Return of the King: Extended Edition Box Sets

core238

core238

CAG Veteran
Tuesday, December 14, 2004 is almost upon us and with it, finally the release to THE DVD box set that everyone has been patiently waiting for all year. In the interest of facilitating all the board members here who are interested in purchasing this set of extended DVDs, I have been doing a search online for who has the lowest prices on the upcoming Extended Editions of The Return of the King. So far the lowest price that I have spotted:

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RotK: EE @ Outpost.com for $21.99 !!! HOLY COW!!!
Best Buy will be carrying this set in store Tuesday for only $22.99!!!
Best Buy has also marked The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition back down to only $22.99 this week, in-store!!!

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RotK: EE Gift Set @ $Best Buy.com for $49.99 + an ecoupon for $5 off the total price of your next purchase on their website.
Both Best Buy and Circuit City will be carrying this set in store Tuesday for only $49.99!!!


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LotR Trilogy: EE 12-Disc Box Set @ $Best Buy.com for $72.99 + an ecoupon for $5 off the total price of your next purchase on their website.
Best Buy will be carrying this set in store Tuesday for only $72.99!!!

If anyone else can find matching prices (against the base price) or better, please, please, please here is the place to jot them down and let all near and far aware of what you have discovered. Myself and others here who love these movies will be extremely appreciative of your efforts, and you can bask in the glory of knowing that you have helped out some of your fellow gamers - what more can a person ask for in a life than to be of help to a friend.

One last tidbit. You may have noticed that Outpost.com has the RotK: Extended Edition only for a meager (and I truly do mean meager) sum of $21.99!!! Friends and neighbors, that is a steal on any planet in the galaxy. There are many of you out there who have stood away from purchasing any of the Extended Editions of Lord of the Rings for whatever reasons you may have - usually it has to do with a misconception of the content featured in these sets. I personally own every version of the series (both theatrical and extended) and can tell you, that as much as I have enjoyed the theatrical releases of these movies, they do not hold a candle to the extended release! With RotK:EE set to be the best of the batch, I think now is the best chance you will ever get to releases your fears and see why the EEs are so, so, so special and are really the epitome of "must own" entertainment. RotK:EE features the full theatrical release enhanced and improved with an additional 50+ minutes that will explain and completely expand the story out much, much further than the theatrical releases. Added to that, you also have an additional 10+ hours of documentaries and featurettes that go into detail of the making of the film and of the lives of the people who made the film while it was in production, on this disc set that cannot be found anywhere else outside of this exquisite DVD set. The two extras discs alone would normally cost you the price of a full DVD release. However, Best Buy has set the entire Return of the King: Extended Edition box set for only a meager $21.99, which is just a mere $1.99 more than the MSRP of the theatrical release of the film (which features no where near the amount of goodness to be found in this box set. If you have never purchased any of the extended editions from the Lord of the Rings, do yourself a favor, take advantage of this very special offer, and see what on Earth you have been crazy enough to allow yourself to miss out on thus far. I can promise you this. If you loved the theatrical releases, you are going to die over the extended releases for any of these films. So stop sitting your duff, and give this one a try. The only disappointment that you will experience, is wondering why you did not pick up any of these sets before now.

ADDENDUM -
Always attempting to stay on top of these things, I found myself checking this weeks circulars in today's newspaper and discovered some more nice in-store pricing. Check my original post above to see the updates.

Also, has anyone seen the Fry's Electronics circular this week (or have a bead on what they will be pricing any of these box sets)? I have not been able to find this week yet - I think they are putting out new ones every 3 days during the holidays. In any case, it has been my experience that Fry's tends to have the absolute best deals on games and DVDs, and it would not surprise me one bit if they price this set to beat the living snot out of the competition. So if anyone out there has a heads-up as to what Fry's will be pricing any of the above sets, please, please, please let everyone know so they can take advantage of the offer.

New Line Home Entertainment have finally announced the Region 1 DVD release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Special Extended Edition with full details appearing on the official website. Set to arrive on 14th December 2004 in both 4 Disc Platinum Series and 5 Disc Collector's DVD Gift Set form each will include an all-new version of the film with over 50 minutes of never-before-seen footage integrated into the original theatrical release.

Plot
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King brings Peter Jackson's mammoth adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic to a close in suitably epic fashion. Instead of starting just where the previous film left off, however, it goes far back in time to the moment the tormented creature Gollum first came to possess the One Ring. In this flashback, actor Andy Serkis (who voiced Gollum and performed his movements onset prior to the final CGI effects) finally gets to appear onscreen, portraying Gollum's former self, Sm?agol. This disturbing scene serves as a potent reminder that the Ring seeks to corrupt even the well-intentioned Frodo (Elijah Wood), who is increasingly struggling with the dark power of the Ring himself. Thus, the film returns to the present, following Frodo, Sam (Sean Astin), and Gollum as they journey ever closer to the foreboding land of Mordor. They pass by the terrifying dark city of Minas Morgul, watching as the dreadful army of the Witch King sets out for the human strongholds in Gondor, and move on to the rocky stairs to Cirith Ungol, where an even darker enemy lies in wait. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship reunites in Rohan, having defeated the wizard Saruman on two different fronts, at Helm's Deep and Isengard. They are not together for long, though, since the hobbit Pippin (Billy Boyd) gets into trouble, making it necessary for him and Gandalf (Ian McKellan) to hastily depart for Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor. Once there, they find the steward of Gondor, Denethor (John Noble), in an unstable mental state and the city preparing for battle against the amassing forces of Sauron. Denethor unwisely sends his only remaining son, Faramir (David Wenham), back into bloody battle to prove himself. He returns nearly dead, sending Denethor over the edge of sanity. In another realm, elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) begins her journey to immortal life in the Grey Havens, on her way to leave Middle-earth -- and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) -- forever, but has a vision that causes her to once again reconsider her decision. Back in Rohan, the men are preparing to ride to Gondor's aide. ?owyn (Miranda Otto) desperately wants to join the men in battle, but her uncle, King Th?oden (Bernard Hill), orders her to stay and defend Rohan if necessary. The hobbit Merry (Dominic Monaghan) also desires to ride with the men, but is denied due to his small size and inexperience. Aragorn is met there by the elf Elrond (Hugo Weaving), who brings him the re-forged Sword that was Broken (in the ancient battle with Sauron) and urges him to take a different route to Gondor. Heeding Elrond's advice, Aragorn, along with elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), takes a cavernous path through the mountains, where they meet ghoulish ghosts who betrayed Aragorn's ancestors and are doomed to eternal unrest unless they fulfill their broken oaths by aiding him. All but Frodo, Sam, and Gollum will meet on the massive battlefield of the Pelennor before the gates of Minas Tirith. The former three instead engage in a battle of wills between each other and the One Ring as they head toward the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it. Released in December 2003, The Return of the King topped even its massively successful trilogy predecessors at the box office, and went on to garner a whopping 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture -- winning in all the categories in which it was nominated and tying the record of total awards won with Ben-Hur and Titanic. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide

Bonus Features
Gift set includes exclusive Minas Tirith sculpture, concert DVD, and Alan Lee box art
Dolby Digital EX 5.1, DTS ES 6.1 and Stereo Surround
Interactive animated menus

Closed captions

Audio Commentary 1: The Director and Writers - Peter Jackson (director/writer/producer), Fran Walsh (writer/producer), Philippa Boyens (writer)

Audio Commentary 2: The Design Team - Grant Major (production designer), Ngila Dickson (costume designer), Richard Taylor (Weta Workshop creative supervisor), Alan Lee (conceptual designer/set decorator), John Howe (conceptual designer), Dan Hennah (supervising art director/set decorator), Chris Hennah (art department manager), Tania Rodger (Weta Workshop manager)

Audio Commentary 3: The Production/Post-Production Team - Barrie M. Osborne (producer), Mark Ordesky (executive producer), Jamie Selkirk (co-producer & editor), Annie Collins (additional editor), Rick Porras (co-producer), Howard Shore (composer), Jim Rygiel (visual effects supervisor), Ethan Van Der Ryn (supervising sound editor/co-designer), Mike Hopkins (supervising sound editor), Christian Rivers (visual effects concept designer), Alex Funke, ASC (visual effects D.P.), Joe Letteri (Weta visual effects supervisor), Randy Cook (animation designer & supervisor), Brian Van't Hul (Weta visual effects D.P.)

Audio Commentary 4: The Cast - Elijah Wood ("Frodo"), Ian McKellan ("Gandalf"), Liv Tyler ("Arwen"), Sean Astin ("Sam"), John Rhys-Davies ("Gimli"/voice of "Treebeard"), Bernard Hill ("Theoden"), Christopher Lee ("Saruman"), Billy Boyd ("Pippin"), Dominic Monaghan ("Merry"), Orlando Bloom ("Legolas"), Hugo Weaving ("Elrond"), Miranda Otto ("?owyn"), David Wenham ("Faramir"), Karl Urban ("Eomer"), John Noble ("Denethor"), Andy Serkis ("Gollum/Smeagol"), Lawrence Makoare ("Witchking"/"Gothmog"), Smeagol, Gollum

The Appendices Part Five - "The War of the Ring"
Peter Jackson Intro
"J.R.R. Tokien: The Legacy of Middle-earth" documentary
From Book to Script: "From Book to Script - Forging the Final Chapter" documentary; Abandoned Concept - Aragon Battles Sauron
Designing and Building Middle-earth: "Designing Middle-earth" documentary, "Big-atures" documentary, "Weta Workshop" documentary, "Costume Design" documentary
Design Galleries: The Peoples of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio), The Realms of Middle-earth (galleries with docent audio), Miniatures (galleries with docent audio)
"Home of the Horse Lords" documentary
"Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship" interactive map
"New Zealand as Middle-earth" interactive map with on-location footage

The Appendices Part Six - "The Passing of an Age"
Elijah Wood/Sean Astin/Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan Intro
Filming The Return of the King: "Cameras in Middle-earth" documentary; Production Photos (gallery) - 69 images
Visual Effects: "Weta Digital" documentary, "The Mumakil Battle" demonstration/interactive feature
Post Production: Journey's End - "Editorial: Completing the Trilogy" documentary, "Music for Middle-earth" documentary, "The Soundscapes of Middle-earth" documentary, "The End of All Things" documentary
"The Passing of an Age" documentary
Cameron Duncan: "Cameron Duncan: Inspiration for 'Into the West'" documentary, "DFK6498" short film, "Strike Zone" short film
All four discs are DVD-ROM enabled, featuring a link to lordoftherings.net and access to exclusive online features

The Collector's DVD Gift Set will include the entire four-disc Special Extended DVD Edition in elaborate package art conceived and designed solely for the gift set by famed J.R.R. Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee. Inside will be a hand-painted, intricately detailed, polystone sculpture of Minas Tirith – the seven-tiered City of Kings, beneath whose ramparts the greatest battle in The Lord of the Rings is fought. The Minas Tirith statue also lifts off its base revealing a lined keepsake compartment. The sculpture was created by Sideshow Weta Collectibles workshop under the supervision of Peter Jackson and Academy Award ®-winning visual effects artist Richard Taylor and created exclusively for the boxed set.

The limited edition Collector’s DVD Gift Set will also contain a fifth DVD titled, Howard Shore: Creating The Lord of The Rings Symphony – A Composers Journey Through Middle-earth. This 52-minute bonus DVD includes excerpts of live concert footage of The Lord of the Rings Symphony recorded with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Actors
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, Hugo Weaving

Director
Peter Jackson

Producer
Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh

Awards
2003--Best Adapted Screenplay, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Adapted Screenplay, Writers Guild of America-Nominee
2003--Best Art Direction, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Costume Design, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Director, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Director, Directors Guild of America-Winner
2003--Best Director, Golden Globe-Winner
2003--Best Director, L.A. Film Critics Association-Winner
2003--Best Director, San Francisco Film Critics Circle-Winner
2003--Best Director (Runner-up), National Society of Film Critics-Winner
2003--Best Editing, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Ensemble, Screen Actors Guild-Winner
2003--Best Ensemble Acting, National Board of Review-Winner
2003--Best Makeup, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Picture, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Picture, New York Film Critics Circle-Winner
2003--Best Picture - Drama, Golden Globe-Winner
2003--Best Score, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Score, Golden Globe-Winner
2003--Best Song, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Song, Golden Globe-Winner
2003--Best Sound, Academy-Winner
2003--Best Visual Effects, Academy-Winner
2003--Producer of the Year, Producers Guild of America-Nominee

Rating
Violence
Audio

Sound
DD5.1/DTS-ESD/DDS
Language : Eng
Subtitles : Eng/Spa
Video
Screen : WSE
Dar : 2.35:1

Review
Grander in scale, in many ways, than the first two installments of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King hosts even more amazing action scenes than the earth-shaking battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers. But what really sets it apart from most action and fantasy films is its ability to simultaneously focus on the emotional and the epic. Frodo and Sam's journey to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, as epic as it may be, gains all of its weight from the friendship, love, and mutual respect shared by the two hobbits and evidenced in the bonds forged between the Fellowship members earlier in the trilogy. All of the events in the prior two films have been leading up to the conclusions in this one, and the many climaxes do not disappoint. Unfortunately, with the further divergence of the characters' paths in this installment, the filmmakers clearly struggled to keep a balance between them. The general pacing of the film is off in parts, too slow in the first hour, and too rushed later on. Many fans of the books may be frustrated by some of the decisions made in adapting the story; changes in plot and character motivations from book to screen are inevitable, but many cherished elements of the novel are missing or altered in ways that sometimes seem unneeded. Some characters, such as Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and ?omer (Karl Urban), get pushed to the sidelines, only getting in a few lines here and there, and others, such as ?owyn (Miranda Otto), get hugely emotional scenes only to be essentially dropped from the story line for the rest of the picture. Aragorn (the king referred to in the title), though well-played by Viggo Mortensen, also misses out on characterization, with many of his most insightful moments missing from the film. Doubtlessly, some of these oversights will be smoothed over in the extended DVD edition of the film, which adds almost an hour more to the runtime. Despite its flaws, The Return of the King has retained the most important element of the book: its spirit. Furthermore, the characters who are in the forefront of the story, as with the others, are wonderfully portrayed by the film's ensemble cast. Andy Serkis brilliantly takes Gollum on a downward spiral of greed, deception, and madness, and the CGI character animators have brought even more life to his appearance this time around. Elijah Wood is equally impressive in his portrayal of Frodo's deterioration, and Sean Astin, as his loyal friend and servant Sam, is heartbreakingly noble, becoming, in a way, the heart of the film. Ian McKellan, as Gandalf, continues his admirable portrayal of the wise wizard, while Billy Boyd adds depth to the newly courageous Pippin. Miranda Otto, as ?owyn, and Bernard Hill, as Th?oden, deliver some of the most profound and moving moments in the film, and Liv Tyler continues her emotional portrayal of the conflicted elf Arwen. As the demented steward Denethor, John Noble brings added intensity and drama to the proceedings, and David Wenham is wonderfully subtle as his long-suffering son Faramir. But accolades must go to all involved in the making of this trilogy; it is continually impressive, from its breathtaking cinematography to its jaw-dropping special effects to its brilliant and heartfelt score. Overall, Peter Jackson has orchestrated this trilogy masterfully, and was certainly deserving of the Best Director Oscar he received. The Return of the King made history in many ways, but one of the most telling is that it became the first fantasy film to take home the Oscar for Best Picture. Surely, a large determining factor for that accomplishment was the authenticity with which the filmmakers told this story. The passion, detail, dedication, skill, and hard work that went into these films is clearly evident, and is not likely to be equaled any time soon. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide

Product Info
Release Date : December 14, 2004
Length : 250 Minutes
Dvdsides : 4
Dvddiscs : 4
Upc : 79404369332
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Y'know, I had been planning on getting the gift set, but I don't think I can justify $30 for the Minas Tirith statue (as cool as it looks) and an extra dvd I'll probably never watch.
 
[quote name='6669']Do you work for New Line?[/quote]

:lol: My thoughts exactly.

This topic is far and away the greatest, most enthusiastic thread of the year! I've personally read every word, and although other threads are good, none can compare the the sheer perfection of this one!!!
 
I got my EE for $17.98 SHIPPED from BN.com They had a $10 off coupon floating around a while back. I took advantage...it shipped yesterday I believe, so hopefully I will have it by the weekend, although not sure how much time I will have to watch it....busy weekend.
 
This is on my Christmas list. It's kinda sad... this year there's no new LOTR movie to look forward to, but at least we still got this.
 
Hot damn that's an impressive post. I ordered it from bestbuy.com, $22.99 + $5 digital coupon is a pretty good deal, even if you do have to pay tax and shipping.
 
they have the ROTK:EE for $20.99 and $44.99 for the gift set at Fry's. But I haven't found the price for the LOTR:EE trilogy gift pack at fry's. Does anyone know how much their selling it for?
 
Here is the price for costco.com $24.99 for the 4 disc, its the only one listed on the site . Samsclub.com shows it has it for $24.86 for the 4 disc and $48.56 for the gift set. These prices should be good in store too.
 
[quote name='doubledown']I got my EE for $17.98 SHIPPED from BN.com They had a $10 off coupon floating around a while back. I took advantage...it shipped yesterday I believe, so hopefully I will have it by the weekend, although not sure how much time I will have to watch it....busy weekend.[/quote]

I did the same deal and mine is coming UPS on 12/16 from Tennesse according to the delivery email. Keep your eyes out! 2 days till then, so it gives you time to re-watch the other movies too.
 
I don't even want this set as I haven't watched the first two yet (in there extended form), but I feel compelled to because my cousin bought me the first two last year.
 
Nice post core!

This is also on my christmas list. I'm not supposed to be buying anything so I have to keep reminding the wife.
 
[quote name='roguejedi5']they have the ROTK:EE for $20.99 and $44.99 for the gift set at Fry's. But I haven't found the price for the LOTR:EE trilogy gift pack at fry's. Does anyone know how much their selling it for?[/quote]

I dont see it in today's paper. Did anyone really see it for 20.99 at Frys? I was hoping for a PM to BestBuy so I would not have to drive to Frys. Its a bit far in Houston
 
im getting my copy from frys for $20.99. I am glad finals is almost over and I will have a month off so I could have time to watch the lotr EE trilogy over.
 
Got my EE yesterday. God I love ordering online and occasionally getting things a touch early! ;)

Saw yesterday there was a slipcase version and didn't think TOO much of it, but when I saw this post... it was a gimmie. Thanks for the thread and happy holidays!
 
[quote name='almostrice']
I dont see it in today's paper. Did anyone really see it for 20.99 at Frys? I was hoping for a PM to BestBuy so I would not have to drive to Frys. Its a bit far in Houston[/quote]

How far is it to the Frys? While I do not know where you are (Bestbuy has it for $23 right?), do you take into consideration gas prices when you want to buy something? Factor things at $1 for every 12 miles or so in a city (unless you have a hybrid or an SUV which will change that). So if its 20 miles or more roundtrip, then your saving 2 dollars on choosing Frys over Bestbuy would result in a gas consumption of about a gallon (which goes for $2/average) and result in net savings of nothing.

While the price at Fry's isnt confirmed I suppose, you also do live in Texas, where everyone seems to have trucks, maybe you do as well and gas mileage will be less for you.
Go ahead and flame me for this if you want people, and I'm not attacking almostrice or anyone in particular, I'm just trying to make a point.
 
[quote name='Arakias'][quote name='almostrice']
I dont see it in today's paper. Did anyone really see it for 20.99 at Frys? I was hoping for a PM to BestBuy so I would not have to drive to Frys. Its a bit far in Houston[/quote]

How far is it to the Frys? While I do not know where you are (Bestbuy has it for $23 right?), do you take into consideration gas prices when you want to buy something? Factor things at $1 for every 12 miles or so in a city (unless you have a hybrid or an SUV which will change that). So if its 20 miles or more roundtrip, then your saving 2 dollars on choosing Frys over Bestbuy would result in a gas consumption of about a gallon (which goes for $2/average) and result in net savings of nothing.

While the price at Fry's isnt confirmed I suppose, you also do live in Texas, where everyone seems to have trucks, maybe you do as well and gas mileage will be less for you.
Go ahead and flame me for this if you want people, and I'm not attacking almostrice or anyone in particular, I'm just trying to make a point.[/quote]

Thats why I wanted to buy at Best Buy or Circuit City. If I know where the Fry's ad is, I can grab it and PM Fry's price. Is that clear enough?
 
In todays latimes paper LOTR:EE trilogy box set is only $69.99 at Fry's! Price match if you live too far or just buy it there.
 
Just got got my lotr ee trilogy slipcase in the mail on saturday. I must say that it is pretty sweet. Not to mention the extra effort new line put in to have this mailable for 3 dollars.
 
jughead please either post me thhe link here or pm me the link where u bought this... pm would be best... im realy lookin for a nice slipcase.
 
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