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Summary: A journey of humanity, emotion, and will
Review: A story that is timeless, The Return of the King is a fitting close to the saga that has held readers and moviegoers spellbound. A story that cronicles how even the smallest of people can stand strong aginest adversity, pain, and a struggle that could have very well killed them. Never before has a movie had such a powerful aura around it. It is a movie that has left a impact in everyone who has seen it, as the book has for all who have read it. To bring a theatre to tears, in a time when people are afriad to let other people see there emotions. When the riders of rohan came to the aid of gondor. When sam carried frode up the face of mount doom. These are moments that define the Lord of the Rings. This extended dvd edition is sure to provide you with hours of entertainment, and insight. The past Extended editions show us that great things are instore for the final epic dvd release in the Lord of the Rings. It is as such that I would recommend this item to anyone who is a fan of the movies, you will not be dissappointed. the holiday season might be a far way off, but great things are worth waiting for.
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Summary: The More The Better...
Review: After buying the extended version of The Two Towers, I now understand much more about the storyline of the movie than I did after seeing the standard release (widescreen version, of course). For example, why Gollum said the rope burns that was around his neck at the beginning of the movie. If you had not seen the extended version, you would not know that the rope was Elvish and was given to Frodo to aid in his Journey. The rope has some magical power and therefore conflicts with the evil that consumes Gollum's heart and mind. How's that for interesting? There are numerous examples such as this that highlight the difference between the standard and extended versions. I would recommend that version to anyone. I would love to see the extended version of this movie to fill in more gaps left by this excellent movie.
Rating:
Summary: among the top 3 movies of all time
Review: definitely a great movie, to say the least. decades from now, people will still be watching the trilogy, especially this one, and say "damn, those old folks sure knowhow to make movies back then!" another thing, to the recent posters, amazon.com is askin for our reviews, not a summary of the movie. please, everybody understood themovie, anyway.
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Summary: The only way to go
Review: Having read the book and then viewing the movies, I can state without a doubt that the 'extended' versions far exceed what the average movie goer views on the big screen. Thus far, the past 2 extended versions have gone that 'extra length' to tie the story lines together and fill the gaps left out of the big screen movies. Once you read the book and then compare the movie versus the extended DVD, you will see exactly what I mean. True, this last of the trilogy was an epic on the big screen yet it too left out pieces from the book that only this extended DVD can replace. I am hopeful and confident that it will do just that, fill in those gaps, and make this 3rd installment a classic beyond my wildest imagination.
Rating:
Summary: ROTK ROCKS!
Review: I absolutely loved the Return of the King. It, however, missed a few important things that the extended edition covers, and some it does not. Neither version covers the Scouring of the Shire, which makes up a good portion of the book and is essential to completely understanding the ending. The regular version of the movie does not cover the House of Healing, when the Rohan princess falls deeper in love with Aragorn and Faramire falls in love with her. Also, I found that the original version did not cover Sauruman's death. For all the watchers know, he could still be up in his tower at the end of the film! I do not know if the extended version covers it, but I hope it does. Dispite my prestated down sides to the movie, I still HIGHLY recommend it.
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Summary: Can't wait
Review: I expect this to have even more extended and new scenes that TTT. The choppiness of the Isengard scene in the theater indicates that there is more dialogue there - so I expect that in the extended version for certain. Also, there was a teaser at the coronation scene that showed Eowyn with Faramir. My guess is there will be several new scenes added that bring that (beautiful) part of the backstory in. I noticed a couple of other scenes that had the feel that some dialogue was cut out. The coronation scene in particular contained many references (in addition to Eowyn and Faramir) to as yet unseen happenings - the blooming of the tree (that's one heck of a sappling to dump all those leaves...), for example. Jackson as much as said in the FOTR commentary that the viewing in the Mirror of Galadriel is all we are going to see of the Scouring of the Shire. That is a let down for me, as that is my favorite section of the books. I like JRRT's theme that everything has a cost and you can never, really, go back to the way things were. The Scouring brings that home very poetically. There was a certain "so what, who cares" aspect in the way Jackson brought them back to an unaffected Shire. In any event, you can be assured that I will be watching the whole thing from start to finish the day it comes out. But I won't buy it from amazon because I won't be able to wait that extra day for shipping and don't want to take the chance that Amazon won't pick me as one of the lucky people who get a copy from their first shipment. And this DVD is going to be available everywhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great adaptation of a very complex trilogy.
Review: I have read the LOTR 7 times in the last 30 years, and the story is still as compelling and moving as the first read. Peter Jackson's adaptation of the LOTR "The Return of the King," was nothing short of amazing. I am very aware of the departures, compromises and reworkings of the original storyline, but fans of the both the books and the movies need to understand that book authoring and movie making are two very different challenges. In a trilogy as complex and interwoven as the LOTR series, I think that Peter Jackson did what no other director was able or courageous enough to do, and do phenomenally well, with his films. Was there any character wrongly cast in the films? Aragorn was incredible, Gandalf was brilliant, and Gollum himself was a marvel of Shakespearian proportions, not to mention the technology involved to bring him to life. The movies, even with their flaws for us Tolkien puritans, are well worth owning, especially the extended versions, despite their added length. Most of us wish the story would go on forever anyway.
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Summary: a request to peter
Review: i have to take peter jackson to task, if only what he has done he has done superlatively well -- commendable in view of the fact that many failed in this endeavor before him. i fully understand his aversion to the important Scouring of the Shire which caps the entire sequence of books, as, from a film standpoint, we have had the Big Battle, which we are taught in film school is the catharsis of the built up tension. We have seen the scary monsters slayed and there appears no special dramatic reason -- from a film-maker's viewpoint -- to include what must seen to him to be superfluous. Well peter, you are within your rights of course, as few can criticize you here. Except that leaving out the Scouring pretty much castrates the ending as tolkein envisioned. No reason virtually every critic and theatregoer has lambasted the "overlong extended and drawnout sequence of pseudo endings" we ended up with. The scouring of the shire, besides capping the history of both saruman and wormtongue, reminds us that
1. This is NOT a story about Great Kings and Queens defeating scary monsters, but of little people accomplishing a momentary victory.
2. Evil is NOT some convenient punching bag you knock down after some dismissable troubles only to return to your breakfast nook for a nice lunch. Tolkein's whole point was that evil resides within and not in an exterior power you can point at.
3. As Saruman indicated, in a speech notably absent from the film, "so you think you can ... just amble back and have a nice quiet time in the country. Saruman's home could be all wrecked . .. but no one could touch yours. Oh no!" Tolkein reminds us that evil is essentially unkillable in many other places in the books.
4. Only the actor who played Aragorn indicates an awareness of an essential truth about tolkein's pessimistic viewpoint in one of the DVD commentaries, but it is worthwhile pointing out that the story of the books is pretty much the story of the ending of the world described. Once the Ring is destroyed, all the rings become mere ornaments -- the magic has left the world and this world of Middle Earth is to end. Tolkein, who observed the inevitable advancement of the Industrial Revolution upon his beloved countryside saw the ruination of the natural world as a slow and inevitable process, with -- perhaps -- a few outposts persisting here and there. But he knew that the balanced way of life of the simple farmer in the bucolic countryside had already become a myth. The many ruins that dot the landscape of the books reflect this idea that we live in a diminished world which reveals traces of past glories. Even the fire demon (Legolas: "a balrog! I have heard legends of these!") and Shelob are remnants of past battles in which thousands of each took part. The tower where Frodo is briefly kept captive, was built by elves and men, not by Sauron, in a time of a larger and more powerful Gondor. Well, i could go on, but Tolkein, himself, wrote a nice little description of what he was about in a foreward to the Second Edition. There also remain the appendices,which reveal a lot about his intentions as well. The hope that we find, as Viggo mentions in the commentary, is that the work exists. And establishes by that fact a competitive value against machine utilitarianism. Personally, i think the language of the small guesture, rather than the glorious battle victories, provides the greatest joy. Sam finding a crown of flowers around the head of a fallen statue (in book 3) as spring renews life on the borders of the dead land, for example. So, Peter, if you have paid attention this far to an unfortunately pedantic and unskilled blather, please find a way to reintroduce the Scouring of the Shire. For in that small victory of the hobbits we find ourselves in hope that we little people -- who are not kings and queens and have no armies to marshal -- have some chance against the evil in our own backyards. lord knows, these days, we all could use some hope here.
Rating:
Summary: The KING of the Entire Trilogy
Review: I loved "The Return of the King" in the theater. I thought it felt much different than the previous films, with more humor, more story, and definitely more battle sequences. Some people might wonder why I gave the film 4 stars. Well, it's because I didn't enjoy the ending. After the Mount Doom sequence, I think the film gets pretty boring. But, it is a great movie. In this Extended Edition, we will see the death of Saruman, which was covered up in the theatrical release with a few cheesy lines from Gandalf and Treebeard. We will also see a pledge scene from Merry to King Theoden. There are many other extended sequences, including a song from Arwen (which makes the White Tree of Gondor grow), a new Palantir sequence where Aragorn reveals himself to Sauron, and a Houses of Healing scene revealing the romantic backstory between Faramir and Eowyn. Another scene that will be added is the confrontation at the Black Gate between the Mouth of Sauron (played by Bruce Spence) and our heroes. Also, an awesome battle sequence between Gandalf and the Witch King will be added and the death of Gamling on Pelennor Fields will be able to be viewed, along with a scene where Frodo and Sam (disguised as orcs) escape a column of orcs marching to Cirith Ungol on their final leg of the journey to Mordor (this is the stupid "Where There's a Whip" scene in the Rankin/Bass "Return of the King"). As for the special features, Peter Jackson will proabably include his usual documentaries, the commentaries by all of the cast members, a few pre-viz and photo galleries, along with a special easter egg of an MTV "Lord of the Ring" spoof (as he has done before with "The Council of Elrond" parody with Jack Black and the MTV Awards Gollum acceptance speech). All in all, this Extended Edition of "The Return of the King" will be a great way to end the Special Edition series. I look forward to watching it.
Rating:
Summary: A Oscar Winning Ending to a Superb Trilogy
Review: I never thought in my fifty short years of living I would fall head over heels for another trilogy. Star Wars had always been my favorite. Then I saw the LOTR - Fellowship of the Ring. I knew I was watching cinematic history. Peter Jackson knows how to mix true emotion with great action. And he knows how to use special effects to help tell a story, not overshadow it. All three of the movies were terrific. LOTR Return of the King is sublime. I hope in the Platiumum edition due out during the holidays, we get to see another hour or more of our favorite heroes and villians. I hope you will join them again, too.
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