Tolkien: Master of the Rings

Hobbits and wizards and orcs, oh my! With the four-disc Platinum Series Extended Edition DVD of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring slated for release November 12, and The Two Towers, the second adaptation in the fantasy trilogy, scheduled to open December 18, Tolkienmania is running high. Not to be confused with The Master of the Rings: The Unauthorized Story Behind J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (VL-3/02), this double-disc set (originally released by Good Times Home Entertainment in January of this year, and re-released by Warner in July) includes an 81-minute documentary and a music CD by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman entitled "Landscapes of Middle Earth" (sporting somewhat unconvincing music, given that all of the pieces are drawn from previously published non-Tolkien related albums). Hosted by Robert Di Napoli, the in-depth documentary features an initially impressive 3-D landscape of Middle Earth (that loses its luster as the program droningly covers one town, mountain or river after another), followed by a video Cliffs Notes version of the entire The Lord of the Rings (with cheesy re-enactments)--a lethargic retelling that reveals all of the major plot points as well as the ending of the series. In addition, the program features audio clips of Tolkien reading, as well as nearly incomprehensible interview clips (he was a very quiet-voiced mumbler), comments from his daughter Priscilla Tolkien, and interview segments with a variety of commentators ranging from Tolkien Society members to artist Roger Dean and Uriah Heep songster Ken Hensley. While there are some interesting segments, the whole thing feels like an unbalanced smorgasbord of Tolkien trivia (in one unbelievably long segment we're treated to the banal music of "up and coming" Tolkien-inspired band Mostly Autumn) released to capitalize on Peter Jackson's films. Optional. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)