|  | | The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) (2005) | | Studio: New Line Home Entertainment | |  | | | | List Price: | $39.99 | | Price: | $25.99 | | You Save: | $14.00 (35.01%) | | Availability: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.What's New?
One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls "pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film. In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the ROTK extended edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields. It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut.
If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
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And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.How Are the Bonus Features?
To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition. Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear him break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron. One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi Description
A new version of the final installment in the epic trilogy! The WINNER of 11 Academy Awards including BEST PICTURE is now 50 minutes longer! This extended version of the epic conclusion of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy includes new score by Howard Shore and over 350 new digital effects shots. The once-great kingdom, watched over by a fading steward, has never been in more desperate need of its king. But can Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) answer the call of his heritage and become what he was born to be? In no small measure, the fate of Middle-earth rests on his broad shoulders. | | | | Product Details
- Starring: Elijah Wood
- Director: Peter Jackson
- Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
- Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: December 14, 2022
- Running Time: 250
- Language: English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled)
- ASIN: B000634DCW
- Average Customer Review:
 Based on 490 reviews. - Amazon.com Sales Rank: 33
| | | | Customer Reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 End of an Era, May 19, 2023
After watching the extended editions of the first two films, I was waiting with baited breath for The Return of the King and the wait was well worth it and it the perfect ending to The Lord of the Rings. The battle at Minas Tirith made the one at Helm's Deep look like a walk in the park. The ending is long, but that's only because there's a lot of loose ends to tie up. The cast and crew did an incredible job and we won't see a trilogy like this for a long time.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Best Film Ever (...), May 8, 2023
I have yet to see a film better than Lord of the Rings. It is well put together and the story brings fantesy one step closer to reality.
(...)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
I think Tolkien would be amazed, May 7, 2023
and happy at this wonderful labor of love performed by Peter Jackson.
I first read Lord of the Rings when I was 14 and re-read it every year until I was about 30. Took a break and then started reading it aloud to my children as a bedtime story. The movie is so much like the book has been in my mind.
The music fits perfectly.
Now, I'm referring in general to the entire trilogy of movies. But this last one, the Return of the King, is particularly beautiful and moving.
And as for the model of Minas Tirith, I keep mine on my dresser where I keep my bracelet with elvish engraving.
I could find no fault with anything. Eowyn in the movie is a little prettier than Eowyn as I imagined her, but that's okay. Every other character looked as I have imagined for the past almost 40 years. What a superb accomplishment! Every actor was fantastic. Oh, those oliphants!!
Frodo and Sam, well, Elijah Wood was born to play Frodo and Sean Astin, who could do Sam better?
The hobbit hold where Bilbo lives, just like I envisioned.
What more could anyone ask than for a beloved book to come to the screen exactly as imagined during the reading?
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Tolkien, Jackson, and Academia, May 4, 2023
To ninjasuperstar who said: "I teach multicultural film at the university level, so I do know what I am talking about" - with all due respect perhaps this is why you "teach" while others "do". Although I recognize your right to your opinion, your criticisms of this film echo the criticisms that Tolkien absorbed from the literary guardians of academe in his own time. Witness his professed disdain for the false intellectualism of allegory. He recognized the most important thing about creative writing: to entertain. The same holds for Peter Jackson's achievement in this film. Few authors in modern history held their audience with such rapt attention and provided them with such joy, as did Tolkien, and again, Jackson has enjoyed accomplishment at a similar level with his film. While it is easy for all of us to find niggles we might have done differently, it's hard to imagine anyone having tackled a project of this impossible enormity with any closer proximity to perfection. The achievment nearly defies comprehension. Sorry to gush, but I've seen a lot of movies over lo these many decades, and I studied film in college too, so "I know what I'm talking about." In terms of adaptation, casting, special effects, and most importantly a very clear and profound respect for the author and the audience... this film is nothing less than a grand slam and will set the high bar for quality entertainment for many years to come.
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Great end for a Great trilogy, Apr 29, 2023
I have loved these books for such a long time and when I heard they were making them into movies I was excited and scard at the same time, but when I saw the Fellowship, I knew they had done it right. In my opinion all of the movies should have won the Oscar for best movie, but since Return of the king did, it feels like all of them won the award since it is one movie. Best movie I have ever saw, to all of those that said the ending was terrible, it is the way it should have ended, since from a door in Hobbiton the whole story began in the Hobbit.
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