There is a lot more to come on the new Middle-earth film collection from us here at TheOneRing.net. To be honest, the greatest discussions of Tolkien happen behind the scenes with the staff via email from staffers with recognizable names and ones that get less attention but who are still wicked smart. It is all pretty interesting. There is lots of great commentary and info to come from that staff.

Staffer Deej (soon to be part of the TORn team appearing at Dragon Con) posted our original story.

But, lets get to the nuts and bolts of what is being released on Nov. 1. while sticking to the facts — with minor background info as notes.

There are three products hitting store shelves, all listed here with suggested retail prices in American dollars.

MIDDLE-EARTH 6-FILM COLLECTION
Theatrical versions DVD: $35.99
Theatrical versions Blu-ray: $68.99
Limited collector’s edition: $799.99

So see, that $800 price tag rumor was bogus; it is one Abraham Lincoln penny less than originally thought. Lets have a look at the promotional material. Continue reading “The nuts and bolts info on the new Middle-earth 6-film collection release”

 

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**Update** – Not only has Amazon comfirmed the list price – $799.99 – but they have also changed the release date to November 1st.  This writer hopes that list price includes a round-trip ticket to New Zealand. 😉

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Ever since the final ‘Hobbit’ film was released, fans have been waiting for a box set of all 6 Peter Jackson films.  Well, it looks like that’s finally happening!  Amazon announced today that a Middle-earth Limited Collectors Edition Blu-ray Box set would be released on October 4th of this year. From their listing:

 

– The Limited Collector’s Edition includes 30 discs featuring all six Middle-earth films in their extended edition forms, housed in six stunning faux leather books and a collectible Hobbit-style wood shelf. The one-of-a-kind wood shelf is crafted from solid wood with design selected by Peter Jackson.
– In addition to the extended edition release of every film, the collection also includes all previously released bonus content from both the theatrical and extended editions.
– Exclusive premiums designed for the collection include: · Spectacular 100-page sketch-style book with replica The Red Book of Westmarch, filled with original film sketches and new artwork · Original reproductions of exquisite watercolor paintings by acclaimed conceptual artists Alan Lee and John Howe, framable and wall-ready.

Special features (doesn’t specify whether these are all from the existing dvd/blu-ray editions):

– The Hobbit Extended Edition Trilogy features almost one hour of additional footage that were carefully selected under the supervision of director Peter Jackson (THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES extended edition is rated R), and more than 34 hours of theatrical and extended bonus content. The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Trilogy features more than 2 hours of extended scenes, also selected by Jackson, and more than 33 hours of theatrical and extended bonus content. Bonus content from The Hobbit trilogy theatrical and extended editions will be included on Blu-ray disc. Bonus content from The Lord of the Rings trilogy theatrical and extended editions will be included on DVD disc. Additionally, digital copies of all films in their theatrical and extended edition forms will be included for download on Digital HD.

 

No price is currently listed, however the website Io9 posted that it was initially listed with an $800 (gulp!) price tag before being removed.  Expect to see the listing updated soon – hopefully with a less expensive price tag!

 

 

botfaseedvduk_16Fellow Ringer The Hutt is back with their review of the last of the Extended Editions from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Trilogy. By now I would venture to guess many of you have had a chance to get your copy and have seen what has been added to this pretty awesome film. If you’re living outside the United States and are getting the UK DVD release then you will want to make sure you listen to how impressed The Hutt was with this final release.

Continue reading “Hands-on review: The Hobbit BOTFA SEE (UK DVD)”

BilboChristmasListHave you finished all of your Christmas shopping yet? Or are you yet to start? If you’re like us, you’ll definitely have a few more things on your list and what better way to complete the task than buying some Tolkienesque presents. TORn’s staffers deej, Elessar, Earl, Altaira and Kelvarhin scoured the internet to find the perfect presents to celebrate the holidays  and we were astounded by how many wonderful choices there are. So, without further ado, here are some lovely gift suggestions for your favourite Tolkien fan (even if that happens to be you). All prices are in U.S. dollars.

Continue reading “TORn’s Tolkien Christmas Gift Guide for 2015”

BotFA Photoshop Collage 2-D BlurayThere’s been a storm raging today over comments director Peter Jackson made about the process of filming The Hobbit trilogy. Staffer greendragon reflects on the debate which has been unleashed…

With the release this week of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition on Blu-ray and DVD, folks have been sitting down to watch the many hours of extras provided in the included ‘Appendices’ footage. Starting with an article on The Guardian newspaper’s website, one particular part of Peter Jackson’s comments (in ‘The Appendices Part 11: The Gathering Storm’) on the making of The Hobbit trilogy has gone viral online, unleashing much debate among fans who love or hate the movies.

Continue reading “Peter Jackson’s comments provoke a ‘Gathering Storm’ in a teacup…”

BotFA Photoshop Collage 2-D BlurayFor fans who have been waiting to get their hands on actual disks before watching The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition, today is the day when releases begin! The Blu-ray and DVD sets are available today in America, Nov 18th in New Zealand (so almost today already in NZ!), and across Europe and the rest of the world in the coming days. (Read our International Shopping Guide for further details.)

This is the Home Entertainment release which completes the set for all fans of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies. Many have written how the extra footage in the extended cut makes this the version of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies that they wanted to see. (You can read some staffers’ thoughts here.) Others have commented that they had hoped for the full extra 30 minutes Peter Jackson had said would be in this cut, not just the 20 minutes we got. There are certainly more scenes I had hoped to see – but that is where the Appendices come in…

At last we have parts Eleven and Twelve of The Appendices; parts One and Two came out with the Extended Edition of The Fellowship of the Ring, so this has been a long time coming! It’s great – if sad – to see the end of this journey. The tales from the set, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and memories from cast and crew are wonderful, and give us some insight into moments we perhaps wish had made it into a cut of the movie. Have tissues ready for the filmmakers’ ’emotional farewell to Middle-earth’!

There are over NINE hours of bonus features included in this Home Entertainment release, so it really is an essential part of your The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie collection. In the 2D version, the disc with the film also includes Part 3 of ‘New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth’; Disc 2 contains The Appendices Part 11: The Gathering Storm, The Chronicles of The Hobbit – Part 3; and Disc 3 is The Appendices Part 12: Here at Journey’s End.  There is also audio commentary on the film, with Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens; I haven’t had a chance to watch with the commentary yet, but I’m sure it’s fascinating. I’d still like, at some point, to have some commentary from the cast – maybe that will come with the ‘super mega all-six-films’ box set….?  (For the completists amongst us, you can already purchase the Extended Edition Box Set, also available today.)

Whether you prefer the Theatrical or Extended cuts of these films (and I think most of us come down on the side of the Extended Editions), it is really the bonus features which make this Home Entertainment release a ‘must have’. If you are patient enough to wait, maybe it’s one for your Holiday Gift wish list? (Look out for TORn’s Holiday Gift Guide, coming soon!)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to watching those nine hours of extras….

Click here to purchase The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition (BD) [Blu-ray]