The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie
HomeThe Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie 
Extended Editions Remastered | The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the KingWarner Bros. | 2001-2003 | 3 Movies | 727 min | Rated PG-13 | Nov 16, 2021
Movie rating
Movie has not been rated yetBlu-ray rating
| Users |  | 0.0 |
| Reviewer |  | 4.0 |
| Overall | | 4.0 |
Overview
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (2001-2003)
With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo Baggins embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring. Hunting Frodo are servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron, the Ring's evil creator. If Sauron reclaims the Ring, Middle-Earth is doomed.
| Adventure | 100% |
| Action | 85% |
| Epic | 67% |
| Fantasy | 66% |
Specifications
Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
See individual releases
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish
Discs
Blu-ray Disc
Fifteen-disc set (6 BDs, 9 DVDs)
Playback
Region A (B, C untested)
Review
Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.5 |
| Video | | 4.0 |
| Audio |  | 5.0 |
| Extras | | 5.0 |
| Overall | | 4.0 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review
Extras? No problem.
Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 17, 2021To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring's theatrical debut, Warner Bros. has issued remastered Blu-rays of all three films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These new discs are sourced from the same recent masters as 2020's 4K trilogy set and are also available in the 31-disc Middle Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition, which combines the LotR and Hobbit trilogies on 4K and remastered Blu-ray. This 15-disc set includes all three LotR Extended Edition cuts as well as the extras from previous releases, including recycled copies of the "appendice" bonus DVDs.
For an overview of all three Extended Edition films in this collection (not that you need one at this point), please read the separate reviews written by former Blu-ray.com scribe Kenneth Brown back in 2012.
The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition
The Two Towers Extended Edition
The Return of the King Extended Edition
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
For an overview of the new 1080p transfers on these remastered Extended Edition Blu-rays, see my comments in the Middle Earth Ultimate Collector's Edition (trust me, they're in there somewhere). Overall, I found these transfers to be decent to moderate upgrades over the previous Blu-ray editions, with the caveat that they suffer from the same (and occasionally excessive) use of digital noise reduction as their 4K counterparts. Additionally, some of the color grading is different from the previous Blu-rays and DVDs, and the flashbacks from The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers are heavily desaturated to match the more black-and-white aesthetic of scenes from the Hobbit films.
NOTE: These 15 screenshots are sourced from the remastered Blu-rays. For more, please see my separate reviews of the Theatrical Cut Remastered Blu-ray set and the Middle Earth Ultimate Collector's Edition.
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Since these remastered Extended Edition Blu-rays include the same new Dolby Atmos mixes as their 4K counterparts, separate evaluations of each one can be found at the reviews below. (For those without Dolby Atmos setups, you'll be glad to know these tracks automatically fold down to Dolby TrueHD 7.1.) Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition
The Two Towers Extended Edition
The Return of the King Extended Edition
A wide array of subtitle options, including English (SDH), is also included for each film.
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
This 15-disc set ships in three multi-disc keepcases with attractive cover art and a handsome slipbox. Unlike the Middle Earth Ultimate Collector's Edition, no digital copy codes are included. The extras are recycled from the 2012 Extended Edition Blu-rays and are detailed in the reviews linked below. Highlights include four audio commentaries for each film as well as, of course, those exhaustive "appendice" documentaries and featurettes included here again on creaky old bonus DVDs. Hey, it's better than nothing -- the so-called "Ultimate Collector's Edition" didn't even include 'em.
The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition
The Two Towers Extended Edition
The Return of the King Extended Edition
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
While all three of Warner Bros.' recent Lord of the Rings 20th Anniversary packages (the entry-level theatrical cut Blu-ray set, this beefier Extended Edition Blu-ray boxed set, and the whopping Middle Earth Ultimate Collector's Edition) are each a little disappointing in one way or another, this option is perhaps the closest thing to an actual upgrade rather than a side-step. The 1080p transfers (soured from the same new masters as the 4K discs) will ruffle a few feathers but stand up proportionately well to their 2160p counterparts, you still get the Dolby Atmos audio mixes, and of course this is the only option that actually includes all the original extras. (Whose call was that?) Unless you're already all-in on the 4K discs and also own the previous Blu-rays -- for the extras, of course -- it's worth a purchase.