The Lord of the Rings Special Extended Edition Trilogy Box Set

Review

[1][2] Produced, Directed, and Written by: Peter Jackson Based on the novel by: J.R.R. Tolkien Screenplay: Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie Art Direction: Grand Major Costume Design: Nyla Diction and Richard Taylor Music: Howard Shore Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, and Ian Holm Voice Cast: Andy Serkis, Daisuke Namikawa, Hiroshi Arikawa, Kinomi Tsuboi, Yoshitada Otsuka, Shingo Tanida, Kenji Utsumi, Masataka Iizumi, Manabu Muraji, Daisuke Hirakawa, Iemasa Iemiya, Takayuki Sugo, Rikiya Koyama, Fumito Yamano[5][6] Produced, directed and written by: Peter Jackson Produced and written by: Fran Walsh Produced by: Barry M. Osborne, Tim Sanders Screenplay by: Philippa Boyens Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie Art Direction: Grant Major Costume Design: Nihla Dixon, Richard Taylor Music: Howard Shore Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Voight, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm Voice cast: Daisuke Namikawa, Hiroshi Arikawa, Kinomi Tsuboi, Yoshitada Otsuka, Shingo Tanida, Kenji Utsumi, Masataka Iizumi, Manabu Muraji, Daisuke Hirakawa, Iemasa Iemiya, Takayuki Sugo, Rikiya Koyama, Fumito Yamano[9][10] Produced, directed and written by: Peter Jackson Produced and written by: Fran Walsh Produced by: Barry M. Osborne Based on the novel by: J.R.R. Tolkien Screenplay by: Philippa Boyens Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie Costumes: Niall Dixon Art Direction: Grant Major Music: Howard Shore Starring and voice cast: Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Miranda Otto, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Karl Urban, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, Sean Bean, David Wenham. Voice Cast: Daisuke Namikawa, Hiroshi Arikawa, Kinomi Tsuboi, Yoshitada Otsuka, Shingo Tanida, Kenji Utsumi, Masataka Iizumi, Manabu Muraji, Daisuke Hirakawa, Iemasa Iemiya, Takayuki Sugo, Rikiya Koyama, Fumito Yamano. -- Contents (from the "CD Journal" database)

From Amazon

Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: Special Extended Edition" presents the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious box set ever made on DVD. Jackson has brought to life J.R.R. Tolkien's work, a work that was once considered impossible to adapt to film. His success is due in part to stunning special effects, inspiring New Zealand locations, and a perfectly cast, but perhaps most significantly to the screenplay, which Jackson co-wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. While retaining Tolkien's vision and, at times, the exact words of the original, Jackson makes sensible changes appropriate to the film medium. While die-hard fans of the original have criticized these changes and the omission of characters and scenes from the film, the Extended Edition's nearly two hours of bonus features (bringing the total to nearly 11 hours) should appease them. These features delve deeper into Tolkien's music, characters, and story details—such as the explanation of Faramir and Denethor's relationship and the appearance of Sauron's mouth at the gates of Mordor. The Extended Edition also provides additional material to connect the trilogy. It's reaffirmed as one long film broken into three parts (which is why it's the strongest trilogy—there are no weak links). The scene in Part 1, in which Galadriel gives gifts to the Fellowship of the Ring, proves its importance to the overall story; the new scene with Faramir at the end of Part 2 reinforces the setup for Part 3; and the new scene with Sauron at the beginning of Part 3 helps conclude the plot of Part 2.

Best of all, the Extended Edition offers four discs per film: two for the extended films; four for the commentaries and extensive DTS 6.1 sound; and two for bonus features, covering everything from scriptwriting to special effects. There's also been some discussion about the issue of fans having to buy both versions, as the bonus features are so different. However, the theatrical cut is so inferior that fans only need it if they absolutely need the shorter version they saw in theaters (the last one, "The Return of the King," won 11 Oscars). The definitive "Lord of the Rings Special Extended Edition Trilogy Box Set" sets a new standard for DVD. It brings together three films, expanding Tolkien's world and offering a richer cinematic experience. It also offers a resource-quality home theater experience and generous, intelligent, and thoroughly entertaining extras. (David Horiuchi, Amazon.com)