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

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Fors*

Thanks....I have been reading the trilogy before I watch the blu's.....I just read that chapter but a few days ago....

You are that far? I have just started "The Ring Goes South". Tolkien on Saruman:

"Saruman is sufficiently revealed in the story. No doubt he started with good will, and with higher authority and superior powers. But he was impatient with the sloth, stupidity, and obstinate free wills of the people he was sent to advise and encourage... His pride grew and he became pitiless, valuing things inanimate or living persons and all persons high or lowly simply as tools for his designs, to be deceived or misdirected, when simple force was not available."

[solarrdadd]

Last night i watched FOTR and it looked great and sounded incredible. there was some deep rattling going on in my house last night! when the fingers were chopped off the ring hand and the energy burst out and knocked everyone down, the thud that made, i thought it cracked my floor it was so strong! i am thus far, very, very happy with the LOTR trilogy. my understanding from some of the reports is that the video is only going to get better with #2 & #3 which is great because i thought the first one looked great!
please & thank you!

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

In the book no Elves fought at Helm's Deep, that's a Jackson invention for the movie, so there's really no way to know if that small group all died there.

Hmm, didn't recall that.

Any idea about the other 3?

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Few LOTR-related questions that I don't know or recall the answers to:

1) Why are the elves going to wherever they are going?

2) Where are they going?

3) Why don't they stay to fight?

4) Did they ALL die at Helm's Deep?

1) They are leaving Middle-earth and returning to Tol Erresea, or Elvenhome which is a part of Valinor (paradise), which is where they should have been in the first place.
2) See 1)
3) They have been fighting Evil for thousands of years, beginning with Morgoth (Sauron's boss). If they would not have left Valinor to come to Middle-earth, they wouldn't have had to fight at all. The vast majority of them were wiped out in these wars.
4) In the book, the only Elf at Helm's Deep was Legolas. In the movie, we don't know, but some of them may have survived.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

1) They are leaving Middle-earth and returning to Tol Erresea, or Elvenhome which is a part of Valinor (paradise), which is where they should have been in the first place. Why leave now, when they're needed most?
2) See 1) Is that supposed to be like "heaven" or is like a different dimension, or just a different place on the map? In that case, is Sauron so week that he can only rule Middle Earth and not the place right over the ocean or something?

Thanks for the responses, please see my follow-ups.

[SoCalTiger]

Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

In the book no Elves fought at Helm's Deep, that's a Jackson invention for the movie, so there's really no way to know if that small group all died there.

Well, in that case I'm sure Jackson has an idea. My interpretation of it though was that the group was decimated if not eliminated entirely. If there were any survivors I'd assume it was just a handful.

[dcowboy7]

Originally Posted by funsocaltiger

I hope this is sarcasm because I don't consider throwing on motionflow an improvement to anything except a soap opera.

If u think its sarcasm then u didnt read my sig either.

[Adam.C]

Gonna be heading over to Best Buy on my lunch to pick up this. Cant wait! Gonna watch FOTR tonight with the wife, then the other 2 on Sunday

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by radagast

A dual-layer BR has 50GB, not 40. And according to the FAQ section on this site, that is enough for 9 hours of HD content.

Yes I know that...

The point was they only used 38GB for Return of the King instead of the maximum capacity of the disc.

[Witch King of Angmar]

Aragorn speaking quenya at helms deep was bit weird/funny.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

There are individuals like that in EVERY forum, not just AVS, atleast from my experience. Personally, I have learned more at AVS than any forum by far...

I’m your huckleberry.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post3133114

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

You are that far? I have just started "The Ring Goes South". Tolkien on Saruman:

"Saruman is sufficiently revealed in the story. No doubt he started with good will, and with higher authority and superior powers. But he was impatient with the sloth, stupidity, and obstinate free wills of the people he was sent to advise and encourage... His pride grew and he became pitiless, valuing things inanimate or living persons and all persons high or lowly simply as tools for his designs, to be deceived or misdirected, when simple force was not available."

I just started book 4 today.....

[MarkWM]

Originally Posted by HDPlasma

Considering that most people have a 42" or less TV, the difference between blu-ray and an upconverted DVD is not that much substancial.
Especially on newer DVD releases. On catalog releases, the slight increase in PQ can be seen.

Then factor in most people sit 8 feet or further away from the TV and use their TV speakers for audio, a $60 purchase for a catalog movie doesn't look appealing.
Don't forget that 720p Plasma are being pushed by stores still for those who want a big screen at a low price and most 32" or less TV's are 720p.

I watched FOTR on my 120" projector and 52" TV and on the 52", I can tolerate the PQ issues since I sit 7 feet away. On my projector, I sit 11 feet away and the PQ issues become distracting.

With all due respect, I have a 40 inch Samsung I can certainly tell the difference between a Blu and an upconverted DVD.

[Mordir]

Originally Posted by Diesel

I'm ready for some short movies I tells ya! Short!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092086/

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Fors*

I just started book 4 today.....

Hey! Come back over to the LOTR group and discuss it with us.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Few LOTR-related questions that I don't know or recall the answers to:

1) Why are the elves going to wherever they are going?

2) Where are they going?

3) Why don't they stay to fight?

4) Did they ALL die at Helm's Deep?

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Originally Posted by Grand Bob
1) They are leaving Middle-earth and returning to Tol Erresea, or Elvenhome which is a part of Valinor (paradise), which is where they should have been in the first place. Why leave now, when they're needed most?2) See 1) Is that supposed to be like "heaven" or is like a different dimension, or just a different place on the map? In that case, is Sauron so week that he can only rule Middle Earth and not the place right over the ocean or something?


Thanks for the responses, please see my follow-ups.

As has been said before, the book did not have Elves show up to fight at Helm's Deep. Legolas was the only elf there. There are many groups of Elves in Middle Earth: Rivendell, Lorien, Mirkwood. They are tired of fighting and want to go back to where they came from. The "heaven" has been removed from direct contact with the world, so it's kinda like a spiritual place. The Valar are there and so Sauron wouldn't dare try to take it over, or they would squash him. They already defeated his boss, Morgoth.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by HDPlasma

Considering that most people have a 42" or less TV, the difference between blu-ray and an upconverted DVD is not that much substancial.
Especially on newer DVD releases. On catalog releases, the slight increase in PQ can be seen.

Then factor in most people sit 8 feet or further away from the TV and use their TV speakers for audio, a $60 purchase for a catalog movie doesn't look appealing.
Don't forget that 720p Plasma are being pushed by stores still for those who want a big screen at a low price and most 32" or less TV's are 720p.

I watched FOTR on my 120" projector and 52" TV and on the 52", I can tolerate the PQ issues since I sit 7 feet away. On my projector, I sit 11 feet away and the PQ issues become distracting.

totally disagree, you can tell a big difference from 42in tv, i have a 42 plasma, and the DVD of the FOTR was crappy, the BD looks way better.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Few LOTR-related questions that I don't know or recall the answers to:

1) Why are the elves going to wherever they are going?

2) Where are they going?

3) Why don't they stay to fight?

4) Did they ALL die at Helm's Deep?

They went to Valinor, pretty much a haven for immortals, elves don't die. I guess they felt Sauron was about to come to power and didn't want to oppose him. No, the Elves did not reinforce the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

No, the Elves did not reinforce the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep.

Yes they did. (In the movie at least )

[Gremal]

I watched FotR last night on my 60 inch kuro at a seating distance of about 10'. The picture wasn't reference quality but it had good--sometimes excellent--detail, depth and clarity. Compared to the NTSC versions, it was a revelation. I would have no problem rating the video a 4, although I don't fault Ken for his rating and I see what he was describing in some scenes. My own interpretation is those problems were with the source material.

I also decided I enjoy the theater cut better than the extended edition, which I recently sold on ebay. I didn't feel like I was missing anything without the extended scenes and even without them my friend couldn't make it through the whole film and she stopped watching when Frodo was meeting with Galandriel. The theatrical versions are the most important releases from a mass market perspective and look fantastic in 1080p. The extended editions are for hardcore fans willing to sit through another half-hour on average of already for long films. I enjoyed the novelty of the extended cuts on DVD just to see what had been left on the editing room floor but the novelty quickly wore off.

This new set is not deserving of the criticism it is getting. This is a release of great importance and I couldn't be happier to enjoy it on my system. Jackson's interpretation and direction bugs me at times and I never got over some of the casting choices--these are far from my favorite films--but there is no denying the effort and success that went into LotR. Having watched and thoroughly enjoyed FotR, it's hard to see what all the whining is about.