The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray Review & Comments

Simon Crust

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A very thorough review and has re-ignited my love again for this amazing film.... will be ordering one as soon as poss 👍
 
Thanks for the review of these 3 👍🏼 My set arrived yesterday. Can’t wait to dive into them at the weekend. Put Fellowship in quickly when it arrived and it’s a simply superb presentation from the couple of scenes I saw 😁
 
Same response to this review as I've given here:
Thanks for the review.

While I'm sure that the picture and sound are exemplary, the fact is that the extras are missing. It isn't as though they couldn't be included and there was nothing preventing the pre-existing extras being included. They were omitted to give reason for potentially having to yet again buy these titles towards the end of next year when there will be a 20th anniversary package released that will include the extras.

Yeah, give it 9, but I'd suggest giving it 10 doesn't account for the absence of the extras, extras that are in existence and could have been included within this release. I'm assuming the review relates to this particular release and the associated package and not simply the film? How will the 20th anniversary release be rated relative to this if it does include the extras? Why has this release been awarded a 10? Even the packaging you get is questionable. The info on the rear (pasted onto the box) is already strarting to peel away from the box on the copy I received.

Looks as though I'll have to retain the Blu-ray definitive boxset within my collection if I want to access the extras without having to buy the same titles yet again. Why was there a 4K UHD release this year when the anniversary isn't until next year?

Not sure as to why you couldn't review all three titles as a bundle given the fact you aren't ever going to get the option of buying them as individual 4K films?
 
Not sure as to why you couldn't review all three titles as a bundle given the fact you aren't ever going to get the option of buying them as individual 4K films?
Would be an incredibly long review page if all 3 films were reviewed together...
 
and this prevents it being done in that maner why exactly?

Who's not watching these titles as a trilogy?

I think I'll just watch the middle one.
 
and this prevents it being done in that maner why exactly?

Who's not watching these titles as a trilogy?

I think I'll just watch the middle one.
Never seen any reviews on the forum of that length, so I’m guessing the forum prob can’t do it.

And why is it a problem having 3 separate reviews? Too many mouse clicks for you? ;)

Like Star Wars, I don’t always watch all three together as a Trilogy.
 
Problem is that the same responses are required for multiple threads. Much of what has been discussed here is also relevant to both the other films.
 
Problem is that the same responses are required for multiple threads. Much of what has been discussed here is also relevant to both the other films.
We’re always going to have that problem on the forums.
A ‘quirk’ on the movie/Blu-ray forums i find a bit weird is we always have a ‘main’ thread, that was started ages ago, where everyone posts their thoughts/reviews then we always get an ‘official AVForums review’ thread much later, & then you end up having to read both threads as people start posting interesting things in one thread & not the other, & vice versa.
 
I think it’s me Dante i don’t like the following either

rambo’s
rocky’s
matrix‘s
godfather’s

grabs my coat and runs for cover
So the equally interesting - what films do you like then?
 
So the equally interesting - what films do you like then?

my favourite film is robocop (original)

and like the following for starters

nightmare on elm streets
anything with Bruce lee in
most Tom cruise films
field of dreams

i also don‘t like Game of thrones either
 
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Not to start a slanging match am I the only who hates the LOTR and Hobbit films ??
I might hate them. I've got to watch them first though! I've bought these damn films 3 times and never watched a minute of them. So I'm going to have to consider buying these again?! Well I guess so. If I'm going to watch them for the first time, it may as well be the best looking and sounding ones.
 
Yes :nono:


I'm not overly fond of the Hobbit trilogy though. Why the need for three films?

I didn't love LOTR as much as many.

It was an outstanding achievement though and is superbly well done. Fantasy just isn't my genre although I will pick these up at some point.

The Hobbit, no, saw it once, that was enough. I'm totally with your comment about 3 films, they just stretched it out for a money grab. A duology would have been fine but overall they were missing something that LOTR had.
 
I didn't love LOTR as much as many.

It was an outstanding achievement though and is superbly well done. Fantasy just isn't my genre although I will pick these up at some point.

The Hobbit, no, saw it once, that was enough. I'm totally with your comment about 3 films, they just stretched it out for a money grab. A duology would have been fine but overall they were missing something that LOTR had.
Just had a look at Audible - The Hobbit is 11 Hrs (Read by Andy Serkis)
Just Fellowship of the Ring is a hair under 20 Hours
Yet the 3 LOTR Movies to me felt complete (And I've been a LOTR Fanboy since my youth - even read the Silmarillion!)

Yep, I was so disappointed with The Hobbit Movies; they could have been so good - we need a "Contracted Edition" (Where they cut out Legolas & all that other Bloat)!
 
on the back of this film, Jackson would go on to indulge his talent on a slightly bloated but nevertheless epic King Kong reinterpretation, and then an even more bloated and unnecessary Hobbit, where all the good will that The Lord of the Rings built up was squashed.
Yep, Simon, my feelings entirely.
 
I'm really looking forward to connecting with these films again over the Christmas break. My UHD Blu-ray boxset arrived on Monday :)

Glad all three are all top notch in both video and audio quality. I've previously watched all the extras, so I don't mind this set just being the movies. I seem to have far less time available to watch extras these days anyway...

If sales are good, it may inspire other studios to re-think their UHD releases, and revisit their back catalogue. Fox we're looking at you! "Speed" on UHD Blu-ray please...

I think I've given up ever expecting to see the The Abyss or True Lies on Blu-ray or UHD Blu-ray - and if they look anything like the overly video-processed 'restoration' of Terminator 2 - I don't want to.

Regards,
James.
 
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Just had a look at Audible - The Hobbit is 11 Hrs (Read by Andy Serkis)
Just Fellowship of the Ring is a hair under 20 Hours
Yet the 3 LOTR Movies to me felt complete (And I've been a LOTR Fanboy since my youth - even read the Silmarillion!)

Yep, I was so disappointed with The Hobbit Movies; they could have been so good - we need a "Contracted Edition" (Where they cut out Legolas & all that other Bloat)!
Problem is nowadays lots of people equate ‘longer = better’. Forget about good editing or a well paced film, they just want ‘quantity over quality’ :facepalm:

With the Hobbit, some people were even bemoaning that each film was ‘only’ ~20 mins longer, & wanting even longer cuts than the Extended Hobbit films we got :rolleyes:
 
Not to start a slanging match am I the only who hates the LOTR and Hobbit films ??
I love them.

I despise Barry Pothead though and that nonsense. Not to mention a certain franchise that has gone quiet of late (and about time).
 
I love them.

I despise Barry Pothead though and that nonsense. Not to mention a certain franchise that has gone quiet of late (and about time).

I really enjoy the Lord of the Rings movies, and really disliked the Hobbit movies. The Hobbit was never supposed to be an epic trilogy. It's simply story got completely lost in the movies. Very disappointing outcome.

Regards,
James.
 
The same sad story here, the bass got booted off the 30Hz cliff



Here it is compared to the Blu-Ray, note the ~20dB difference around 20Hz

hFc3TM8.jpg
 

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