
 
COMEDY AND LOVE Mania Style
 
Dodgeball: True Underdog Story (2pc) (W/Dvd) [Blu-ray] ~ Vince Vaughn
 
Graduate (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Dustin Hoffman
 
Napoleon Dynamite (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Jon Heder, Jon Gries, and Aaron Ruell
 
Super Troopers (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Andre Vippolis, Joey Kern, and Geoffrey Arend
 
Three Stooges with Bonus Comedies ~ Curly Howard, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp
 
HORROR
 
Autumn ~ Dexter Fletcher, David Carradine, and Dickon Tolson
 
Blood Forest ~ Jon Paul Gates
 
Blood Red Moon (Ws) ~ Sarah Lavrisa, Matthew Rogers, Mark Courneyea, and Shelley-Jean Harrison
 
High Plains Invaders (Maneater) ~ James Marsters, Cindy Sampson, and Sanny van Heteren
 
Malpractice ~ Amanda Klein, Kelsey Ann Wedeen, and Sam Skorina
 
Taxidermia ~ Gábor Máté, Istvan Znamenak, Peter Blasko, and Istvan Hunyadkurthy
 
The Damned ~ Todd Bridges
 
Tony ~ Peter Ferdinando, Ricky Glover, Neil Maskell, and Lorenzo Camporese
 
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
 
Catalina: A New Kind of Superhero ~ Nathan Lubbock-Smith
 
Cocoon [Blu-ray] ~ Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Wendy J. Cooke, and Hume Cronyn
 
Dreamscape [Blu-ray] ~ Eddie Albert, Timothy Blake, Kendall Carly Browne, and George Caldwell
 
Jade Warrior ~ Tommi Eronen, Markku Peltola, Jingchu Zhang, and Krista Kosonen
 
The Lord of the Rings (1978 Animated Movie) (Remastered Deluxe Edition) ~ Norman Bird, Simon Chandler, Anthony Daniels, and Christopher Guard
 
The Lord of the Rings (1978 Animated Movie) [Blu-ray] ~ Christopher Guard, William Squire, and John Hurt
 
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray] ~ Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, and Sean Astin
 
Planet of Apes (2001) (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Mark Wahlberg
 
Robocop (1987) (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Peter Weller
 
Sensored [Blu-ray] ~ Robert Picardo, Brian Rife, Sarah Knowlton, and Michelle Page
 
Sensored
 
Shadowplay ~ A.J. Castro
 
Terminator (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
 
Yesterday Was a Lie ~ Kipleigh Brown, Chase Masterson, John Newton, and Peter Mayhew
 
TV LAND
 
Ally McBeal: Season 2
 
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] ~ Edward James Olmos
 
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
Battlestar Galactica: Season Two [Blu-ray]
 
Blood Ties: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] ~ Christina Cox, Dylan Neal, Kyle Schmid, and Gina Holden
 
Blood Ties: The Complete Series
 
Mythbusters: Collection 5
 
Party Down: Season 1 ~ Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, and Martin Starr
 
Simon & Simon: Season Four ~ Gerald McRaney, Jameson Parker, and Tim Reid
 
Soap: The Complete First Season ~ Ron Roddy, Richard Mulligan, Ted Wass, and Billy Crystal
 
Soap: The Complete Second Season ~ Ron Roddy, Richard Mulligan, Ted Wass, and Billy Crystal
 
Soap: The Complete Third Season ~ Ron Roddy, Richard Mulligan, Ted Wass, and Billy Crystal
 
Soap: The Complete Fourth Season ~ Ron Roddy, Richard Mulligan, Ted Wass, and Billy Crystal
 
UNDENIABLE CLASSICS
 
The Natural (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray] ~ Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, and Kim Basinger
 
Rocky (2pc) (W/Dvd) (P&S) [Blu-ray] ~ Sylvester Stallone
 
BOX SETS
 
Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films ~ Kerwin Mathews, Nadia Gray, Donald Houston, and Liliane Brousse
 
Robert Trate writes two weekly columns for Mania the DVD Shopping Bag and the Toy Maniac. Robert also participates in a pod cast that reviews movies, comics and celebrates all things geek. Check it out at You’ve Got Geek on You.com.
 

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Showing items 1 - 10 of 15
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Skroin 4/6/2010 12:14:53 AM

I was excited when I heard that LoTR was coming to Blu-Ray....until I heard it wasn't the extended cuts of the film.

Like the review said, I believe the extended cuts are the definitive version of the films and without them the films are not as wonderful. I'll definately be waiting for the extended Blu-Ray version....which I hear are not due out til early 2011. :(

TayDor 4/6/2010 1:52:07 AM

I'm waiting for extended blu-ray.

karas1 4/6/2010 3:40:48 AM

I don't have Blu-ray, but if I did I would wait for the extended cuts.  Until then I could always enjoy the movies on regular DVD.

ArkoblaConn 4/6/2010 4:18:48 AM

Actually had the wife teed up to buy this while I was out of town...until I heard they weren't extended cuts.  I'm with you - the extended cut IS the real movie now.  I won't buy these.

 

 

StarlightGuard 4/6/2010 4:56:22 AM

I was ready to pounce on this knowing ahead of time it was the theatrical releases. A carbon copy of both discs on Blu? Great -- I've watched both discs of all three movies a lot.

And yes I would go get the extended cuts because those are unique in their film and special features.

It's the technical\visual issues that'll keep me away.

There's a statement at Blu-Ray.com that says the transfer for Fellowship is flawed, and I'm not going to spend all that cash on a second rate presentation.

If it was all pristine, I'd be at Best Buy right now....or 10 AM, whichever was more feasible.

hey karas, a female friend of mine described the boys of Supernatural as...well....eye candy. And that's pretty much the only reason she watches it.

dbrock06 4/6/2010 5:07:32 AM

Why would they even bother to release the Theatrical version on Blu Ray when there already is an extended version out there that just about everyone wants?  I know $$$$  is the answer, but this is ridiculous.  They could have put both editions on the same disc. 

Redshirt1 4/6/2010 5:35:34 AM

I'll wait for extended Blu Ray.  However, if the film is showing it's age in in Blu Ray it might be time for the Weta Team to go back and re-polish the effects.  I never had a problem with Lucas doing that for Star Wars, it was all the extra crap he added that I had a problem with (i.e. Greedo shooting first).  As long as Jackson doesn't go Lucas crazy and try to fix things that were never wrong in the first place I wouldn't mind updating the graphics so it looks sharper on Blu Ray.  

Hobbs 4/6/2010 6:54:06 AM

That's starting to become a trend with blu-ray transfers.  Starlight, I read that too about Fellowship not being done that well.  Take Gladiator for example. I was going to pick it up until I read they actually DELETED background scenes when they did the blu-ray transfer.

Sloopy, sloopy, sloopy work.

As for LOTR...I'll wait until they package the extended cuts AND theater cuts into one package...and I'll wait until the tranfer isn't half arsed done.   I don't double and triple dip anymore.  Lucas got me a few times on that...never again.  Just like Avatar I'll wait till November for the ultimate edition on that one as well.

renderman72 4/6/2010 6:54:08 AM

waiting for the extended cut:)

HudsonTaco 4/6/2010 7:43:27 AM

Waiting for extended as well.

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