For those of you who aren't fans of The Lord of the Rings, you are hereby advised to go browse some of our great Blu-ray reviews because I'm dedicating my entire post today to one of the finest set of films ever created. There are few films that have as big a following or that can create a similar level of anticipation among fans who have weathered numerous rumors and delays for this day to come. A high definition Blu-ray release of
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy has finally arrived today, and there is nothing that can stop my inner-geek from giggling like a pigtailed school girl.
J.R.R. Tolkien's tale of the ultimate quest was often considered too big and too complex to be translated to film. An
animated version was eventually produced - which is also out on Blu-ray today - but many crucial parts of the story were compressed until they were unrecognizable or removed altogether. It wasn't until after the author's passing that director Peter Jackson set out to do the impossible - bring one man's genius to film.
The results are the closest to perfection that I have ever witnessed. I do not see the see the actors – only the characters they portray. I do not see New Zealand – only living versions of scenery so carefully described Tolkien in his books. The films are completely encompassing and feel – much like the book – larger than life itself. Are there flaws? Sure, even 12 hours of film (extended version) can't capture every word in a 1000+ page book. But to Jackson's credit, it's difficult to think of how the films could have been any better.
Let me get the main criticism out of the way: these are not the (in my opinion) superior extended versions of the films, but rather the theatrical cuts. While some fans will try to convince themselves they can hold out for the extended version Blu-ray release (which is expected around the theatrical release of
The Hobbit), but it will only do them a great disservice. Warner is going to milk these films every chance it gets, and there will always be a bigger, better, more complete version only a few years away. I liken it to the HDTV that sits some majestically in your home theater. If only you would have waited another year to buy one, it would have been LED or 3D, but that would have been another year without HD. If you spend your whole life waiting for the next greatest thing, you'll never find peace or happiness, only endless anticipation.
Another criticism that will likely take the forums by storm today is the video quality of the first film, and the endless guesses as to why. This is a release that many professional Blu-ray encoders warned would be softer than many would like due to the heavy post-processing Jackson utilized to achieve the look of the Tolkien universe. Another possible explanation, something that I have feared for quite some time, is that this encoding is from a format war era encoding that was created for the high definition rival format HD DVD. Whatever the reason may be, the simple truth is that the film is a substantial upgrade over the DVD, and were it not such a high profile release, may not receive much criticism at all.
The DTS-MA soundtracks on these Blu-ray releases leave absolutely nothing on the table. Comparing the sound quality to a live performance I had the pleasure of seeing as well as the DVD-A versions of the soundtrack leaves me convinced that it doesn't get any better. Howard Shore's score along with the amazing sound effects work by Jackson's crew is represented with the utmost fidelity and clarity, leaving me once again awestruck by the sheer magnitude and complexity. There was once a time when Warner claimed that a high bit-rate Dolby Digital track was sufficient for Blu-ray releases, but I wonder if those same people could listen to these Blu-rays and maintain that same stance.
I will be keeping my DVD set of the extended versions, if only for the endless hours of supplemental features that are presented on the six special features discs. I typically don't dive too deep into extra features, but The Lord of the Rings was such perfection that I just had to find out how Jackson was able to pull off such a feat. The supplemental material that accompanies this Blu-ray release does not even compare, so make sure to hold on to your DVDs, at least until the extended Blu-ray edition hits store shelves a few years from now.
Until then, enjoy this release for what it is – one of the greatest set of films of all time in the highest quality presentation the film has ever been seen.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.