Ever since the release of "The Return of the King Extended Edition" in 2004, fans have been anticipating an "Ultimate" edition of the trilogy. This dream edition was rumored to feature unrevealed footage from all three films.
Last week, details for this edition were announced. It not only includes "The Lord of the Rings," movies but also "The Hobbit" films. While details at this point are minimal, it seems that no new material will be featured on this edition. No new scenes, no special features, nothing.
A further negative, is the price of the set: $800. The Extended Editions of "The Hobbit" trilogies can be purchased in a boxed set for about $60. The "Lord of the Rings" set is more pricey. It is going for about $170 on Amazon. But still, $230 bucks versus $800? What could this set possibly feature that make it worth $680?
The set, admittedly, includes some beautiful design. Each film is nestled in a leather case completed with artwork and stills from the films.
The set also includes a replica of The Book of the Westmarch that features artwork from the film. It's indescribably beautiful and if you had $800 to burn (which you don't) you should buy the set just for that.
The set, while it does not feature any new material, is certainly stunning in terms of design. At a lower price, it might be a good release of the trilogy.
But fans cannot help but be disappointed by the lack of new--especially feature film--material.
The scenes added to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy Extended Editions, with some minor exceptions, did nothing but enrich the films. I can say without total sincerity that you are having an incomplete experience if you merely watch the theatrical editions!
With the success of the Extended Editions, it was expected that one day, an edition that featured all--or most--cut material would be accessible for audiences. While director Peter Jackson has expressed that he does not want to add any more deleted scenes to the running time of the films, he has said that deleted material could become available as an individual special feature.
With Peter Jackson's apparent endorsement, it seems strange that new material is not on this edition.
However, it is confirmed that Peter Jackson is not part of the project. He wanted to add not only new scenes, but also other special features. Warner Brothers, however, did not want to go through that tedious process at this time.
Jackson did, however, stress that the possibility of his own dream edition being released is possible in the future.
So, in the words of Arwen, "There is still hope."
