The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring - Director's Extended Version (4 Discs)

I was initially reluctant to go for the extended editions of these films as I hate breaking the flow of a movie by changing disks. However, I'm glad now that I made the upgrade.

First of all, the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring puts back some important plot elements which were dropped from the theatre version - most notably the scenes where the fellowship is given their gifts by Galadriel. There are other new scenes and some others are also extended.

Then you also get a DTS soundtrack thrown in - and if ever there was a movie designed to make the most of DTS this is it.

Finally, there are the extras - two whole disks of extras. I wouldn't normally recommend a DVD for the extras, but this is not the usual self-congratulary fluff you get with so many disks these days. Each disk is stuffed with a number of in depth documentaries covering all aspects of the film - sets, special effects, locations, cast - you name it. These can be played individually or… more »

I was initially reluctant to go for the extended editions of these films as I hate breaking the flow of a movie by changing disks. However, I'm glad now that I made the upgrade.

First of all, the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring puts back some important plot elements which were dropped from the theatre version - most notably the scenes where the fellowship is given their gifts by Galadriel. There are other new scenes and some others are also extended.

Then you also get a DTS soundtrack thrown in - and if ever there was a movie designed to make the most of DTS this is it.

Finally, there are the extras - two whole disks of extras. I wouldn't normally recommend a DVD for the extras, but this is not the usual self-congratulary fluff you get with so many disks these days. Each disk is stuffed with a number of in depth documentaries covering all aspects of the film - sets, special effects, locations, cast - you name it. These can be played individually or all together, and they are full of humour and fascinating anecdotes - e.g. I bet you can't guess what a Galadrilight or a bigature is? You'll have to buy the disk if you want to know. It's clear that everybody had a lot of fun making the films.

It all adds up to a very good value package. If you want to see LOTR as it was meant to be see, this is the version for you.