Rating: 
Summary: Trouble with disc 3 & 4
Review: Like another reviewer, the first two DVD discs played fine in our DVD player. Discs 3 & 4 would loop between track 1 & 2, and the screen would remain blank. Could not even bring up the menu or anything. We even exchanged the DVDs for another boxed set, and had the same thing happen.Is there something special about how the second two discs are recorded? Oh, and the review, the movie was great, except for the protrayal of Faramir and bringing Frodo and Sam to Gondor. That could have been cut to be consistent with the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Extended Version Just Rightfully Deleted Scenes
Review: Warning: To all possible buyers of this extended version. I loved the first exented version DVD of the Fellowship of the Ring. I felt differently about the Two Towers. I was thoroughly disappointed with Peter Jackson's choice to include these extra scenes that were simply deleted scenes reinserted into the storyline when the pacing, story, and narrative flow were much better in the theatrical version. Imagine the first scene: Gandolf is falling to the pit after the dragon. Cut to a scene with Sam and Frodo climbing down a cliff, Sam drops something, Frodo catches it. Frodo asks, "What was that Sam?" Sam replies that it was some seasoning from home and he misses the shire. Seasoning? Very anti-climactic. Imagine the end the of the film. The war in helm's deep has ended. Sam has just made his amazing speech about the beautiful stories that he heard as a young hobbit. Gandolf should be about to say, "The battle for Helm's Deep has ended; the battle for Middle Earth is about to begin." Instead we cut to a scene were Merry and Pippin are in the flood around Saroman's tower discovering a room full of food and smoking tobacco and wondering whether they should share it with the Ent. Some would say that the added scenes add information to the plot. They sometimes do add some background, but at the expense of a nearly ridiculous or uneventful scene. When editing a movie one asks, what is the purpose of this scene? How does it help forward the plot? None of the added scenes forwarded the plot or added to the film in such a valuable way as to merit their inclusion. The original was fast paced, exciting, dramatic. The extended version is whimsical and disappointing, better suited for a child-audience (because it has more off the collar comic relief, and makes sure everyone, I mean everyone, really understands everything 100% - even if it means repetition). The first theatrical cut made me feel I was watching an epic. The extended version made me feel I was watching a movie. A movie that needed editing. I am sorry, but rent it before you buy it and decide for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Defective Discs 3 & 4???!!!
Review: The first 2 DVD's seem to work fine in my set top home DVD player (Aiwa) but the 3rd and 4th discs are unplayable and bounce between tracks 1 & 2 continuously (looping)? Have already returned one set but the second set I got seems to have the exact same problem. These supplemental discs do play in my PC's DVD drive. This problem does not occur with any of my other DVD's including the Extended Edition of the Fellowship of the Ring. Are others experiencing this issue?
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Extended Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two T
Review: This dvd is so amazing. My brother bought it the first day it came out. The extended parts are very important. These parts add even MORE magic to the masterpiece. The behind the scene footage is very interesting. Most dvds that have extra disks, aren't that exciting. But this, you'll never get bored of. There's even parts you'll laugh at. I gaurntee this dvd to everyone! If you like special dvds then you'll love this edition. And if you like The Lord of the Rings then you'll love it even more.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than the theatrical release
Review: I've been waiting for this DVD ever since I saw it in the theaters last year. Personally, I felt somewhat let down by the theatrical release of TTT since everything seemed so rushed and incohesive. I figured that just like my experience with FOTR, I'd like the extended DVD version better. It turns out I was right. WHY oh WHY didn't they show this version in the theaters? Then I wouldn't have to suffer for a year waiting for the extended version to come out. Sure it's longer, but it also makes more sense. I don't want to go over the additions here and give anything away, though. If you bought the regular version, you're cheating yourself out of a much better extended version.
Rating:
Summary: Another treat for Lord of the Rings fans.
Review: This film is a miracle. SO much better than the theatrical version. So much more depth and character development, and a better narrative flow. A must-have for fans of the book who missed their favorite scenes, or for anyone who loved the theatrical version but would like to see a more complete version of the film.
Rating:
Summary: The Task at Hand
Review: What is the task at hand? I've already expounded upon this recently in referring to The Two Towers. I will attempt it one more time with some help from the "Nay-sayers" and my own observations. The task at hand is reviewing a DVD containing a story as told in visual media. Does the story hold up? Does the vision of the Director make the story accessible to the viewer and create tension, provoke reaction, and lead the viewer to a satisfactory conclusion? Has the story successfully conveyed some message? This is a very subjective question depending upon individual interpretation of what was seen and experienced. None of the above questions or observations that can be made in answer to them HAVE A DAMNED THING TO DO WITH SOME BOOK WRITTEN BEFORE IT!!!! So there! I am a huge Tolkein fan, read them all in the late sixties and again in the 70's and 90's (twice) and what Peter Jackson has accomplished here is to very successfully wring pathos, excitement, mystery, fear, despair, HOPE, need, desire, faith, and so much more from the story. So an unqualified yes to the above questions may be inserted here: We must always remember: One has on an average 20-50 hours of concentrated reading to enjoy Tolkein's story, and a difficult story at that. On film it is just not possible to rely upon purely literary modes of exposition and plot development to move the characters and move the viewer. 1) It would take decades to make. 2) It would cost BILLIONS to make. 3) It would cost time and money the viewer can ill afford to see it. 4) It would FAIL miserably as a story by being overburdned with too much for the viewer to have to remember in so short a time. I can go on and on but will refrain from burdening my possible readers. Some salient points however can be construed. My favorite damnation of the film is when I hear YOU sickeningly zealous Tolkein psychophants rant on about Faramir. Whiningly lamenting his altered character. This is the only topic I'll broach here. Faramir was perhaps an ancilliary character Tolkein put in to expand upon his views of virtue and nobility of spirit. He was a devout Catholic much troubled by his experiences in the first World War and his writing was as much an exorcism of demons as it was a celebration of what he believed good in the world. Faramir as a character works in the book as an expository character for virtue and nobility of spirit however, in the film that same characterization would make him pointless. The story of Faramir as told in the film makes a good tension builder and obstacle to the quest. Without this we loose Faramir altogether so, YOU ridiculously pompous and self adulatory purist snobs SHUT UP and be thankful he's there at all. He really isn't necessary to the actual story either written or filmed. In closing I must invite a fellow reviewer to be taken to hand for his own comments. However passionate, and that is a virtue, and however critical in a negative or positive way we are as critics/reviewers, there is ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE for foul or purely derrogatory language directed at the artist! Seriously Mr. "Garythemessage" (notice I capitalized your nickname) you should be flayed alive and hung for the buzzards. Do you honestly think you're some kind of avenging angel from heaven, some Jeanne d'Arc of Tolkein purists? Perhaps with a nickname like "messengersomesuchtripe" that is truly what you believe and I for one will stand by your side and defend you from attack for voicing your opinions, however I do not hold with your filthy bastardization of Mr. Peter Jackson's name. And, in sooth I will politely disagree with your studied and somewhat banal criticism as I feel you don't really understand the depths of which you write. I invite you to write me. I RECCOMMEND THIS FILM IN ALL IT's PERMUTATIONS! SEE IT, RENT IT, BUY IT.
Rating:
Summary: Hi again
Review: OK i just got the movie and havn't seen the extended edition yet. But from what i can tell it is supposed to be a lot better. You get more bacground info on Faramir. THIS IS A GREAT BOX SET!!! BUT IT!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Version!
Review: This set is by far a greater buy than the original.
Rating:
Summary: More Tolkien magic.
Review: As a hardcore Tolkien fan, I think the entire cast and crew of the Lord of the Rings movies has thus far done an incredible job in all aspects. You can sit and watch for hours and still yearn for more. The bonus material on this set is just as amazing as on the FOTR. SPOILER: There was a particular part in the book that, as a fan, I really missed in the theater version, which was after the Ent battle at Isengard when Merry and Pippin were trudging in the water and they stumble upon the stashes of food and Shire pipe-weed. I was very happy to see that this scene actually IS in the extended version. END SPOILER. That and many other essential scenes are included. (Psuedo-Old Man Willow cameo too.) The documentaries and commentaries are great (and I hate almost all documentaries and commentaries) and make this unquestionably essential for die-hard Tolkien fans such as myself.
| 
