Lord of the Rings trilogy Blu-ray set shows up on Amazon, but where's the extras?
by Richard Lawler 
posted Apr 17th 2009 at 7:14PM
Can you believe it? We're still waiting for the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blu-ray, but news that the set has shown up for pre-order on Amazon.com. The only hook, as noted by TheHDRoom, is that the $99.98 MSRP / $69.99 priced package is listed as the theatrical editions, leaving room for the idea Warner plans to double dip with the extended versions later. Still, with on official announcement, no one knows quite what the deal is, so just peep the box art and hope for the best.[Thanks, Vipul]
Filed under: Blu-ray
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
darthbob @ Apr 17th 2009 7:26PM
Still waiting for Star Wars...
DEEZNUTZ @ Apr 17th 2009 9:44PM
Keep waiting. That douche Lucas is probably adding some extra "effects" and characters to better match his current vision of what the movies should have been to him. That guy has a problem with leaving good enough alone. He can keep his POS movies off BD for all I care.
acme @ Apr 18th 2009 6:36PM
It's his vision, he has the right to fix it if he feels the need. Who complains when there's a directors cut of something released?
DrXym @ Apr 19th 2009 11:31AM
Yes its his right to change the movies. If his vision was to gratuitously cram some very poor CGI into a classic and make some highly contentious modifications then he should be perfectly entitled to do so.
Personally I think most people would have been extremely happy with a full restoration of the theatrical cut. And perhaps some judicious replacement of some of the poorer effects.
brent @ Apr 17th 2009 7:34PM
One of the main things i wanted on bluray...that and jurassic park. I probably will wait for the price to come down slightly
kcmurphy88 @ Apr 17th 2009 7:30PM
I'll wait on the dual version blu-ray. No hurry.
skimrn @ Apr 17th 2009 7:40PM
And yet another double dipping, especially one of the most anticipated blu ray titles of all time...
Oh well... Going to wait longer for the extended version. I can wait...
Greedy people... Must... fight... the... power!!!
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Apr 17th 2009 8:07PM
Well, some people are serious Movie buffs and would want both the Theatrical versions as well as the extended versions.
Though I would be content with just the extended, I am a bit of a movie buff and am actually considering getting the Theatrical version just so I have it for reference.
WebDev511 @ Apr 17th 2009 8:46PM
@Fizzle
It would be better if New Line just released the extended with seamless branching if someone wanted to watch the theatrical.
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Apr 18th 2009 12:07AM
Agreed, the best of both worlds in one package would be the best.
DrXym @ Apr 19th 2009 3:04PM
I see no reason that seamless branching can't be used to offer the both theatrical and extended edition from the same disc.
I know that some people will double dip, but that's really their own issue. Personally I love LOTR but not enough to fork out left and right for every edition that is bound to appear between no and the Hobbit appearing on BD.
carlos @ Apr 17th 2009 8:05PM
The thing with High def is if the source of the material is old, then the transfer is not going to be great like recent tittles, but since LOFR was released this decade it will look great.
H Choi @ Apr 17th 2009 8:23PM
As much as I want the trilogy I'll have to pass on this. There's no way in hell I'm buying both the theatrical cut and the extended edition.
Damion McIntosh @ Apr 17th 2009 8:30PM
Thank God for Netflix. I'll watch it on nextflix then buy the extended cut. oooh yeah!
Gilbert @ Apr 17th 2009 9:59PM
Dude thats an awesome idea. I think Im going to have to sign up for netflix to preview this and the matrix series on bluray.
tom freudig @ Apr 17th 2009 8:34PM
There have been somewhat official announcements about this. Peter Jackson has stated that the extended editions (plus more scenes) are being worked on and will be released around Christmas 2010 to coincide with the Hobbit release.
DEEZNUTZ @ Apr 17th 2009 9:35PM
Try 2012...
Charles @ Apr 17th 2009 8:41PM
I have hundreds of DVDs and there are very few that I would consider re-buying in Blu-Ray. My favorite Pixar and Dreamworks movies, because we tend to watch them over and over and computer animation in Blu-Ray is simply stunning. Perhaps the Star Wars and Back to the Future series. Without question though the Lord of the Rings is my favorite and the reference DVD's for my system. We watch the trilogy 8 or 9 times a year. But I'm with others above, I won't buy it until I can have extended cut version since I think they are a much fuller telling of the story and unlike a theater who cares how long a movie is if you can pause it for drinks, food, or bathroom breaks at your convenience at home. But this is definately a move in the right direction. Although it would be better for us if New Line didn't feel the need to double dip and could just provide us with one box version that would rule them all.
WebDev511 @ Apr 17th 2009 8:44PM
+1 on "I'm not double dipping until the extended editions come out" I might RENT the theatricals to get an idea of what the PQ is going to be like, but that's about as far as it goes.
DEEZNUTZ @ Apr 17th 2009 9:39PM
I'll be a willing victim of the quadruple dip. I bought the theatrical and extended versions on DVD, and will do the same with the BD's. 2 yrs is way too long for me to wait just for the extended versions, so the theatrical version will have to do until then.
I'm a huge fan of the movies, so I know Im in the minority on this. December can't come any sooner...
Cap BD @ Apr 17th 2009 10:31PM
I'm with Fizzlepop and Deeznutz on this. I'll buy both versions.
What was nice with the DVD versions was that there was a ton of content on both the Standard and Extended editions, and none of it overlapped. So you really did get a ton of great content when you bought both.
This is a 7 Disc set on Blu-ray, so there should be plenty of time to tide me over for the 2 year wait on the extended cut BDs.
corey smith @ Apr 17th 2009 11:04PM
i'll buy both blu ray versions. as far as video quality goes, the dvd versions of LOTR were some of the worst ive ever seen; i only sat through them once. i simply cant wait to see it's legs stretched out over a few dual layer BDs...
mntwister @ Apr 18th 2009 12:03AM
And the studios pull yet another double dip! They will wait a year or two and then release the editions that people really want. And I will gladly wait and so will Warner for my money. Problem is, too many people are impatient and have to have it right away-even if its the edition they don't want...that's why they get away with this. If no one bought it, they would learn a lesson!!!!! Seamless branching would have provided both versions of the film.
Jonsson @ Apr 18th 2009 2:33AM
This is soo idiotic. Instead of promoting the format buy making a proper (dual) version with seamless branching they go for a double release.
No way, I will certainly wait until the extended version is released. That's the one I have on DVD and it's the ONLY title I will repurchase on BD.
lucyfan62 @ Apr 18th 2009 2:53AM
Peter Jackson has already said that he's working on an ultimate extended edition of the trilogy to tie in with the new Hobbit films. These are for those who need all the bells and whistles apparently.
Stas @ Apr 18th 2009 3:20AM
This article: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2055 says that Extended Version of LOTR will most likely be released when "The Hobbit" is shown is theatres. And this won't happen untill Christmas 2011, according to Wikipedia. So if one wants LOTR in HD, its better not to wait till then!
Jon @ Apr 18th 2009 6:04AM
I have been thinking .. In my head i say i will not bite on this .. But in my Heart i will ... This is one set where a double dip is worth it
MidnightDT @ Apr 18th 2009 9:16AM
not buying this crap. Ill buy the extended edition when it comes.
minimalist @ Apr 18th 2009 11:02AM
I don't consider this double dipping.
This set already contains 7 discs. If they added the extended editions to the package it would just pump up the MSRP. They know how high the demand for these movies is amongst fans so they will charge accordingly whether its in one big 14 disc box set or two 7 disc ones.
I am perfectly happy with just having the theatrical editions. Not everyone cares about the extended cuts so what's the problem with selling them separately? You can choose which edition you want or you can choose to buy both if you're a completist.
kcmurphy88 @ Apr 19th 2009 2:13PM
I guess you've never heard of "seamless branching" which has been used before to provide theatrical and extended versions on one disc.
minimalist @ Apr 22nd 2009 10:00AM
Seamless branching or not, the studios are well aware of how in demand these movies are and they are going to charge accordingly.
Its about the content, not the number of discs. So even if the studio did release it as one big mega set you certainly wouldn't be getting that set for 70 bucks.
They are not going to give away their golden eggs for free. You're going to pay, either way. It seems reasonable to let people to choose the versions they want and not have to pay for the ones they don't.
Interpol @ Apr 18th 2009 1:22PM
As long as they do it right and only release ONE special edition on BD, I'll be satisfied. Damn, have you see how many versions of Terminator 2 are out on DVD/BD? There's everything from "T2 the budget arthouse days with mono soundtrack edition" to "T2 the ultimate limited special James Cameron directors cut pwns all other previous versions combined edition". Ridiculous.
Get it right the FIRST time!
Lazarus Dark @ Apr 18th 2009 5:32PM
I'd pay 30 at most for the theatrical.
Planned double-dipping is greed at it's highest.
I'm probably going to be Netflixing the theatrical and wait for the extended to purchase. No double dipping here. Actually, I didn't even buy the dvd's cause I was waiting for HD versions (yes, even before bluray's was ever announced, I stopped buying most dvd's to wait on HD optical discs; I knew they'd come out sooner or later. I can be patient...especially on a budget.)
JimC @ Apr 19th 2009 1:38AM
Well, I am not buying LotR on blu-ray until extended edition is out...extended edition is the only way to view this masterpiece...
besi @ Apr 18th 2009 10:48PM
thats why im already watching the hdtv edition already,for god sake,wake up u idiots in hollywood.we are not stupid,stop releasing edition after edition.i had enough already with dvd's.
thats why u have 25-50gig on bluray,,so u dont have to release a super duper edition after 3 months.and u wondering why people stealing movies from the internet,thats why!!!
i already have 4 bluray,which had a new release after 6 months.what the f....!!
get the fucken price under 15$.put every extra u can find on the disc,and u will see more & more people gonna buy ur fucken bluray. the next time im gonna buy another edition on bluray,its gonna be the fat free,no sugar,extra shot --3D edition.until then ill keep buying bigger hdd's.