The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition) [DVD] [2004]

What's New?

How Are the Bonus Features?

One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi

Aragon draws the eye of Sauron: this serves to partly explain Denethor's madness, but not as specifically as the book does.

The Mouth of Sauron: A truly revolting and effective creation.
The Mimis Tirith battle scenes are also extended, and we get to see that revolting Orc Captain get his deserts. He just vanishes from the Theatrical version.

As for the documentary features, there's a wonderful, inspiring documentary on Tolkien and the book, intelligent and illuminating.
The next feature is also good, looking at some of thr processes involved in filming the unfilmable. There's a fascinating look at a scene that never was, but we see here storyboarded, where Sauron appears to Aragon in his original Angelic form, before taking on his 'Dark Lord' form to do battle.
There's more, enough detail to satisfy the most obsessive fan. This is a good value dvd package, an essential cut of what until now has been a very flawed release.


1 year on ... we have our proper conclusion ...   January 6, 2005
Simon J. Whight (Manchester)
26 out of 29 found this review helpful

A year after the final theatrical version surfaced in the cinema, the Lord Of The Rings trilogy comes to its FULL conclusion with the release of the Extended Edition of Return Of The King.

A couple of things for fans of the books to hear. Even at 4 hours running time, the Scouring Of The Shire doesn't make it into the film ... in fact the entire film from the closing scenes of Mount Doom onwards remain as they were in the cinema.. Also push aside those 'too many endings' scoffs, the story was never meant to conclude with the climax of the big battle. Delve into the appendix of Return Of The King and you find that the Fellowship's lives are documented right up to their deaths or parting from the realm of Middle Earth. The War Of The Ring was but a very small part in the history of the world and it was fitting to see in conclude back where the story began.

What a conclusion this series had too! The Two Towers saw a siege with 10,000 attackers throw themselves upon Helms Deep, Return Of The King sees 600,000 attackers in the crucial battle of the world. So many stories intertwine, with Aragorn eventually facing his destiny as the King Of Gondor, Gandalf preparing the city of Minas Tirith for the oncoming assault against the wishes of the deranged steward Dethanor, and most importantly Frodo, Sam and Gollum's final stretch to Mount Doom to destroy the Ring.

Of most interest with this DVD is whats 'new'. The best additions is the inclusion of Frodo and Sam's trek across Mordor, the section where they end up caught up in a battalion of marching orcs while in disguise makes a welcome addition from the book, as does the true ending of Sauruman (which frankly had an atrocious ending in theatrical version, merely dismissing him as 'having no power' anymore without Christopher Lee even making it on screen). A few treats for those who know what was missing. Then comes what can only be described as dodgy additions, for the first time ever. The extended scenes with the Army Of The Dead look very nice but completely ruin that air of suspense for when Aragorn finally turns up for the Battle Of Pelanor Plains. This time round you know EXACTLY who is on that boat pulling into the port near Minas Tirith. Rather than the joyous switch from 'Oh no! Its MORE bad guys! Wait a sec ... its ARAGORN!', you know that! the battle is already going to swing in the favour of good when they turn up. Also there is a suspicious scene between Gandalf and the Witch King Of Angmar which detracts from illusion of Gandalf being an all powerful wizard. A needless deviation from how that particular scene pans out in the book.

These are minor niggles from someone who loves the book, nothing can touch the book as far as I am concerned. You get to know the characters so much better and you get all those little gems which they had to cut out of the movie or alter to make the story tell well in a screenplay aspect. However, I don't think anyone else could have made as good a translation from book to film as Peter Jackson. This is one of the best series of all time, Fellowship Of The Ring still nicks it as my fave of the three movies if I was pushed to choose. You can't really detract from what he has achieved with this film, Tolkien himself gave the film rights away for practically nothing, deeming the book impossible to translate to film.

Since this is the Extended Edition DVD, this is the Extended Review. Once again the 2 DVDs of documentaries are an absolute joy. None of your usual dodgy tacked on DVD documentaries with 'deep voiced US geezer' commentary, these are superb. Cast, crew and Tolkien buffs all contribute, genuine fascinating footage to watch and such a variety and wealth of subjects to talk about. Every aspect of the movie creation is documented, right up to the final scenes of filming (bizarrely, these took place a few weeks after ROTK picked up their 11 Oscars ... nothing like an Oscar for an unfinished film!). A history of Tolkien and his inspirations, the discarded concept (thank god!) of the Aragorn vs Sauron final sword fight, the creation of the sets, costumes and the ongoing evolutionary process of the script design and editing. If you've bought these extended editions and not taken the documentaries out to have a look out, start this immediately! Hit t! hat 'Play All' button. They will enrich your viewing pleasure the next time you watch the film, and leave you thinking how lucky they all were to work on such a film when you hear their love from it and the tales from their time on it.

Heres to Peter Jackson taking on making The Simarillion into a series!


Fantastic   January 3, 2007
Mr. D. J. Read (Alnwick, Northumberland United Kingdom)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

By now, we should all know the plot of this sprawling epic which earned the production team 11 oscars. It was the academy rewarding the trilgoy itself, rather than just the final installment, but justly deserved, as there will never be a set of films this good in our lifetimes.
I know that the length and the whole issue of fantasy is a problem for people, but they really should overlook that. I also know that a lot of Tolkien purists objected to a few theatrical changes, but many of these have been addressed in this edition, especially the mouth of Sauron scene at the black gates.
It had been a criticism that the endings do drag on, but you should try the book, and after all you are bringing to a close what is effectively a 10.5 hour film. And dont forget the extras, utterly fascinating, and a real insight into the film making process. All these extended DVDs with their 'appendices' have really set the standard, covering so much. Worth every penny.
If you haven't seen these films yet (for whatever reason) do so now, or miss out on the greatest film experience ever. They truly bring the world to life, there is such depth in the characters, and painstaking detail, glorious effects shots and amazing in every department. I cannot commend, not only this, but the entire trilogy enough.


And so it ends....   January 24, 2005
M. Matthews (Bristol, England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Well, boys and girls, this is it: the last Lord of the Rings DVD... unless they decide to milk the saga for all it's worth a la George Lucas. Like the theatrical version this extended cut doesn't quite live up to expectations - not because this is a 'bad' movie, but because our expectations were pushed into the stratosphere by The Fellowship and The Two Towers. The extra 50mins of footage are a rather mixed bag, with most of the additional scenes falling rather flat. There are, though, some notable exceptions - the demise of Saruman should never have been cut from the theatrical version, and the Mouth of Sauron is great fun. By and large though Jackson made the right decisions in the cutting room.

But while the extended cut of the movie itself is overlong and rather ponderous, the special features are superb. There are numerous excellent documentaries that cover visual effects, sound, music, etc. There are also films covering pre-production and production, the latter including many tearful moments as the members of the cast each film their final scenes. These documentaries really convey that the Lord of the Rings trilogy are not merely movies - they are a true cinematic 'event'. A multitude of talented people poured their heart and soul into these films over a period of six years in some cases, and in so doing created an epic saga that will be talked about for years to come. Those of us who were able to watch these movies in the cinema on their initial release were truly privileged.


The pieces are moving...   October 13, 2007
R. J. Harvey (UK)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Antipodean director Peter Jackson here proves beyond doubt that he's picked up Spielberg's mantle as the director most competent at blending dazzling special effects with convincing emotional drama. The third part of Jackson's opus sees the One Ring return to Mordor in the hands of a Hobbit, while the hordes of Gorgoroth sweep into the realm of man in their tens of thousands. Bad Taste this ain't.

This is the boldest of the three movies in that it necessarily must take the most risks in depicting Tolkien's universe. It's a delicate balancing act. For instance, some will love the Jackson of old re-emerging for the Paths of the Dead sequence, while others will resent its Temple of Doom comedy-horror stylings. Legolas skipping up the leg of an olyphaunt and then sliding down its trunk as it falls: fanboys loathe that stuff; the kids love it. But thankfully, due to Return of the King's structure - a series of action scenes built around Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) dreadful narration - one doesn't have to wait long until the next set-piece arrives. And we're spoiled for choice. Gandalf, for example, doesn't only narrate - he also, exhilaratingly, sweeps onto the plain of Pelennor to ward off the Nazgul with a blinding shaft of light. Shelob doesn't disappoint; Weta have created a memorable monster who tickles the neck-hairs of Tolkien devotees and unsuspecting arachnophobics alike (I had not yet read the novel at this point...). And the lighting of the beacons, erupting from far snow-capped peaks, calling to Gondor under the bellowing strains of Howard Shore's aptly triumphant score, might be the single most rousing sequence in movie history. It's the ignition of hope, a glimmer of unbridled joy before the darkness descends.

The biggest omission from the novel is the Scouring of the Shire. I happen to agree with the sreenwriters' decision. By that time, we've already had two or three endings. We've been stuffed with a veritable feast in the form of the Battle of Pelennor and the Fall of Sauron; the Scouring, I believe, would have been an unwanted dessert. Besides, Tolkien's epilogue was something of a matter of celebrity. Aragorn's final words to the hobbits, as all of Middle Earth kneels, says more about the height of their standing than any Shire-war would.

Some minor flaws still remain. Legolas and Gimli's character arcs still reach no real resolution (but then, do we really need another two endings?). The position of the Battle of Pelennor in the story's narrative doesn't really lend itself to the classical Hollywood narrative very comfortably - there's a predictable, albeit only slight, feeling of 'winding down' in all that follows. Also, on this extended DVD, the point at which we are asked to change discs comes at a most inopportune time, as the drums of war are at their peak.

But it seems strangely impertinent to sniff out the trilogy's few flaws; to do so is like picking at the hem of the Bayeux Tapestry. Will we ever see such a wholly satisfying series of films again? Not in my lifetime. This is pure cinema. Jackson and his creative family just don't stop giving. He has successfully translated his love for his source material and created a body of work that will live on and become equally loved. The scope of his achievement is undeniable; as entertainment, this is about as close to perfection as cinema will get.