The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

One too many times a lucky coincidence saves hero hobbit Frodo Baggins on his arduous journey to return that evil ring to the fires of Mount Doom (captured by demonic Orcs, he escapes when they're conveniently distracted by fighting amongst themselves). Once too often director Peter Jackson assumes that Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers will be fresh in the minds of the audience (who the heck are those villain warriors on elephants in the climactic battle?). No matter: this is a grand, often enthralling, unprecedented, and cinematically spectacular--not to mention Oscar-sweeping--culminating chapter in the most ambitious movie trilogy in history. J.R.R. Tolkien's antediluvian spirit is very much in evidence here, and the protracted final showdown between the armies of good and evil is both thrilling and emotionally powerful thanks to Jackson's remarkable vision and steadfast determination in bringing it to life. Highly recommended. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras on this two-disc set include the documentaries “A Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision” (23 min.), “A Filmmaker's Journey” making-of (28 min.), and a 45-minute National Geographic special on the film, as well as six “lordoftherings.net” featurettes (between 2-5 mins. each), including “Aragorn's Destiny,” “Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor,” “The Battle of Pelennor Fields,” “Samwise the Brave,” “Eowyn: White Lady of Rohan,” and “Digital Horse Doubles.” Also included are a seven-minute “supertrailer” for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the three-minute EA Games video game spot “The Battle for Middle-Earth Continues,” trailers, TV spots, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a decent extras package for this Oscar-sweeping conclusion to the LOTR trilogy, but everyone knows the real “extras” are coming with the November release of the four-disc special edition.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review--December 14, New Line, 4 discs, 250 min., PG-13, $39.99--The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Platinum Series Special Extended Edition boasts 50 minutes of new/extended scenes, as well as audio commentaries by writer-director Peter Jackson, and screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens; by “The Design Team” production designer Grant Major, costume designers Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor, set decorators Alan Lee and Dan Hennah, conceptual designer John Howe, art department coordinator Chris Hennah, and Weta Workshop manager Tania Rodgers; by 14 participants from “The Production and Post-Production Team” including producer Barrie M. Osborne, executive producer Mark Ordesky, composer Howard Shore, and visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel; and 19 participants from “The Cast” including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom and “Gollum”; appendices intros by Jackson and by cast members Wood, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan; 14 extensive production documentaries, including “J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legend of Middle-Earth,” “Home of the Horse Lords,” “Weta Digital,” “Editorial: Completing the Trilogy,” “The Soundscapes of Middle-Earth,” and “The Passing of an Age”; galleries for “The Peoples of Middle-Earth” (nearly 30 segments), “The Realms of Middle-Earth” (15 segments), and “Minatures” (10 segments), featuring selected commentaries, slideshow features and onscreen titles for each gallery; two interactive maps, including “Middle-Earth Atlas” which features four paths that trace the journeys of the Fellowship; a visual effects demo for “The Mumakil Battle”; the 32-minute featurette “The Inspiration for ‘Into the West'” on late New Zealand filmmaker Cameron Duncan, and two Duncan shorts (“DFK6498” and “Strike Zone”). Bottom line: as with the previous two entries in the trilogy, The Return of the King shines in the extended version, supplemented by a wealth of extras.]