To introduce a note of controversy into this festival of righteous indignation…

I agree that it’s a bit of a rip off not to offer blu-rays that could play either the normal or extended versions (a bit like the ‘Close Encounters’ release). However, as a blu-ray, LOTR and movie fan I have to say that while the extended versions are interesting and there’s a couple of scenes that would have been nice in the theatrical release, the original cuts overall are FAR better than the extended versions – I’ve seen all of the extended versions and although they add quantity, the don’t have the same pace or tension and many of the additions are quite boring or inconsequential. Oh look, another bloody elf! I love the original book too, but I thought Peter Jacksons original philosophy of trying to make a good film first and a faithful adaptation second was the right way to go – after all, it was the dogged attempt to reproduce every aspect of the book that made the early Harry Potter films so disapointing. They are different mediums.

So I’m very happy to have the theatrical releases and am absolutely STUNNED by the picture and sound quality – possibly the best blu-ray I have in my collection which includes Avatar and 2001, my previous bests. Helms Deep in particular is mind blowing.

I actually prefer the theatrical versions but not everyone is the same so i understand the frustations if you wanted the extended versions! Nobody likes to wait! Boycotting the reviews though is unfair on the people who do want to buy these versions and want to know what they’re like.

All of you already know how good this trilogy is so i’m just goin give my opinion on the picture quality.

The Fellowship of The Ring:
I have to say i agree with what others have said about this one…it doesn’t live up to it’s potential! Althought it does have it’s stand out moments! It’s just keeping the consistantcy and you feel more of it looks standard definition than it does blu ray! But overall it is still better then the DVD version.

The Two Towers:
No disspointments for this one! Picture quality is pretty amazing through most of it! A lot of scenes really come to life which is what blu ray is all about!

The Return of the King:
This is one of the reasons why blu ray was made! It just looks outstanding certainly one of the best blu rays i have seen so far if not the best!

The audio for all three films btw is what you would expect from blu ray….superb!

I have read many Actual reviews which knock the Picture Quality of Fellowship Blu ray. All 3 Movies Look pretty good to me on my Samsung 40inch LCD. Certainly a lot better than Upscaled DVD’s (on my Toshiba HD EP10 HDDVD player) on one to one comparison. Worth buying just to get the better sound, as the DTS Master Audio is Awesome(If you have a reasonable Surround sound sytem). My only negative is that Amazon just cut the price by 25%. So much for preordering!!

Yes, not putting the Extended Editions on is foul play, but how about the quality of what’s being sold for under 30 quid here? Easiest to deal with is the sound, which is fantastic and just gets better from film to film. The battle scenes in ROTK are almost frightening with the power and depth of sound as the Witch King flies over the battle on his dragon, or as the Oliphaunts advance across the field. But all the way through the trilogy the 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack is strident, detailed and superbly balanced. The use of surround is awe-inspiring in its sense of immersion and precise localisation of sounds. And basses are truly bombastic, with scenes such as the opening of the Black Gate leaving your room physically shaking.

The video quality in ROTK is also absolutely excellent, with crisp images and superb depth and plasticity in close-ups. There is some use of soft-focus where I would have preferred reference sharpness (some of the long shots of Gondor), but this is the director’s choice in how he shot it, seemingly, and not a transfer muck-up. Contrasts are also a bit extreme, with the aetherial brightness associated with the elves and their home occasionally causing some irritation, but, again, this seems to have been Jackson’s choice.

“Fellowship” has been slammed by some for excessive Digital Noise Reduction and Edge Enhancement, although it is worth mentioning that one prominent BD website recanted after re-viewing the original film print! For me, there is some DNR, but it is not excessive, and will probably not be noticed by many viewers. DNR free would have been better, but what we have is still a BD with stacks of superbly resolved images showing depth and plasticity in close-ups and providing many a thrill on screens small and large. Moria, for example, is truly impressive.

“Two Towers” is a little better than “Fellowship” technically, but it employs so much soft focus that it does not impress that much more, and is not on the level of ROTK.

Having never bought these films before on any medium, I found the release price of forty quid fair enough. People who have already bought two box-sets may well want to wait for the Extended Editions, but the Theatricals are very enjoyable movies, and it is worth mentioning that ROTK in seamless branching would probably have had to sacrifice picture quality to fit both versions on a BD-50! That would have been a travesty.

In conclusion, the audio quality is truly Middle-Earth shattering, and the video quality starts good-very good and rises to excellent. If you don’t know what DNR is and don’t care, you will probably think “Fellowship” looks fantastic too! In numerous places it had me grinning from ear to ear at just how good it looked projected on a 3m wide screen!

The only truly negative thing is that the nice looking Blu-Ray cover of the box is a piece of card that has been glued on and hangs loose at the back! Were BD boxes not clearly smaller than DVD ones, I would suspect they were trying to use up unsold DVD merchandise! Or was I the only one to receive this shabby treatment?

That aside, highly recommended.

I thought that because this is the theatrical edition, it wouldn’t be as good as the Extended one, especially since it is at such a low price. How wrong I was. This box set is amazing with every film on one disc, brilliant acting, brilliant soundtrack, brilliant everything! I’ve read the books and even though nothing can beat the books, this is a thoroughly enjoyable watch and for £20, how can you go wrong?! Brilliant, recommend it for any LOTR fan.

I have to say that you cannot get more quality entertainment on DVD for under 20 pounds, what a masterpiece. If anyone knows of something that is better, I am all ears! A lot of you maybe considering getting the extended trilogy, which is fair enough, however, many people cannot sit through the 4-hr extended versions – I have seen the first two and unless you’re a complete LOTR nut, then I believe the majority of the extras are unnecessary. Even if you are adament on getting the extended version, this could be the perfect gift for your mum/dad, relative or friend – without digging too deep into your wallet! Fantastic!

Having seen all of the films at the cinema and thinking that they were good, but not good enough to warrant spending £20 each on the DVDs, i saw this box set containing all of the theatrical editions of the films.I have to confess, i brought the set because of the amazing value that Amazon were offering (under £20). But, having watched all of the films again, a few times over, i can now appreciate the true brilliance of the story, the acting of Elijah Wood and others such as Orlando Bloom, the directing of the amazing peter Jackson and, saving the best to last, the special effects that are present in the movies.The set comes in a great looking tough cardboard box, with all of the film covers on the front and is something extra that you wouldn’t have if you brought all three films separately. This collection is a must have for any film fan, and (i’ll say it again), it’s fantastic value for money!

Being a huge fan of the books wasn’t the handicap I thought it would be even though I could be heard whispering on the back row “that never happened!” and “she shouldn’t be in this scene!” Peter Jackson has to be congratulated for cutting out some of the less interesting chapters of the books (who missed Tom Bombadil? Not I) and all three films are full of enough nods and winks to the hardened fan to keep everyone happy. The test for me was always going to be Gollum, for my money the most interesting and well crafted character in the books, and my pointy hat is well and truly doffed to Messrs Jackson and Serkis for the stunning portrayal in the films. The additional footage of how Gollum was created makes buying the extended DVD versions worth while. I only hope the details and contracts can be worked out so that The Hobbit can be made, if the LOTR trilogy is anything to go by it would be a stunner. Read the books, watch the films, enjoy the trip!

I first read Lord of the Rings when I was about 17 and it took me nigh on six months to trawl through its interminable verbiage. I haven’t read it since nor have I been remotely tempted to….until now .The single greatest compliment I can pay this out standing trilogy is I’m on the verge of tackling that magnum opus again. Then I can join the legions of sad cases relentlessly moaning that this or the other plot point or character isn’t the same as it is in the book and well it’s fatally compromised now. Personally I think an outstanding job has been done in transferring Tolkiens rather overbearing and weighty tome into a coherent screenplay that still fleshes out the disparate characters and allows the narrative to flow without (with one or two exceptions) becoming too clunky. Boromirs death scene is overlong and there is way too much exposition about the Rings terrible powers but these are minor gripes.Those reviewers who recommend waiting for a box set of the extended versions have a point as the extended versions of “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Two Towers” explain one or two plot points better. The relationship between Boromir and Faramir is one that certainly benefits from this. Overall though these versions of the film are more than acceptable and this box set offers exceptional value.Make of the films what you will. Is it essentially a torturous road movie? Is the coveting of the “precious” Ring a comment on our consumerist society or the relentless hordes of Mordor a cipher for Fascism? Whatever, these are magnificent films. The direction is wonderful and the cinematography makes full use of those stunning New Zealand landscapes. The integration of the digital technology with the sentient is seamless and the production design is absolutely outstanding. The acting could have been hammy or simply O.T.T. but is handled superbly throughout with Ian Mckellan and Sean Astin particularly good, though John Rhyss Davis is fantastic too behind his Dwarf persona and of course mention must be made of Andy Serkis as Gollum who is perhaps the films greatest single achievement.The multiple endings are necessary to tie up all the various story threads and the film is quite moving in several places helped greatly by Howard Shores fulsome soundtrack. If you happen to have nine hours to spare then its worth watching in one long session.You.ll is amazed at how quickly the time will pass and more importantly how bereft you will feel at the knowledge that “Return of the King” is the last of this sublime trilogy.Then again there’s always the extended version of that to look forward too. I for one cannot wait.

the lord of the rings trilogy is now surely the greatest of all time, yes even better than the star wars,back to the future and indiana jones’ trilogies.It’s mainly because of the consistency-all 3 of these films are superb with the last one being my fave. ever movie.So based on the movies this is a must buy.But there are many things wrong with this boxset-it’s not really the bargain you might think it is saying as you could pick up these three on their own for around about this price, they certainly don’t have as many extras and don’t have the extra half an hour or so added like the extended discs have.So get the extended ones instead although for the 3rd one you’ll have to wait till november and i realy couldn’t wait that long.But you can get the first 2 in extended editions and they really are worth it.As for extra info about the movies, well surely you already know just how great they are right?