extended version dvd review

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2002)

To those who are here wondering if it is worth buying the 4 dvd disc extended version of the film, my recommendation is to buy it now with no hesitation! Renting it will not give enough time to appreciate all this set has to offer. This is truly one of the best dvd packages I've yet seen. Every part of the set, from the packaging to the extras to the film itself show extreme attention to detail, and is truly remarkable for the package's consumer friendly price. The picture quality is phenomenal, and justifies splitting the film onto two discs. But as wonderful to behold the transfer is, the DTS 6.1 soundtrack blows you away. This has replaced Star Wars Ep. 1 and Gladiator as my "show off" film for what my system is capable of. Even if you are not in love with the film itself, you should have this set in your library just to show off your audio/visual home theater setup. Top notch!
And for those who love the movie, you're in for a treat. I can see why some scenes were chosen to be left out, especially some of the "shire" scenes that give a different feel to one of the lead characters or that became unecessary after the choice to include a prologue in the theatrical version was made. Some of the restored footage is pure treasure, though--it is amazing how a few seconds here or there flesh out some of the familiar scenes, and how some of the restored scenes add to the storyline and scope of the film. In the theater these extensions would definately add up to (more) of a sore butt, but they are a pleasure to watch in a home setting, where you can pause at any time.
The extras add up to somewhat of an overkill, what with 2 discs full of documentary footage, interviews, and interactive features, not to mention the 4(!) commentary tracks. Just about everything is covered, but there is some repetition. One annoyance I had was that in the cast commentary track, they obviously had the actors in the same room together where they were free to interact with each other while they recorded...but sometimes they edit in pieces of interviews found on the extras discs where the actors talk about their fellow actors who were not present during the interview...to kind of a disconcerting effect. All in all, though, not much to complain about. Hidden features include the theatrical preview of The Two Towers, and MTV's hilarious spoof of the Council of Elrond from the music video awards.
I am not going to say the extended version is superior to the theatrical release version, but it is certainly a worthy reinterpretation of the available footage that I enjoyed immensely. Kudos to New Line for going all out with this, and Peter Jackson and all the other people involved for taking the time and attention involved in such a release. I think even Tolkien may have been grudgingly impressed.