Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Theatrical Versions) - April 6, 2010

[jonmoz]

I did not realise you were away Todd,but i am looking forward to your opinion on these,as i was David's.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by jonmoz

I did not realise you were away Todd,but i am looking forward to your opinion on these,as i was David's.

Thanks You might be the only one at this point!

I will report back though whenever I do get around to seeing these.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by jonmoz

And yes some of the scenes are awsome,i even picked up the color difference in The two towers,as it's a much cooler palette then the other two movies.

I watched "Towers" yesterday, and other than the obvious increase in visual clarity, the improvement in sound made a dramatic difference from previous viewings. You are not just watching, you are involved - "you are there" - at Helm's Deep. You have to give WB some credit here!

[Chordata]

Not sure if I said this in here or another thread, but I'll repeat myself. Since the theatrical runs, I've only ever seen these all the way through as the Extended Editions. I've seen bits and pieces of the HD broadcasts the last several years.

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I actually PREFER the Theatrical Editions now that I own them on BD.

My circumstances might be different than yours though, so I'll go on. I like these books and read the trilogy once. I doubt I'll read it again. I like the movies enough to watch them every now and then, but I really like FOTR the most. The other two have WAY too much Elijah Wood and Sean Astin for me to stomach. I think ROTK is my least favorite of the three.

So I'm not a huge fan that has to see everything LOTR-related. It's also hard enough as it is for me to find 3 hours to watch a movie, let alone 3h 45m. The only reason I've been spending an inordinate amount of time in here and with these movies is that my wife and kids have been gone for nearly 2 weeks having fun.

I say all that so you can take my impression with a grain of salt. For me, the TEs fit my life better than the EEs. If I was in college again (I wish!), unmarried, or childless, I probably would've waited for the EEs.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

No. As I mentioned (you might have missed it) it might be the holidays before I even rent these since that is when I do my LOTR-a-thon, but as I also mentioned I might give in and check them out before that (if these were the EEs, I would be watching them this weekend).

Which holiday?

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

No. As I mentioned (you might have missed it) it might be the holidays before I even rent these since that is when I do my LOTR-a-thon, but as I also mentioned I might give in and check them out before that. I will report back with my opinion when I do though. I agree though that this is one where people will always be divided from the most critical eye to the most casual viewer.....very interesting IMO.

Despite all the negativity swirling and tempers flaring at times, it's refreshing to see that so many people care about these films so much. Sometimes video and audiophiles forget that, first and foremost, they should buy and treasure Blu-ray releases for the movies, not just the perfection of their presentations. Whether you think the 'LotR' transfers are satisfying or dissatisfying, whether you're convinced all of 'FotR's problems trace to the source or that some trace back to encoding issues, I'm ecstatic to see so many fans embracing, debating, and scooping up a solid release of three fantastic flicks. Like I've said many times, this release handily bests the standard DVDs and is still well worth purchasing IMO. And I was more sensitive to 'FotR' than others

At the end of the day, the wide array of opinions on Warner's 'LotR' release is attributable to one commonality: that a viewer's impression of an AV presentation is subjective. Reviews are great tools -- especially when you're strapped for cash, trying to choose between several different releases, or looking for one person's impression of a title -- but, at the end of the day, it all comes down to each person's eyes and ears. If nothing else, anyone in doubt should rent 'LotR,' decide for themselves, and toss their (civil) opinions into the mix.

Thanks to all of you who have posted, and to all of you who have offered up so much worthwhile information in this thread. Everyone may not always agree, and a few hot-tempered souls may internalize the debate far more than most, but I know myself and the other staff members here truly appreciate the passion and knowledge so many of you generously share on these boards. I know I'm looking forward to the next 100 pages of posts and debate

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I actually PREFER the Theatrical Editions now that I own them on BD.

That is one thing that alot of people who are hammering Amazon don't take into consideration. There are people who like the TE's, and why not? Even the "shorter" TE's are still 3 hours plus, and after all, they are the movies that won the awards. If the EE's would have released in the theaters, can you imagine the outcry from the general public regarding their length? I realize that not everyone is as big a fan as I am, and I obviously prefer the EE's, but even I have my limits - I watch half of a movie per day so I don't burn myself out. That being said, it would have been nice to have BOTH versions released on BD at the same time; it's going to be a long 2 years.

[jonmoz]

Helm's deep was awsome,and like you said Bob it was like you were there fighting with them.

Todd get yourself down to Blockbuster,and get em rented !!!

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by jonmoz

Helm's deep was awsome,and like you said Bob it was like you were there fighting with them.

After TTT was over, I put Fellowship back in and revisited some scenes. The subwoofer energy from the first hammer blow of the cave troll almost knocked the remote off of the table.

[rman]

Originally Posted by roughneck0101

I seem to be the only guy with this problem..I bought LOTR blu, got home and inserted The fellowship of the ring in to my PS3, I got on BD live, played the trailers and then went to play the movie.....All I got was a black screen..nothing else, I tried to go back to the chapters selection and hit play, same thing, I took it back and exchanged it for another...same thing. Sony says Its the disc. contact WB about it. anyone else having this problem? any solutions?

PS
I do have the latest Firmware update and its a PS3 phat 60 gig model.

I had the same problem. I ejected the disk and remaining deleted LOTR data icon. Then I was able to view the Fellowship of the Ring.

[ryan11]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

After reading more posts in this thread, I revisited some scenes in 'Fellowship' last night, and for those that think the PQ is bad, I just can't see it. Other than a few soft scenes, especially where CGI elements are involved, or some minor blurring (e.g. a few places where Gandalf moves his beard), most of it looks very good. For those that rated this a 2 out of 5, I can't imagine what would be satisfying - you are pretty much limited to watching Pixar titles.

I agree. I watch Fellowship last night and the movie looked good. Thier are parts that look soft but I think that is the directors choise. I would rate the movie a 4 out of 5.

[jonmoz]

The Audio on all three films is awsome Bob,Gandalf's battle with the fire demon,at the beginning of "The two towers" left my jaw on the floor !!!

[Russell_L]

Originally Posted by Ken Brown

Despite all the negativity swirling and tempers flaring at times, it's refreshing to see that so many people care about these films so much. Sometimes video and audiophiles forget that, first and foremost, they should buy and treasure Blu-ray releases for the movies, not just the perfection of their presentations. Whether you think the 'LotR' transfers are satisfying or dissatisfying, whether you're convinced all of 'FotR's problems trace to the source or that some trace back to encoding issues, I'm ecstatic to see so many fans embracing, debating, and scooping up a solid release of three fantastic flicks. Like I've said many times, this release handily bests the standard DVDs and is still well worth purchasing IMO. And I was more sensitive to 'FotR' than others

At the end of the day, the wide array of opinions on Warner's 'LotR' release is attributable to one commonality: that a viewer's impression of an AV presentation is subjective. Reviews are great tools -- especially when you're strapped for cash, trying to choose between several different releases, or looking for one person's impression of a title -- but, at the end of the day, it all comes down to each person's eyes and ears. If nothing else, anyone in doubt should rent 'LotR,' decide for themselves, and toss their (civil) opinions into the mix.

Thanks to all of you who have posted, and to all of you who have offered up so much worthwhile information in this thread. Everyone may not always agree, and a few hot-tempered souls may internalize the debate far more than most, but I know myself and the other staff members here truly appreciate the passion and knowledge so many of you generously share on these boards. I know I'm looking forward to the next 100 pages of posts and debate

And thank you, Ken, for being here and commenting on our comments! As you say, it's all subjective, but I've never before encountered such hugely varying opinions of a film's PQ for any other title. Any thoughts on why? Certainly one's equipment and viewing environment come into play, but I think with these films--arguably the most high-profile and eagerly anticipated films to appear on Blu so far--some people's expectations may have been set so high that anything less than perfection would be a profound disappointment? (I myself had no complaints whatsoever with FOTR, and can't understand how anyone would call it "horrible"--there are certainly far worse-looking BDs out there.)

[Gremal]

I think what we're encountering is the dilemma of how to rate a reissue. Do you give it an absolute rating relative to reference material unrelated to the title or do you weigh it against previous versions and source material? Ken assumed the image problems were the result of DNR but could it have been more a result of issues related to how the film was originally processed to produce the source?

I think these types of questions could account for the variability we are seeing here. Certainly anyone expecting the clarity of something like No Country for Old Men was going to be disappointed with LOTR PQ, which involves heavy processing to accommodate CGI elements during the first part of the decade. One should weigh in that issue in scoring.

[BluDroid]

Originally Posted by russell_l

and thank you, ken, for being here and commenting on our comments! As you say, it's all subjective, but i've never before encountered such hugely varying opinions of a film's pq for any other title. Any thoughts on why? Certainly one's equipment and viewing environment come into play, but i think with these films--arguably the most high-profile and eagerly anticipated films to appear on blu so far--some people's expectations may have been set so high that anything less than perfection would be a profound disappointment? (i myself had no complaints whatsoever with fotr, and can't understand how anyone would call it "horrible"--there are certainly far worse-looking bds out there.)

+1

[dielcoluma]

Hello,
Can you give me informations about languages on the english version of the trilogy. Is there a french audiotrack ?
Thank you

DIDIER

[Andes]

The restoration process section has been updated:

http://www.lordoftherings.net/home.htm

"nearly 100 hours cleaning and doing color corrections requested by director Peter Jackson on the HD masters for each of the three features. The updated masters were then sent to Peter Jackson and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie for approval before being finalized"

I'm completely satisfied with the TE blu-ray trilogy. After watching the EE preview trailer (ROTK) I can't wait for the EE blu in 2012. It will be my first EE viewing so I'm hoping for a complete restoration.

[Fighter]

It really cracks me up all of the negative comments on the PQ even before anyone had a copy to view it.

Yes, the PQ could always be a little better, but there's nothing to complain about. It looks great....and sounds even better!

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by Fighter

It really cracks me up all of the negative comments on the PQ even before anyone had a copy to view it.

Yes, the PQ could always be a little better, but there's nothing to complain about. It looks great....and sounds even better!

Yeah, my favourite bit was when the naysayers were calling me a troll for claiming that it really wasn't that bad. I'm pleased that they've disappeared for now.

[Fighter]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Yeah, my favourite bit was when the naysayers were calling me a troll for claiming that it really wasn't that bad. I'm pleased that they've disappeared for now.

I hear ya man!

Bye-bye naysayers