The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition) (2001-2003)

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

This fits with my impression that the people saying "the teal isn't there!" often have no clear understanding what the concern is that they're arguing against. I haven't come across a single person saying it's a "solid green picture" or anything even close to that, other than the people derisively exaggerating what is actually being said as a straw man argument against it.

My own impression from most of the comments, is that people who understand how colour works in an image generally have a problem with this transfer, and those who don't, don't.

That's right, and I repeat - if you haven't watched the theatrical version often, you will never notice a difference. If you have, the darker EE version should be apparent. Some, if not most people don't mind it, but it bothers at least a few people including myself.

[Belmont]

Just got this set, and it's really quite something - LOVE the packaging.

The PQ on The Two Towers and, particularly, Return of the King is stellar. I'd say the ROTK PQ is one of the most appealing visual presentations I've ever seen on Blu Ray.

Now, a couple things I observed with the Fellowship PQ.

1) The much-discussed green tint is absolutely there, but it's not too bothersome. It's more noticeable in certain scenes, but otherwise, I was surprised that it didn't bother me too much.

2) What does bother me, however, is how dark the new transfer is. I'd love to be able to see the detail brought about by the new 2K scan, but in many scenes, shadow detail is all but lost in a dark murk. Sam and Frodo's stop in that corn field is a perfect example of this, as is the early scenes of Frodo and Gandalf in Bilbo's house.

But seriously, there's no reason the Fellowship image should be as dark as it is, especially when detail is just crushed right out of the shadows.

So over all, I feel the set is absolutely awesome, and the PQ for the latter 2 movies is stellar. The Fellowship transfer is definitely disappointing, but I can live with it.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

That's right, and I repeat - if you haven't watched the theatrical version often, you will never notice a difference. If you have, the darker EE version should be apparent. Some, if not most people don't mind it, but it bothers at least a few people including myself.

If I may amend your comment slightly, I would have said: if you haven't watched the theatrical version often, you may not notice a difference.

I still think the colour cast is bleedin' obvious. But we've become so used to teal washes being applied for transfer to DVD and Blu-ray, that we start thinking of those tones as "natural" and even preferring them, because they've been normalised. (It's like people listening to MP3s through iPods a lot, with attenuated treble, doofed-up bass and occluded mid-range, who come to think of that type of sound as a reference, as how music "should" be.)

[aiman04]

Watched Fellowship, never noticed the green tint at all, not even an the snow. I always set the color temperature on my TV to standard. But I agree that it's kind of darker than it should've been and crushed the details. I'm satisfied overall for Fellowship just thought it could've been brighter.

[kayroll]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Watched Fellowship, never noticed the green tint at all, not even an the snow. I always set the color temperature on my TV to standard. But I agree that it's kind of darker than it should've been and crushed the details. I'm satisfied overall for Fellowship just thought it could've been brighter.

Now you got both theatrical edition and extended edition sets....any different between this 2? Mine just theatrical edition....

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

That's right, and I repeat - if you haven't watched the theatrical version often, you will never notice a difference.

I don't remember the last time I saw any of the theatrical cuts; it's been years, for sure.

Originally Posted by Belmont

Just got this set, and it's really quite something - LOVE the packaging.

Agreed. I'm tempted to never do a custom for these, just because the retail box is so awesome. My only beef is that the magnet holding it closed isn't too big; the front keeps shifting slightly.

Originally Posted by kayroll

Now you got both theatrical edition and extended edition sets....any different between this 2? Mine just theatrical edition.

I don't own the theatricals on Blu-Ray myself, but I've heard the overall picture quality for the EEs is a vast improvement.

[riverbelow]

Originally Posted by riverbelow

As I stated in the rewatchable thread... I watch the Theatricals about once a month these days.

I'm so used to them, this recent purchase of the EE's is going to be odd to swallow.

I still wonder about pacing...Movies are in the mail.

I just got done Fellowship.. few notables..

1. I didn't notice the teal push, except for marginally in the snow scene with frodo dropping the ring. Also the darkness complaint I don't agree with either? I have a 50inch plasma with 5million:1 dynamic contrast. Seems good for me.

2. Love the packaging, especially the black blu-ray cases housed inside.

Now to my thoughts.. The pacing of the footage was not hurt for me in my experience, as a newbie to the Extended edition.

What I didn't connect with was the score being extended in parts and small cues to fill the gaps, and entirely standalone cues that you never hear except for in the EE.. That is one part that threw me so far. The "tightness" of the music suffers in the EE (at least for this first viewing of the first movie)

[aiman04]

Originally Posted by kayroll

Now you got both theatrical edition and extended edition sets....any different between this 2? Mine just theatrical edition....

Hey there Kayroll. Only seen the Fellowship of the Ring, beside being a bit darker for me (and green tint for others), of course major improvements. Will compare The Two Towers and Return of the King soon, but I can imagine it'll only get better.

[kayroll]

Originally Posted by aiman04

Hey there Kayroll. Only seen the Fellowship of the Ring, beside being a bit darker for me (and green tint for others), of course major improvements. Will compare The Two Towers and Return of the King soon, but I can imagine it'll only get better.

Thanks Aiman04.....seem like I had to sold my theatrical edition then grab the extended edition.....

[Gold Ranger]

Originally Posted by riverbelow

I just got done Fellowship.. few notables..

1. I didn't notice the teal push, except for marginally in the snow scene with frodo dropping the ring. Also the darkness complaint I don't agree with either? I have a 50inch plasma with 5million:1 dynamic contrast. Seems good for me.

2. Love the packaging, especially the black blu-ray cases housed inside.

Now to my thoughts.. The pacing of the footage was not hurt for me in my experience, as a newbie to the Extended edition.

What I didn't connect with was the score being extended in parts and small cues to fill the gaps, and entirely standalone cues that you never hear except for in the EE.. That is one part that threw me so far. The "tightness" of the music suffers in the EE (at least for this first viewing of the first movie)

They went and re-scored the entire movie for the Extended versions. They treated them as completely seperate movies. They didn't just add a snippet here and there... as far as that goes, I was really impressed by that level of dedication to an extended edition... unless of course Jackson lied/fibbed in the interview...

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by riverbelow

The "tightness" of the music suffers in the EE (at least for this first viewing of the first movie)

Well, there's about 50 minutes added to "Fellowship", 56 to "Two Towers", and 63 to "Return of the King". In total, that's about 2 hours and 49 minutes of extra footage.

[Gold Ranger]

I completely forgot i pre-ordered this from Best Buy.
I just found the box and the reciept and the One Ring...
Will it still be accepted?

[riverbelow]

Originally Posted by Kinetic_Blue

They went and re-scored the entire movie for the Extended versions. They treated them as completely seperate movies. They didn't just add a snippet here and there... as far as that goes, I was really impressed by that level of dedication to an extended edition... unless of course Jackson lied/fibbed in the interview...

I know about the difference in running length

I agree with you that they re-timed the score with new pieces added and weaved through. I didn't mean it was shoddy technically like an afterthought using temp tracks... I meant the score sounds like its there because it has to be, in the new footage not because it amplifies the scene on the same amazing level as the old pacing did..

I was really glad the 'set piece' scenes didn't have differed score or tampered with footage. Such as the pan around fortress of barad-dûr to "shiiree baggins". All the iconic bits with Saruman in the caverns of isengard. Basically all the evil bits have stayed the same. *thumbs up*

They didn't rescore the whole film. Only scenes or cues that originally had different pacing to a particular length of footage.

I still maintain the score taken as a whole is the part of the extended editions that has not risen above the TE in quality - from the Fellowship. Everything else is GREAT and made it fresh or better experience.

--

I watched the special features Disc 1/2 of Fellowship last night. Took me several hours obviously haha. Gotta say the supplements so far crap all over the TE DVD's which were mostly to promote the movie in a stock standard made for TV interview fashion.

EE rules for features.

/goes to watch two towers.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by riverbelow

I didn't mean it was shoddy technically like an afterthought using temp tracks... I meant the score sounds like its there because it has to be, in the new footage not because it amplifies the scene on the same amazing level as the old pacing did..

Hmm, that's an interesting thought. It's so long since I've seen the TEs that I understand what you're saying, but can't hear it in my own memory.

Thanks for these posts with your thoughts, riverbelow. I'm enjoying reading them. And they're giving me lots to think about.

One thing I'm thinking ... I'm tempted to buy the TE set from Amazon UK while it's so cheap, so I can compare these aspects you're commenting on for myself. (When the EE set was released, I really, really wanted a set that had both versions of the films, and would happily have foregone the stuff on all the DVDs to make it manageable. I've already got most of that stuff anyway, in the EE DVD set, and have never watched any of it, so I really didn't need a second copy.)

[Ray_Rogers]

So the Appendices discs are the same as the DVD Extended Edition releases, correct? How about the disc for the Costa Botes documentary? Was considering reauthoring them and putting the contonts on a single BD25 to make a custom 3-Disc Blu-ray set.
No damn way will I ever sell, give away or part with the nice Extended Edition DVDs. Perhaps in storage though whenever I eventually get this.
Still meaning to buy the Theatrical Blu-ray release so I can have a complete set of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Both Theatrical and Extended Editions and all the extras. Was even considering buying all the related documentary discs from when the films were being released to make some custom sets which I enjoy doing.

[frogmort]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

Well, there's about 50 minutes added to "Fellowship", 56 to "Two Towers", and 63 to "Return of the King". In total, that's about 2 hours and 49 minutes of extra footage.

Actually, I've timed all three of them and there is 30min more in FotR, 43min 30sec more in TTT, and 49min 30sec more in RotK, for a total of 2hrs 03min of extra footage. There is about 15min of fan club credits at the end of each movie that I don't count, that would make up the difference of the time you listed.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by riverbelow

I agree with you that they re-timed the score with new pieces added and weaved through. I didn't mean it was shoddy technically like an afterthought using temp tracks... I meant the score sounds like its there because it has to be, in the new footage not because it amplifies the scene on the same amazing level as the old pacing did..

I had mixed reactions to some of the EE scoring. As an example, near the beginning of the Fellowship EE, during the scenes with Bilbo at Bag End, the "fellowship theme" is played - before there is a fellowship, while in the TE it is inserted for the first (and one would think, appropriate) time when the fellowship is formed. Qualitatively "lesser" music is substituted in other areas. One example is when the fellowship is leaving Lothlorien, while passing Galadriel with her palm raised in token of farewell ("... may it be a light to you in dark places" dialogue), the TE has what IMO is a perfect choral/instrumental score that is unique to that segment - then builds, ends, and abruptly and perfectly transitions into "The Great River" section. This is replaced in the EE with a generic, comparatively mundane musical passage. However, taken as a whole, IMO Shore's music is the best original score ever created for a film.

I watched the special features Disc 1/2 of Fellowship last night. Took me several hours obviously haha. Gotta say the supplements so far crap all over the TE DVD's which were mostly to promote the movie in a stock standard made for TV interview fashion.

I agree but was somewhat surprised that other DVD special feature discs were not included, such as the "Gollum" disc, and "Lord of the Rings Symphony" DVD, which is excellent. Perhaps we can look for them in an "ultimate edition" when the Hobbit movies are released on BD?

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

I agree but was somewhat surprised that other DVD special feature discs were not included, such as the "Gollum" disc, and "Lord of the Rings Symphony" DVD, which is excellent. Perhaps we can look for them in an "ultimate edition" when the Hobbit movies are released on BD?

Given the penchant the movie industry has, for making boxsets (or is it box set?), it's almost inconceivable that they wouldn't have one with all the movies. That's the way the movie industry does things. The question is whether they will fix any of the issues that remain.

One funny example that comes to mind is something at my local Walmart. There is a Harry Potter boxset that has every movie except the last one (part 2 of the Deathly Hollows). No surprise that it hasn't sold. It was silly of them to market that collection.

[threefiftyrocket]

Originally Posted by radagast

Given the penchant the movie industry has, for making boxsets (or is it box set?), it's almost inconceivable that they wouldn't have one with all the movies. That's the way the movie industry does things. The question is whether they will fix any of the issues that remain.

One funny example that comes to mind is something at my local Walmart. There is a Harry Potter boxset that has every movie except the last one (part 2 of the Deathly Hollows). No surprise that it hasn't sold. It was silly of them to market that collection.

Warner is the worst at this too... unless Jackson steps in and says no thank you, I'm sure Warner will market a boxed set (I always thought it was boxed) of all three LotR films and The Hobbit Part I... which as you said in the case of the Harry Potter films is silly, but they did it with Years 1-5, then Years 1-6, then years 1-7 part 1... WB is the WORST at that...

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by threefiftyrocket

Warner is the worst at this too... unless Jackson steps in and says no thank you, I'm sure Warner will market a boxed set (I always thought it was boxed) of all three LotR films and The Hobbit Part I... which as you said in the case of the Harry Potter films is silly, but they did it with Years 1-5, then Years 1-6, then years 1-7 part 1... WB is the WORST at that...

Yeah, 'tis crazy, but you know what's crazier? People buy them.

(p.s. Brownie points from me for "boxed".
This trend in modern American English to use nouns in place of adjectives, and adjectives in place of adverbs, and verbs in place of nouns, is most bewildering.)