The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Steelbook Collection [Theatrical and Extended Edition] [4K Ultra HD] [2001]

This version of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is amazing. The extra scenes make it well worth the wait and the price paid for it. As many will do and have done, I will not throw in any spoilers except to say the extended version includes many more scens that are missing from the theatrical / cinema version. The reason being that the extended versions are the full movies, which had to be cut to make the length more suitable for cinema viewing. These movies could easily have been made into six movies rather than three simply by having the The Fellowship of the Ring Part 1 / Part 2, The Two Towers Part1 / Part.... but then it might have put people off watching them in the cinema if they are going to have to pay double to watch a whole movie. This 4K version is very good value for money as it costs nearly £40 for two people to go to the cinema in some parts of London and that doesn't include the rubbery old hotdog or the stale popcorn that is no longer made fresh on site or even the overdiluted soft drinks that cost £5 each. So, for less price for two people to go to the cinema to watch all three movies you get to buy them to watch as often as you want and with as many people as you want, you only have to provide the popcorn. Now for the quality of the movie. The quality is far greater than that of which you watched in the cinema, it is clearer and you notice more of the background. It is not quite 3D but is 1/2 way there. It's a little like watching 3D without the glasses but the foreground does not quite stand out as much. Before buying this box set and complaining that it's rubbish, as many do, you have to consider your devices. If you have a 4K "Upscaling" TV, the quality will not be as good as intended. If your BluRay Player is a 4K upscaling one then the quality will not be as good as intended. If either or both of your tv and BluRay Player are 4K " upscaling" then the quality will not be as intended. For the best quality imagery both the BluRay Player and the TV have to be "native 4K" So, if you buy this box set and you are using a 4K Upscaling device then you cannot complain that the quality is poor as it's not the BluRay Disk, nor is it the content that make the quality poor, it is your old HD TV that can't produce 4K content or your 4K upscaling TV. However, what I am keen to read about is reviews from those with 8K upscaling TVs as I can imagine the huge difference in quality but then I could be wrong as the higher resolution may just distort the quality and make it as bad as 2K TV quality. For the length of the movies, the entertainment value, the extra scenes and the quality of this box set I highly recommend it.

The second they released this mighty trilogy in 4K HDR…I needed it. I needed it badly!!! The £75.00 price tag was the only barrier but as soon as I saw that it had dropped to around the £50 mark, I could no longer resist! I had never even streamed the films in HD or viewed them on Blu-Ray format, as I purchased them on DVD many years ago when they first came out, so it was a serious upgrade for me. All I can say is that all 3 titles are presented SPECTACULARLY….THIS is the precise reason why 4K HDR was developed - to enable us to enjoy visually accomplished filmmaking like this in all its glory. This masterful collection of films contains some of the most jaw-dropping imagery ever committed to celluloid, and certainly warrants the Ultra HD treatment more than any other. I’ve watched numerous 4K restorations such as The Matrix, Top Gun and Terminator 2 and nothing compares to the quality of this upgrade. The battle sequences in The Return of the King are by far the most astonishing examples of CGI ever created. It really is something special to behold - completely unparalleled and epic in every sense of the word. Everything looks immaculate in 4K - crystal clear, dazzlingly bold and intensely vibrant. In all honesty, the colour and picture detail is staggering, almost overwhelming at times, especially enhancing some of the darker footage and offering previously unseen depth and clarity. It just elevates the experience to a whole new level. I found myself pausing it at multiple points to try and fully absorb the grandeur of it - it’s such an onslaught on the senses that I desperately wanted to savour certain moments and revel in it. Some of the scenery and special effects are OUT OF THIS WORLD. The audio is now incredibly punchy, crisp and immersive too - equally as noticeable an upgrade as the image resolution. An example being the voice of Treebeard, whose beefy sub-tones sound entirely other-worldly. It’s truly breathtaking stuff and, without a doubt, the crown jewel in my movie collection. I’ve always considered LOTR to be the greatest trilogy in the history of cinema. Viewing it in 4K HDR only reaffirms that notion.

Fantastic film Arrived quick and in one piece Play well

Truly, incredible picture quality. Naturally, I only watch the extended editions. I believe this edition corrects the picture colours that were the bane of an earlier release. Note that the run time includes extended end credits - so there’s no excuse for your missus not to watch too 😃

*UPDATE: I spoke to Amazon's Customer Services, and they were kind enough to offer a full refund for this item, despite it being more than a month outside of the normal return window. This is the first time I have ever received a broken DVD or Blu Ray from Amazon, so I suppose I was unlucky, especially considering the price of this box set. Since these are probably my all-time favourite films, I will purchase them again and hopefully the second box set will work :) The films themselves are wonderful, it's just a shame that I put Disc 1 of the Extended version of Two Towers into my Xbox, only to find that it is not working, despite this being a new (and £75!) boxset. Unfortunately, I ordered this in April but did not open it until last weekend, and there seem to be zero options for customer support. I'm very disappointed to have spent so much on a new item, only for it to not work. It's also worth comparing the packaging and contents to the Blu-ray extended edition, the latter of which came in a lovely box with a map of Middle-Earth. This, however, seems to come in less substantial and cheaper packaging, despite the price, which was disappointing.

So I tried this with HDR turned on the the colours looked dull although the picture was stunning. I then turned HDR off and the picture and colour were amazing. I had the exdended versions on DVD so the upgrade was something very special. Maybe my cheaper 4K TV does not have a decent HDR range but honestly turn that feature off if you feel the colour isnt to your liking.

Having watched this trilogy multiple times on dvd and blurray, I just had to get the 4K edition which includes both the theatrical and extended versions for all three films. The product is definitely not fake like some reviews have stated. The quality of the box is not the best, the plastic holding the discs is flimsy and the sleeve has a paper cover on it that can be easily removed. This is done on purpose (I assume to reduce costs) and does not mean the product is fake, just low quality packaging. Moving onto the actual movies, I have only watched Fellowship of the Ring so far in this edition but the quality is really good for such an old film so I hope the other two continue with this quality. The 4K is surprisingly good for such an old film and the HDR is mostly great. Not all highlights pop out but this is mainly only an issue in brighter scenes. The dark scenes look fantastic and highlights pop. Colours are also great and audio definitely sounds better than previous versions. Watching this on my OLED tv is just out of this world. There are still some negatives. I found the audio balancing to still be as poor as previous versions, I kept having to either increase of lower the volume depending on the scene. It is also annoying that the extended versions are still on two discs. This is to be expected on dvd and bluray discs which can't hold as much data but I didn't think this would be an issue with 4K discs. It also doesn't include the standard bluray discs like most 4K movies do but I don't think this is an issue as I bought it for the 4K discs and not the bluray discs. Overall a great release of one of the best movie trilogies to exist. (Note that my phone enhanced the colours of the photos so they do not exactly reflect what you will see)

In my opinion, 'The Lord of The Rings' trilogy is the best movie-series ever made. This 9-disc set includes 2 discs per movie for each of the extended versions and one disc each for the theatrical (I myself accompanied by my daughter did see all three at the cinema when first released) Like many, did buy theatrical versions when first released on Blu-ray and indeed the extended Blu-ray box-set, guess you could say I was totally hooked on the films, now, with the release of the 4K version I find myself investing further (suspect I am not the only one on the LOR journey?) The upgrade to the 4K format is frankly stunning, the picture quality so much better than previously available for viewing....clearly a worthwhile investment for admirers of the trilogy. The trilogy tells of Frodo's ( Elijah Wood) dangerous quest to destroy the ring of power, the superbly filmed and staged battles for Middle Earth and the date with destiny for Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) Life in the Shire is without worries for the Hobbit's, blissfully unaware of the dangers brewing in near-by lands. Bilbo now 111 decides it is time to retire to quieter climes to finish his book leaving his belongings and home to his much younger second cousin who he'd adopted in years past. Among the possessions a ring, which is explained as very dangerous and powerful to Frodo by Wizard and friend Gandalf (Ian Mckellan) Bilbo(Ian Holm) its guardian for many years after finding it in a cave occupied by the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis) who had been consumed by the rings power during the 500 years he'd had it after finding the ring that had been lost for 2500 years, Gollum had accidentally dropped the ring. Later, understanding the importance of the ring and the need to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom where it had originally been forged Frodo volunteers to take on the task. He is joined initially on his quest by loyal-friend Sam (Sean Astin) and a little later by friends from the Shire the fun-loving Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) the latter two would eventually become separated from their friends and unwittingly join a quest of their own. The four become joined to guide Frodo on his way by Aragorn, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) a prince of Elves, Boromir (Sean Bean) a prince of the Stewards of Gondor, dwarf-warrior Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and Gandalf The Grey. Gandalf is aware that they are being followed by the wretched creature Gollum. The group encounters dangerous issues prior to Frodo who will be joined by Sam as they really start the perilous journey to Mount Doom. Not really knowing the way, they take up the offer by Gollum who in truth only wants the ring back, to guide them, though Sam is deeply suspicious of the creature. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli prepare to join in the fight first for Helms Deep, then for Gondor and Middle Earth. While Pippin and Merry meet trees that talk prior to becoming part of the plot to overthrow Saruman the White: (Christopher Lee) who does the bidding of Sauron Lord of Mordor and its armies of Orcs Will Frodo overcome the journey's dangers and destroy the ring? Will the battle for Middle Earth be won by Aragorn and his followers? Will Aragorn fulfill his destiny? The trilogy also starring Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett among the many in this all star spectacle. The exciting Special-Effects enhanced trilogy is exciting and indeed a spectacle to behold. Certainly, a film series you'll watch many times over. (And of course, there is also Bilbo's adventure in The Hobbit trilogy)