The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Twenty-one hours of walking.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 27, 2020

NOTE: This screenshots for this review are from previous Blu-ray editions of the films.

Continuing their banner year for 4K catalog releases, Warner Bros. has released Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (as well as The Hobbit trilogy) on the format as a complete set that includes the theatrical and extended cuts of each film. This surprise holiday release tests the waters as a nine-disc "movies only" edition, with each theatrical cut getting a triple-layer 100GB disc to itself and the extended cuts split between two discs apiece. An even more lavish trilogy collection -- with the possibility of brand-new extras -- is planned for release sometime in 2021.

For synopses of the included films, please refer to our earlier Blu-ray reviews of the theatrical and extended collections, which were also available as stand-alone releases. Although the new 4K editions of all six cuts are only available in this collection for now, it's possible that they'll be offered separately in the future.

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Each film in this trilogy earned a new 2K presentation by WETA Digital, all of them 2K upscales with color and detail adjustments that were supervised and approved by director Peter Jackson. Some of these tweaks improve their Blu-ray counterparts, others are sidesteps, and some may actually be downgrades depending on personal preference but, in my opinion, overall they represent a decent step forward and will please most fans of the films. Depending on the capability of your 4K TV and player, each disc's HDR enhancement will be displayed in standard HDR, HDR10, or Dolby Vision. Please note that both the theatrical and extended versions of each film use the same new source material.

For separate evaluations of each film's 2160p transfer, please see their individual listings.

The Fellowship of the Ring - Theatrical | Extended

The Two Towers - Theatrical | Extended

The Return of the King - Theatrical | Extended

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the audio mix of each film has been expanded to Dolby Atmos, which automatically unfolds to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 if your receiver does not support the format. Each cut is sourced from the same remixed elements.

For separate evaluations of each film's new Dolby Atmos audio mix, please see their individual listings. Also note that each movie's available foreign dubs and subtitles may differ from the options listed above.

The Fellowship of the Ring - Theatrical | Extended

The Two Towers - Theatrical | Extended

The Return of the King - Theatrical | Extended

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This nine-disc set arrives in a double-width keepcase with four hinges, a Digital Copy code, and a matching slipbox featuring the Eye of Sauron and Mount Doom. After the deluxe packaging of previous collections, it's definitely a step backwards. Unfortunately as mentioned earlier, none of the extensive DVD-era extras are included on this 4K-only set, although a more complete collection is planned for release in 2021 with brand-new bonus content.

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Jackson's exhaustive -- and exhausting -- The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a monumental achievement that has become a rite of passage for fantasy-loving filmgoers since its completion in 2003. To date it has been available in a wide variety of formats, collections, and stand-alone releases, which goes for both the theatrical and stand-alone cuts of each film. Warner Bros.' new 4K collection serves up both cuts of all three films in the trilogy, armed with new 2160p transfers and Dolby Atmos Audio, all of which breathe new life into the vast world of Middle Earth. Although it's missing all the previously extras, this is, for now, the best way to watch these films at home. Highly Recommended!