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

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by The Duke

You know, there should be a law preventing people from getting so impassioned over their hobby that they would want imprison artists who would dare to want us to see their work in a different light.

Besides, as already pointed out, the versions that the public saw in theaters and won all the awards have been preserved perfectly. These are the extended versions, enhanced with additional footage so that we may see the original films in a different light.

I do agree with the fact that technically - yes... the theatrical editions are already out there on blu-ray and they are just as they were in the theaters.

But, most blu-ray/LOTR fans like me simply wanted the DVD EE versions in a blu-ray format. No tinkering, screwing around, or any of that. Just 1080p with lossless audio. Thats all. To say its imprisoning the artist is a little overboard. Its also a little overboard to say there should be a law against tinkering since ultimately, Jackson owns these films and change the color balance to pink if he wants to.

Its too bad that there cant be more options on blu-rays discs for things like this color stuff - like "Watch with enhanced color or with the orignal EE color palette". That would be sweet. Much like the Star Trek TV show discs let you watch with enhanced graphics/effects or with the original effects. I thought that was a terrific option that they gave users with that disc set.

Thats why I like Ridley Scott so much - he releases the Directors cuts of his films but you can always get the theatrical editions and he rarely if ever dicks around with color or any other drastic changes like that.

[Walter E Kurtz]

Originally Posted by chip75

I know it's been posted a few dozen pages back....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDMuaKLbyaY

thats interesting

skip to 4 minutes, it looks like a screenshot from the ee bd...

perhaps they just ungraded everything?!!

[racerx1965]

Originally Posted by Doc Ostrow

I agree. Francis Ford Coppola enhanced the reds and desaturated the other colors. The original DVD has more natural colors. I'm sorry I bought the Blu-ray, even if it was cheap.

Some of the FOTR scenes on the EE Blu-ray look better but others look worse. I'm particularly worried about the blue snow on top of Mount Caradhras. I'm glad kept my LOTR EE DVDs.

This also reminds me of the way George Lucas changed the original Star Wars (1977) so that Greedo shot first.

For me it is all pretty simple. I am the one watching the movie. If I don't like it, I don't like it -- regardless of Director intent. The only real question is whether or not FOTR EE was an unintentional mistake or not and if so; will there be a re-issue?

Assume it was a mistake and they do re-issue the disc. You can buy the set now and exchange the disc. Conversely, if there is no re-issue then you miss out on viewing two stellar releases of the TT and ROTK. Of course, one could also hope they issue them in seperate releases, and my guess is, if so, it won't be any time too soon.

Of course one could be uber-obstinate and wait for that Ultra-edition box set that includes both Hobbit movies, but that won't be for another 6 or 7 years, maybe?

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by frogmort

You know, I've been looking at Ken Brown's screenshots:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-L...9/#Screenshots

,and they really don't look that bad at all. I wonder if it would be possible for him to post a few more. Three that I would love to see are:

1) When Gandalf is about to knock on Bilbo's door, near the beginning.
2) The solid white shot right before Frodo wakes up in Rivendell.
3) The long shot of The Fellowship first trying to cross Caradhras in the snow.

I understand if you're unable to do so, that review must have been exhausting, but I think it would help ease my mind, and many others, if you could.

Either way, thanks again for the great review.

The reason I didn't take those specific shots is because I didn't want to focus solely on the green/cyan debate with the images, even though I did give it quite a bit of coverage in the review itself. However, the specific scenes you mentioned look very much -- I'd say exactly like, actually -- the majority of screenshots that have been floating around for weeks now. Hope that helps!

[jyeh74]

Why couldnt they have made all the extras in blu ray? Isn't the movie in blu ray but the extras all non HD?

[Bukax42]

Originally Posted by Walter E Kurtz

thats interesting

skip to 4 minutes, it looks like a screenshot from the ee bd...

No, it doesn't look like from EE. Besides, you can't compare BD screenshots with highly compressed video of video on computer screen.

Originally Posted by jyeh74

Why couldnt they have made all the extras in blu ray? Isn't the movie in blu ray but the extras all non HD?

Because they weren't shot with HD cameras like nowadays.

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by mrpink134

IMO no, Bill Hunt got the information and disclosed it! Why would WB or PJ say anything when Bill Hunt already got the INFO maybe in there eyes thats enough? If I'm wrong and there is a problem I will be the first to say so and send in for a replacement disk but I just think after what Bill said it was intentional

To be clear: I'm not discounting Mr. Hunt's account, or saying he made any such thing up. However, if reporters only revealed accounts of conversations, news reports would simply not be credible. If Lesnie doesn't have time to issue a statement -- which, considering he and Jackson are filming 'The Hobbit,' is completely reasonable -- he can give whoever he's speaking with authorization to directly quote him. A direct quote would go a long, long way

[DRS]

Originally Posted by jyeh74

Why couldnt they have made all the extras in blu ray? Isn't the movie in blu ray but the extras all non HD?

Yeah I agree. Im ok with them keeping the extras in SD, but it would have been nice to put all of them on new Blu-Ray discs to reduce the disc count and for consistency

sigh

[kurtlingle]

Just looked at the shots and man, they look great to me!
I think the "snow" scene can seem a bit darker but I don't think I would have ever noticed if not for this thread!

Hopefully I can find a great deal on these as I don't want to wait any longer (been holding off watching my TE blu's for 6months now).

Originally Posted by frogmort

You know, I've been looking at Ken Brown's screenshots:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-L...9/#Screenshots

,and they really don't look that bad at all. I wonder if it would be possible for him to post a few more. Three that I would love to see are:

1) When Gandalf is about to knock on Bilbo's door, near the beginning.
2) The solid white shot right before Frodo wakes up in Rivendell.
3) The long shot of The Fellowship first trying to cross Caradhras in the snow.

I understand if you're unable to do so, that review must have been exhausting, but I think it would help ease my mind, and many others, if you could.

Either way, thanks again for the great review.

[Johnny Dee]

Originally Posted by DRS

Yeah I agree. Im ok with them keeping the extras in SD, but it would have been nice to put all of them on new Blu-Ray discs to reduce the disc count and for consistency

sigh

It would have cost more money to put them on blu's. They would have to go and redesign all the menus and it's just easier to give us the discs that already exist.

[Rudeboy2025]

They should have definitely put the extras on BDs, even if they kept them in SD. 15 discs is too much, but nothing that can be done about it now.

[kurtlingle]

Let's see if you still say that by Xmas!

I bet they'll go on sale BF and you'll give in!
They just look to good (Ken's pics do).

Maybe you can watch them with a friend who buys them and see if FOTR is good enough. From Ken's pics, I think it will be fine (for me at least).

Originally Posted by frogmort

Well, I've finally decided that I'm definitely not going to buy this. There is no way that Peter Jackson or Andrew Lesnie intended only the extended edition blu-ray of 'The Fellowship Of The Ring' to be devoid of pure white, and for the whole film to have a cyan tint over the entire image from beginning to end. It may not be excessively bad, but I honestly can't see how that could've been done deliberately.

This is my favorite version, of my favorite films, and I am deeply disappointed with this whole situation. I am not trying to convince anyone else of my opinion, I'm just sharing it. I honestly hope that everyone that loves these movies is satisfied with whatever choice they make.

[Cowboy]

I am willing to bet all these haters will be lining up to buy the minute these hit the stores. It's not like Lucas where he gives you no choice at all other than buy or don't buy. You got the theatricals the way you saw them in the latest format! It's time to stop crying and let us SW fans do the real crying!

[mrpink134]

Originally Posted by Ken Brown

I'm not discounting Mr. Hunt's account, or saying he made any such thing up. But if reporters only revealed accounts of conversations, news reports would simply not be credible. If Lesnie doesn't have time to issue a statement -- which, considering he and Jackson are filming 'The Hobbit,' is completely reasonable -- he can at least give whoever he's speaking with authorization to directly quote him. A direct quote would go a long, long way

I agree, will it happen who knows? Again if its a mistake "I don't think it is" they should issue a replacement disk, if not this is what we have and nothing can be done about it and yes I do like the new remaster FOTR better. I was on the fence with these issues until Robert Harris, Bill Hunt and yourself gave it all good reviews . On a side note, here I do think you are the best reviewer here

[kurtlingle]

1. I sold my DVD's
2. I refuse to watch DVD, period
3. I'm an HD snob.

I have the TE on blu-ray, but I love the EE much more, and I think I'll still enjoy these immensely on blu-ray. If it really is an error, then WB will probably fix it and do a mail in program.

Originally Posted by Cowboy

If you don't like the EE's the way they are now then you still have the DVD's!!! Hmm...now where have I heard that before?

[kjacobs03]

I just went to check on my preorder on ShopWB from that promo back in March. My preorder has disappeared! They better still ship it to me.

[kurtlingle]

That is to interesting.

I actually am looking forward to GL's (possible) changes to SW. I hope (and have heard) that the EP 1. Yoda will now be the digital one (yes!).

I see it as the chance for a new and (hopefully) better version of the movie. So I hope the current administration doesn't read your post (until Sept).

Now, back to LOTR's...

Originally Posted by mymythos

You know, there should be a law preventing directors and producers to alter movies. Once a movie is released to the public that should be considered the final edit, and that edit should be always available, if for no other reason, then for historical preservation. There are only two kinds of modifications that I believe most people would find not only acceptable but also welcomed. The first is the correcting of defects, and by defects I mean cases like when a microphone appears on the screen or one scene of Star Trek The Motion Picture where you can see the crane that supports the Enterprise. The other is the removal of visible wires of older films. It would be really nice to watch the original War of The Worlds without seeing the wires of the flying saucers, wouldn't it? By the way, that's what they did with the Superman Collection on Blu-ray, kudos to Warner. Although I personally believe that even those defective scenes could be preserved by using multiple angles with seamless branching.

Other than that, movies should either be left alone or be released on multiple versions, but the original release should always be made available.

As for the The Lord of the Rings issue, I'd like to remind you that when Gladiator was first released a lot of people complained and returned their discs. That prompted the studio to issue a new release. So a re-release of TFOTR is quite possible, however, if most of the people who buy The Lord of the Rings have the same mentality of a large number of Star Wars fans that believe that if the director approved it it's okay, then we'll be stuck with this new version for a very long time, if not forever. It's a good thing that the DVDs, although not in HD, are of good quality so I'll stick with them until, as another reviewer pointed out, Gandalf The Green goes back to being Gandalf The Grey.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by Rudeboy2025

They should have definitely put the extras on BDs, even if they kept them in SD. 15 discs is too much, but nothing that can be done about it now.

Wait, so 15 discs is too much, but no one complained when the original DVD sets were 12?

C'mon, people. Now you're complaining just to complain about something.

[ckocher]

Peter Jackson wrote the screenplays for all these films, he directed all of these films, he produced all of these films and he spent 7 years of his life on these films.

If he feels that the color grading needs to be changed, then he should be allowed to do that. End of story.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Johnny Dee

It would have cost more money to put them on blu's. They would have to go and redesign all the menus and it's just easier to give us the discs that already exist.

Originally Posted by Rudeboy2025

They should have definitely put the extras on BDs, even if they kept them in SD. 15 discs is too much, but nothing that can be done about it now.

I think the level of extras for 2 Blu-ray would have just overwhelmed most people. Going through page after page of menu's would have been a bit of a pain as well. Though I can't see that the cost of doing new menus versus 15 new covers (and printing them out) would have been that different.