{"id":27368,"date":"2021-11-14T12:53:02","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T20:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=27368"},"modified":"2021-11-14T13:00:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T21:00:01","slug":"review-middle-earth-collection-4k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2021\/11\/review-middle-earth-collection-4k\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle-Earth: Ultimate Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Middle-Earth: Ultimate Collector\u2019s Edition<\/em><\/strong> set is a nice looking collection and a unique packaging that looks good on a bookshelf. The new features are fine and all and glad all of the commentaries are there, but disappointing that none of the extensive supplements were ported over.<\/p>\n

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Middle-Earth
\n<\/span>\u2014 Ultimate Collector’s Edition \u2014<\/span>
\n(2001-2014)<\/span>
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Action, Fantasy, Martial Arts<\/span>
\nWarner Bros. | R \u2013 110 min. \u2013 $44.95 | July 13, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 07\/14\/2021 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Peter Jackson
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>J.R.R. Tolkien (novels); Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo Del Toro (The Hobbit<\/em>), Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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Cast (The Lord of the Rings<\/em>): <\/strong>Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Sean Bean, John Rhys-Davies, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, Bernard Hill, David Wenham, Marton Csokas, John Noble, Brad Dourif<\/p>\n

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Cast (The Hobbit<\/em>): <\/strong>Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Serkis, Lee Pace, Graham McTavish, Evangeline Lilly, John Callen, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Luke Evans, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Manu Bennett, Stephen Fry<\/span><\/p>\n

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DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Audio Commentaries, Featurettes
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>No
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K, Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>31<\/span><\/p>\n
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The Hobbit Audio: <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), Various
\nThe Lord of the Rings Audio: <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), Various
\nVideo: <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.39
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10, Dolby Vision
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Portions were copied from previous 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray reviews.<\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIES<\/span><\/h3>\n
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THE HOBBIT<\/strong><\/p>\n
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<\/em><\/strong> (2012) \u2014 3.0\/5
\n<\/strong>How does one follow up one of the most epic trilogies of all-time? Well, for Peter Jackson and company, after some financial negotiations between Warner\/New Line and MGM, it\u2019s to go back to the J.R.R. Tolkien well and take another stab at it. However, what was once supposed to be a two-part film, filmmakers decided to expand The Hobbit and squeeze one more movie. With the first of the three, <\/span>An Unexpected Journey<\/em><\/strong> is a woefully long film with too many unnecessary scenes and characters that save for two are frankly indistinguishable.<\/span><\/p>\n

The film begins with a rather lengthy narration by the old Bilbo Baggins (IAN HOLM) as he sets to write a new chapter in his memoir telling a story Frodo (ELIJAH WOOD making a cameo) knows about. After some flashback sequences outlaying the crux of the story, we learn the narration takes place before the opening of Fellowship of the Ring with Frodo leaving Bilbo\u2019s home to lie underneath a tree. It then transitions from Old Bilbo to Young Bilbo (MARTIN FREEMAN) as he encounters Gandalf (IAN MCKELLEN) for the first time in a long time. The meet is odd with Gandalf recalling how Bilbo was an adventurer and wishes to enlist him to be the final member of a dangerous quest, but Bilbo flatly refuses.<\/p>\n

Gandalf leaves but not before placing a mark on the door which leads to numerous guests who enter Bilbo\u2019s home: Dwarves Dwalin (GRAHAM MCTAVISH), Balin (KEN STOTT), Bifur (WILLIAM KIRCHER), Bofur (JAMES NESBITT), Bombur (STEPHEN HUNTER), Fili (DEAN O\u2019GORMAN), Kili (AIDAN TURNER), Oin (JOHN CALLEN), Gloin (PETER HAMBLETON), Nori (JED BROPHY), Dori (MARK HADLOW), Ori (ADAM BROWN), would-be King Thorin Oakenshield (RICHARD ARMITAGE) and eventually Gandalf. Outside of Thorin, Gandalf and, of course, Bilbo, are completely forgettable and mostly interchangeable.<\/p>\n

After initial hesitation, Bilbo accepts being the 14th member of the quest as the \u201cburglar\u201d (stealthy member of the group) although as the leader, Thorin is none to impressed as Bilbo\u2019s inclusion was at the behest of Gandalf. Still the group is off making the long journey to the Lonely Mountain and for the dwarves to reclaim their home. As you now notice, this is the first problem with the movie. Where in Fellowship the stakes are much higher as the quest is to take a powerful ring to Mount Doom through treacherous lands with everybody along the way, including friends, wanting the ring for themselves.<\/p>\n

In any case, the quest continues on as they later encounter some \u201cinteresting\u201d characters such as trolls who have stolen three of their horses; Radagast the Brown (SYLVESTER MCCOY) on a rabbit-drawn sleigh of all things and tells a tale of some kind of evil in the forest (and a spider-like creature) he then helps the group out, who are now without any horses after they ran off during the scuffle with the trolls, after orcs come a-chasing. The elves\u2019 arrive to save the day much to the chagrin of Thorin who hasn\u2019t exactly had the greatest respect for them after they had turned their backs on him and his father earlier.<\/p>\n

The group (not entirely sure what to call them), travels through caves which lead out to Rivendell which again, does not please Thorin that Gandalf had led them there. They receive much nourishment (the vegetarian kind which doesn\u2019t sit well with dwarves) and relief while Gandalf consults with Elrond (HUGO WEAVING), Galadriel (CATE BLANCHETT) and Saruman (CHRISTOPHER LEE) as they debate the quest that receives much resistance.<\/p>\n

Fast forward, the dwarves leave Rivendell to continue the quest to the Lonely Mountain continuing to encounter obstacles as the guest-ers (?) get captured by goblins though Bilbo manages to slip away and later, after a bit of a tumble during a fight with a goblin, runs into who else but precious himself: Gollum (ANDY SERKIS) and the pair have a freestyle riddle battle. During this section, Bilbo manages to get his hands on the ring…<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the league (?) get their asses saved once again by Gandalf and manage to escape the goblins and its ruthless king only to later, now joined by Bilbo who won the riddle-games and escape with the ring (which displeases Gollum) only to run into who I assume will be the series\u2019 primary villain in the form of Azog (MANU BENNETT) who had killed Thorin\u2019s father in a battle that was recounted earlier in the movie.<\/p>\n

Oh, and those Eagles who are sentient and thus make choices but they seem to swoop in and save the day many times at, from what I recall, the request of Gandalf. This happened twice in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and once in The Hobbit<\/em><\/strong>. I understand the resistance to carry the burden of the ring (or Frodo carrying the ring), but doesn\u2019t make a heck lot of sense in this case (once you see it, you\u2019ll know what I mean).<\/p>\n

No doubt, The Hobbit<\/em><\/strong> is a visual feast and with Peter Jackson\u2019s eye, he transports viewers back to Middle-Earth via New Zealand (and soundstages) and really helps to keep the movie from being a complete waste. Staying positive, I was impressed not only with the production designs and the locations, but the costume designs is also amazing which shouldn\u2019t come to a surprise given that presumably most of the crew from The Lord of the Rings was back for more.<\/p>\n

On the negative side, however, this just didn\u2019t seem to be a necessary movie. The story itself is far too simple even to fill one film let alone three which leads to too much padding and too many forgettable characters. Unforgettable Journey clocks in at around 140-minutes (sans credits) and that already was a stretch so I have to wonder what another 5.5 hours will hold.<\/p>\n

The other problem, although perhaps it\u2019s how the book was written and thus translated, this is far more suited for children and even though there are a couple darker scenes, there are many others which are geared more towards comedy, slapstick even, than a serious drama that Rings had.<\/p>\n

On the whole, The Hobbit: An Unforgettable Journey<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t a terrible movie, of course. Martin Freeman, despite knowing his character\u2019s fate, does a good job as the title character providing some humor while Richard Armitage stands out from them all in what I consider the Viggo Mortensen slot. Armitage has the soul of this entire tale since he leads the pack (?) to reclaim his people\u2019s homeland. Anyway, there\u2019s plenty here to like but just as much to sort of hate, the biggest one, is the story is far too simple and spread across three movies, too much pointless filler.<\/p>\n

Extended Edition:
\n<\/strong>This version is about 16-minutes longer and other than one scene in which a young Bilbo Baggins, about 6-years-old, runs into Gandalf and he\u2019s enamored with the grey wizard\u2019s fireworks. It\u2019s a nice little scene and establishes the connection and why Gandalf is disappointed in Bilbo\u2019s lack of adventure. But outside of that scene, there are little bits and pieces added or extended and while nice, aren\u2019t anything special.<\/p>\n

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug <\/em><\/strong>(2013)<\/strong> \u2014 2.75\/5
\n<\/strong>Even though An Unexpected Journey was disappointing mainly because the quest was smaller and less significant compared to its Lord of the Rings counterpart, to go along with a cast of characters who were indistinguishable save for Gandalf, Bilbo and Thorin, I had some hopes based on reviews from the general movie-going audience that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug<\/em><\/strong> would be a solid upgrade and although there were a couple of things I did like, such as the escalation of the danger, this entry despite some impressive action set pieces, was downright dull.<\/p>\n

This addition opens interestingly enough with a prologue as Thorin (RICHARD ARMITAGE) enters the Prancing Pony and with shots reminiscent of the scene in Fellowship of the Ring with Frodo and the rest, he\u2019s seemingly being followed by unscrupulous fellows before sitting at a table across from Gandalf the Grey (IAN MCKELLEN) who knows Thorin\u2019s life is in danger and further that Thorin wants to reclaim the throne. In order to do so, Gandalf suggests gathering a team to accomplish the goal as grave danger is ahead if they should fail… or something along those lines.<\/p>\n

We then are taken a year later are pretty much beginning where Unexpected Journey ended. Bilbo (MARTIN FREEMAN) and the merry dwarves \u2013 Balin (KEN STOTT), Dwalin (GRAHAM MCTAVISH), Bifur (WILLIAM KIRCHER), Bofur (JAMES NESBITT), Bombur (STEPHEN HUNTER), Fili (DEAN O\u2019GORMAN), Kili (AIDAN TURNE), Oin (JOHN CALLEN), Gloin (PETER HAMBLETON), Nori (JED BROPHY), Dori (MARK HADLOW) and Ori (ADAM BROWN) \u2013 march on toward Erebor to reclaim the mountain while also having to slay the dangerous dragon, Smaug, who guards the gold in the vault.<\/p>\n

But before they can get to Erebor they must avoid the deadly orcs on their trail first seeking refuge in the home of a wolf\/giant hybrid, entering the dark forest under the control of the Elves and attacked by giant spiders in yet another callback to Lord of the Rings and then rescued, and subsequently captured, by our old stoic pal, Legolas (ORLANDO BLOOM) and the attractive and bad-ass Tauriel (EVANGELINE LILLY). As in the first film, the dwarves are taken prisoner under the orders of Elvenking Thranduil (LEE PACE) and as in the first film, are rescued by Bilbo.<\/p>\n

Oh, and where is Gandalf during all of this? Of course he\u2019s off on his little side-journey leading him to the hidden layer of the orcs and he eventually is in a losing duel with a being named the Necromancer (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH although you\u2019d be hard-pressed to know it was him) but is known by a more familiar name… I actually think this was one of the better parts of Desolation and gives that much needed gravitas and danger necessary to give the trilogy\u2019s overall story arc more danger than some localized plot of the dwarves regaining their homeland… well, mountain anyway.<\/p>\n

So, how does this compare with An Unexpected Journey<\/em>? Well, I suppose I found more enjoyment out of this one as the action is well done and I guess I cared more about these characters, even though I couldn\u2019t distinguish most of them from the other, and because introductions and plot outlining have been dispensed with, we get to the nitty-gritty and although the pacing was still off, the 2:30+ running time isn\u2019t as noticeable, though it is still bloated.<\/p>\n

On the performance front, it\u2019s all more of the same with each actor going through the motions but making his debut in this trilogy set, Orlando Bloom is fun to see once more but doesn\u2019t give much to his entry other than yet another call back to the better developed and more entertaining Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also, and I know I\u2019m not the first to point this out, even though Bloom\u2019s Legolas is supposed to be younger here than in LOTR<\/em>, Bloom looks a good decade older here and it\u2019s frankly a bit distracting.<\/p>\n

The other notable new character is Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly who does get something to do going on her own and has some sort of love connection with one of the dwarves. It\u2019s hardly a meaty part considering the number of characters already in the film, but I hope she gets more to do in the third and final movie. Luke Evans makes his debut (in the theatrical version, he appeared in the extended version) and provides more background dealing with his family history and the dragon, Smaug. Nothing amazing yet, though hopefully he gets more to work with in the third installment.<\/p>\n

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug<\/em><\/strong> once again is co-written and directed by Peter Jackson and this entry, as with the last, proves that while there is certainly a lot of care taken from the production and art designs, visual effects and the acting, it still comes across as unnecessary, especially taking a book and instead of splitting it into two movies as originally planned, get a third thrown in which adds extra scenes that balloons the running time to the extreme, and this is just the theatrical versions, once the extended editions for all three are released, you\u2019re talking about a 8-9 hour epic for a story that needed maybe 5 hours to tell.<\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s a minor improvement over Unexpected Journey, I still didn\u2019t enjoy Desolation<\/em><\/strong> very much and have a hard time imagining ever revisiting it.<\/p>\n

Extended Edition:
\n<\/strong>For this version, 26-minutes have been added in and, basing off of memory from the theatrical version, some noteworthy additions include a subplot about Thorin\u2019s father who makes an appearance, this is preceded in the beginning through a conversation between Gandalf and Thorin about his father\u2019s fate, and otherwise it seems some odds and ends were included, though can\u2019t pinpoint many off hand.<\/p>\n

In regards to how this plays compared with the other? Well, it\u2019s more or less the same movie, just longer. As with the other one, I just had a meh kind of reaction, I sat there watching some nice craftsmanship, make-up and such but the story is still so bloated and reiterate that this entire story could\u2019ve been wrapped up in two movies and so many extraneous plotlines could\u2019ve been completely cut and would not be missed. Oh, and the key scene with the barrels down the river is still really dumb.<\/p>\n

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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies<\/em><\/strong> (2014) \u2014 2.5\/5
\n<\/strong>And so it ends. The Hobbit trilogy is over and all this reviewer can say is: \u201cWhat\u2019s on next?\u201d This has to have been one of the more mundane trilogies to be released as it never delves to the levels of, say the Star Wars prequels yet it pales in comparison with Jackson\u2019s own Lord of the Rings either. With The Battle of the Five Armies, it\u2019s even clearer that Jackson and company spread an already thin story even thinner and should\u2019ve been at the most a five hour epic than going on eight hours.<\/p>\n

The conclusion of our story begins where Desolation of Smaug left off: the fire-breathing dragon Smaug (voiced by BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH) has escaped from the Lonely Mountain, in spite of the efforts of the dwarves, and is set to wreak havoc on the townsfolk of Lake-town, literally setting it on fire, killing hundreds including the Master of Lake-town (STEPHEN FRY) as he and his kiss-ass deputy Alfrid (RYAN GAGE) try to escape with the town\u2019s gold. Greed (gold) and war is a common theme throughout Five Armies. And a not-so-subtle theme either.<\/p>\n

In any case, Bard (LUKE EVANS) escapes from his jail cell in creative fashion and gets to work to stop Smaug and restore his family name as his forefather failed the last go around. With the help of his son, Bard manages to take down the dragon using the Black Arrow, striking in the one vulnerable spot on its scales. With the dragon slain, Bard is soon crowned as Lake-town\u2019s savior and his name all across the land will be known as the dragon slayer. With the dragon gone, however, the amass of riches held in the Lonely Mountain is up for grabs and the mountain itself prime real estate for the more nefarious elements including Sauron who is gathering power and, if not for Galadriel (CATE BLANCHETT), most certainly would\u2019ve killed Gandalf (IAN MCKELLEN) whom he had captured in the last chapter.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, inside the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves celebrate the dragon\u2019s demise though Thorin (RICHARD ARMITAGE) is more concerned with not only reclaiming his throne, but retrieving the Arkenstone and it is immediately apparent to Bilbo (MARTIN FREEMAN) that Thorin has gone mad with greed to the point where he will not honor the promise he made to the people of Lake-town.<\/p>\n

Make matters worse, the Elves, headed by Thrandall (LEE PACE), wants to retrieve a priceless heirloom and willing to go to war to do so (army #1) and in spite of Bard\u2019s best efforts, is unable to sway Thorin even after Bilbo hands over the Arkenstone to Bard as a bargaining chip. However, Thorin isn\u2019t without reinforcements as dwarf King Dain (BILLY CONNELLY) and his troops (army #2) are willing to take on the elves. But the dwarves and elves have bigger problems as evil forces are at work when the orcs (army #3) organize an attack to take control of the Lonely Mountain while also destroying any opposing forces including the humans who have formed their own little militia (army #4). The fifth army is a flock of crows bred for one purpose: WAR! What in evil elements Middle-earth isn\u2019t bread for war?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little doubt Peter Jackson has a great eye and a passion for subject, but the issues I had with An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug remain and is magnified even more so in The Battle of the Five Armies which draws plenty of comparisons with The Two Towers yet one thing remains prevalent and why The Hobbit trilogy pales in comparison to Lord of the Rings: we don\u2019t really have many characters to care about save for Bilbo and Gandalf though neither are in immediate danger considering we know both will survive. We are then left with the dwarves who, except for Armitage\u2019s Thorin, are either indistinguishable from the others so when, spoiler alert, one is killed, it did not nearly have the impact Jackson and company wanted in spite of Howard Shore\u2019s sorrowful score playing over the death.<\/p>\n

One other problem is, present in Desolation<\/em><\/strong>, was shoehorning in Legolas into the trilogy. His appearance not only felt unnatural but, and this is no slight to Orlando Bloom, but he looks older and worse yet, sounds older; it was a glaring issue that I had a hard time ignoring especially when his voice went down to a near Bale\/Batman growl.<\/p>\n

The performances by the ensemble cast were OK, although I can\u2019t say anyone stood out. Luke Evans performed valiantly as the human leader; Martin Freeman is seemingly MIA outside of a couple scenes bumped for the basically endless battle scenes; Armitage probably has the more nuanced character but what he\u2019s given really is laughable and comes off as one-note; and as much as I like Evangeline Lilly, wow she has some bad line reads including one that\u2019s supposed to be emotional and instead is a bit cringe-worthy and empty. You do get the LOTR regulars making cameos like Cate Blanchett who probably has the best scene of the entire Hobbit trilogy while Christopher Lee and Hugo Weaving make token appearances for the Sauron B-plot to tie into the LOTR.<\/p>\n

As I said earlier, I can\u2019t question Peter Jackson\u2019s passion but it was a big mistake expanding what should have been a two-part movie into a trilogy all for the studios (Warner and MGM) to make a few more bucks as it was their final dip into the J.R.R. Tolkien well. With that in mind, The Battle of the Five Armies<\/em>, in spite of impressive costumes and sets, and in some instances visual effects (others were a bit iffy), just never works on an emotional level and instead came across as a generic Hollywood action-fest.<\/p>\n

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THE LORD OF THE RINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring<\/em><\/strong> (2001)<\/strong> \u2014 5.0\/5
\n<\/strong>The future of civilization rests in the fate of the One Ring, which has been lost for centuries. Powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it. But fate has placed it in the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins (ELIJAH WOOD), who inherits the Ring and steps into legend. A daunting task lies ahead for Frodo when he becomes the Ringbearer \u2013 to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.<\/p>\n

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers<\/em><\/strong> (2002)<\/strong> \u2014 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follows the continuing quest of Frodo (WOOD) and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam (SEAN ASTIN) discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn (VIGGO MORTENSEN), the Elf archer Legolas (ORLANDO BLOOM) and Gimli (JOHN RHYS-DAVIES) the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden (BERNARD HILL) has fallen under Saruman’s (CHRISTOPHER LEE) deadly spell.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King<\/em><\/strong> (2003) \u2014 4.75\/5
\n<\/strong>The film presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Hobbits Frodo and Sam reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the `one ring’, while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron’s evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith.<\/p>\n

Quick Hit Review: <\/strong>There\u2019s no question, what Peter Jackson and the crew accomplished was incredible and unlikely ever to matched, even if there\u2019s a return to some sense of normalcy post-COVID Hollywood. Even though I\u2019ve never read J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s source material \u2013 tried to years ago and never got far \u2013 The Lord of the Rings<\/em><\/strong> trilogy was incredible when I saw them in theaters, re-watched on DVD, watched again when the extended versions were released, again upon being released on Blu-ray and have since had repeat viewings every couple of years.<\/p>\n

The ensemble cast all turn in great performances. The friendship between Frodo (Wood) and Samwise (Astin) is palpable, not to mention the wonderful report with Aragon (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom) and Gimli (Rhys-Davies) is one of the highlights of the entire trilogy. And of course Ian McKellen as Gandalf is great as always, right from the first frame. Jackson assembled such an amazing cast in supporting roles with the likes of Sean Bean (who easily has the most gallivant death in the series), Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban and an especially remarkable performance from Andy Serkis as a motion-captured Gollum.<\/p>\n

Taking away the immersive and wide-ranging story where you have groups of the ensemble off in other areas of Middle Earth, the technical aspects still hold up decades later. For sure, any shots of scale when seeing humans\/elves\/etc on screen together with the hobbits is a bit iffy (the shot of Bilbo getting on the boat in Return of the King<\/em> still bugs me as it\u2019s a little person wearing a bad wig), but other than that, the visual effects, courtesy in part by WETA, is incredible.<\/p>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This 31-disc set comes housed in a fold-out case with each movie housed in a black HD keep case and a slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD<\/strong> copy for both trilogies, plus 7 Travel Poster Cards<\/strong> and a 64-Page Booklet<\/strong>. There is one bonus disc with new features; however, outside of the commentaries, none of the other legacy features were ported over.<\/p>\n

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THE HOBBIT<\/strong><\/p>\n

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THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> by Co-Writer\/Director Peter Jackson and Co-Writer Philippa Boyens<\/p>\n

New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth (6:35)<\/u><\/strong> is a pretty much a promotional featurette advertising NZ.<\/p>\n

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THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> by Co-Writer\/Director Peter Jackson and Co-Writer Philippa Boyens<\/p>\n

New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth \u2013 Part 2 (7:11)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

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THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> by Co-Writer\/Director Peter Jackson and Co-Writer Philippa Boyens<\/p>\n

New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth \u2013 Part 3 (6:07)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trailers (7:17)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Trailer #1, Trailer #2, Legacy Trailer<\/p>\n

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THE LORD OF THE RINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong>THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Audio Commentaries:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  • Writers and Director:<\/strong> Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens<\/li>\n
  • The Design Tram:<\/strong> Production Designer Grant Major, Costume Designer Ngila Dickson, Creative Supervisor Richard Taylor, Conceptual Designers Alan Lee and John Howe, Supervising Art Director Dan Hennah, Art Department Manager Chris Hennah, and Workshop Manager Tania Rodger<\/li>\n
  • Production\/Post-Production:<\/strong> Producer Barrie M. Osborn, Executive Producer Mark Ordesky, Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie, Editor John Gilbert, Co-Producer Rick Porras, Composer Howard Shore, Visual Effects Supervisor Jim Rygiel, Supervising Sound Editors Ethan van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins, Animation Designer Randy Cook, Visual Effects Art Director Christian Rivers, Visual Effects Director of Photography Brian Vant Hul, and Miniatures Director of Photography Alex Funke<\/li>\n
  • Cast:<\/strong> Actors Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, and Sean Bean<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Audio Commentaries:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Writers and Director:<\/strong> Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens<\/li>\n
    • The Design Team:<\/strong> Weta Workshop Creative Supervisor Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop Tania Rodgers, Production Designer Grant Major, Conceptual Designer\/Set Decorator Alan Lee, Conceptual Designer John Howe, Supervising Art Director\/Set Director Dan Hennah and Art Department Manager Chris Hennah<\/li>\n
    • The Production\/Post-Production Team:<\/strong> Producer Barrie M. Osborn, Executive Producer Mark Ordesky, Director of Photography Andrew Lesnie, Editor Mike Horton, Additional Editor Jabez Olssen, Co-Producer Rick Porras, Composer Howard Shore, Visual Effects Supervisor Jim Rygiel, Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri, Supervising Sound Editor Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins, Weta Animation Designer & Supervisor Randy Cook, Previsualisation Supervisor Christian Rivers, Visual Effects D.P. Brian Van\u2019t Hul and Alex Funke<\/li>\n
    • Cast:<\/strong> Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean, Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, John Noble, Craig Parker, and Andy Serkis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n

      THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Audio Commentaries:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Writers and Director:<\/strong> Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens<\/li>\n
      • The Design Team:<\/strong> Production Designer Grant Major, Costume Designer Ngila Dickson, Weta Workshop Creative Supervisor Richard Taylor, Conceptual Designer\/Set Decorator Alan Lee, Conceptual Designer John Howe, Supervising Art Director\/Set Director Dan Hennah, Art Department Manager Chris Hennah and Weta Workshop Manager Tania Rodgers<\/li>\n
      • The Production\/Post-Production Team:<\/strong> Producer Barrie M. Osborn, Executive Producer Mark Ordesky, Co-Producer & Editor Jamie Selkirk, Additional Editor Annie Collins, Co-Producr Rick Porras, Composer Howard Shore, Visual Effects Supervisor Jim Rygiel, Supervising Sound Designer\/Co-Designer Ethan Van der Ryn, Supervising Sound Editor Mike Hopkins, Visual Effects Concept Designer Christian Rivers, Visual Effects D.P. Alex Funke, Weta Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri, Animation Designer & Supervisor Randy Cook, and Weta Visual Effects D.P. Brian Van\u2019t Hul<\/li>\n
      • The Cast:<\/strong> Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, and Lawrence Makoare<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        [\/bg_collapse]<\/p>\n

        \n

        BONUS DISC:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Alamo Drafthouse Presents The Lord of the Rings<\/em> Cast Reunions (TRT 1:41:54)<\/u><\/strong> is split into three parts, one for each movie and hosted by Stephen Colbert, conducted via Zoom or Skype. Features Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan for Fellowship of the Ring<\/em> (39:39); Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett and Live Tyler for The Two Towers<\/em> (32:25); and last Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis for The Return of the King<\/em> (29:50).<\/p>\n

        Festival de Cannes Presentation Reel (26:55)<\/u><\/strong> with an intro a scene of Fellowship of the Ring<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
        \n

        4K VIDEO<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

        \n

        The Lord of the Rings Trilogy<\/em><\/strong> comes to 4K Ultra HD through Warner Bros. where it\u2019s presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and displayed in 2160p high-definition resolution. The picture here, no big surprise, looks quite good. Detail is relatively sharp throughout and colors have a good range from the lighter locales to the darker scenery during Frodo and Sam\u2019s journey towards Mount Doom. All that said, I can\u2019t say it\u2019s a significant improvement over the Blu-ray, though it\u2019s slightly sharper and thanks to the HDR, some elements are a tad more vibrant. 4\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

        The Hobbit Trilogy<\/em><\/strong> comes to 4K Ultra HD where it\u2019s presented in the respective original 2.40 aspect ratios. The Blu-rays already looked (and sounded) good in their own rights and they\u2019re taken up a slight notch looking a tad sharper in comparison, colors are a little more vibrant I suppose and it does seem the natural noise and grain is more noticeable, giving it a crisp, cinema-like experience. 4\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

        A note on the Blu-ray versions of The Lord of the Rings<\/em> Trilogy:<\/strong> I did some quick comparisons of the \u201cold\u201d Blu-ray and the ones included here, I really could not discern a noticeable difference between them, even though this set boasts new Blu-ray transfers. I assume these were taken from the restored transfers made for the 4K discs.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
        \n

        4K AUDIO<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

        \n

        Both the theatrical and extended versions of LOTR<\/em><\/strong> comes equipped with a Dolby Atmos track. Since the Blu-rays already came with discrete DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 tracks, the Atmos one is a bit heavier and more rounded though again not a huge difference, it doesn\u2019t mean it still doesn\u2019t sound wonderful. The home theater will get a workout during the many battle scenes with every stomp of beasts rumbling and shaking the floor and wall, however also shows some fine depth even for the quieter, more dialogue-driven scenes where you can discern ambient noises waving through the front and rear channels. 5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Each Hobbit <\/em><\/strong>film comes with a Dolby Atmos track which is a slight upgrade over the Blu-ray releases which had DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 tracks, so the Atmos adds a little more depth while offering a similar aural experience when it came to the dialogue. All in all, these films still sound fantastic, much like the video, you\u2019re probably getting close to, and depending on your theater, a better experience at home (I know my local one, at least last I was there, was lackluster). 5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
        \n

        OVERALL \u2014 3\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

        \n

        The Middle-Earth: Ultimate Collector\u2019s Edition<\/em><\/strong> set is a nice looking collection and a unique packaging that looks good on a bookshelf. The new features are fine and all and glad all of the commentaries are there, but a big disappointment that none of the extensive supplements on the extended edition releases were ported over so any fan out there needs to hold on to those releases. If those additional 15 discs were included here, even at a higher MSRP, this would\u2019ve easily been a 5\/5 box set.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The Middle-Earth: Ultimate Collector\u2019s Edition set is a nice looking collection and a unique packaging that looks good on a bookshelf. The new features are fine and all and glad all of the commentaries are there, but disappointing that none of the extensive supplements were ported over.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4581,970],"tags":[6389,1437,2283,6981,786,1015,783,6982,1944,405,1939,1136,1943,1940,509,555,2811,257,237,1412,1941,2879,165,158,1942,550,210,1366],"class_list":["post-27368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-4k-uhd-reviews","category-quick-hit-reviews","tag-aidan-turner","tag-andy-serkis","tag-benedict-cumberbatch","tag-billy-boyd","tag-brad-dourif","tag-cate-blanchett","tag-christopher-lee","tag-dominic-monaghan","tag-elijah-wood","tag-evangeline-lilly","tag-hobbit","tag-hugo-weaving","tag-ian-holm","tag-ian-mckellen","tag-john-rhys-davies","tag-karl-urban","tag-lee-pace","tag-liv-tyler","tag-lord-of-the-rings","tag-luke-evans","tag-martin-freeman","tag-miranda-otto","tag-orlando-bloom","tag-peter-jackson","tag-richard-armitage","tag-sean-astin","tag-sean-bean","tag-viggo-mortensen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27368"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27375,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27368\/revisions\/27375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}