The Video


Like the five previous Rings releases, Return of the King Special Extended Edition is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. With my new DVD deck, and on review of all of the previous sets, I have to say we've been rather generous to the DVD sets. They are not perfect, as the 10s would lead you to believe.

Grain and background noise is visible on both of the previous EE sets. The theatrical cut of Return of the King was a miracle of compression that squeezed a three-hour film onto one disc, but when compared to the EE, it just doesn't hold up.

The theatrical cut of RotK has a bleached, washed out look to it. Blacks aren't as solid as they could and should be. This extended edition, spread over two discs, corrects that. Colors are darker and more solid. Blacks are darker and richer, although one or two scenes got a bit murky.

Edge enhancement has been tossed into Mount Doom. The prints are flawless, as always, with zero print errors. So what's the problem?

Jackson really likes his long shots. There are many throughout the movie. And with those long shots comes a noticeable loss of detail. It first struck me when Gandalf and company returned to Isengard and confronted Saruman, and shots from Saruman's perspective really revealed the problem. Gandalf and company turned to fuzz.

Mind you, close-up shots were gorgeous. Close shots of faces reveals wonderful detail and excellent skin tones and textures. CG shots look more organic than ever before. Watching Fellowship…, it struck me how much the CG shots stuck out. With Return…, the effects look much more natural.






Other than the long shots, this is an excellent print, and definitely the best of Rings sets. Before you scream about this score, in retrospect I find myself in disagreement with our previous scores and I think we were too generous.

Score: 9 out of 10

Languages and Audio

Now here is where the discs once again excel. You get a choice between a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix or (the one everyone wants) a DTS-ES 6.1, plus a stereo surround sound mix, with English and Spanish subtitles.

The DTS mix is a leap and bound above the Dolby Digital mix of the theatrical release, with better balancing and improved separation across the channels. The surround channels, particularly the rears, are extremely active. When Gandalf and company confront Saruman, Saruman's voice echoes from all speakers.







The same thing happens when Pippin messes with the Palantir. Sauron's voice filled the room. Faramir's ill-fated attack on Osgiliath is amazing, with arrows whooshing from the left and middle channel to the right.

At the same time, they have mixed Howard Shore's Oscar-winning score so it's better balanced with the film without being overpowering, as it was in previous releases. The film has a rich, bassy sound without being as bottom-heavy as the theatrical cut.

All year long, I have waited for a movie to stand up to Master and Commander as the best sounding DVD. This is it.

Score: 10 out of 10