Slashdot Mirror
Lord of The Rings DVD, Now or Later?
Entropy_ah writes "As many of us know, the Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring DVD was released Aug. 6. It is a 2 Disk version of the movie with a few added goodies. However, New Line Home Entertainment is going to release an extended 4 disk version and a DVD gift set on November 12th. The Kanas City Star has an article discussing the merits of each addition and touches on the issue of this being an attempt by the movie companies to gouge as much money from die-hard fans as possible." I'm waiting, but I definitely find this whole mess frustrating.
Most of the "extras" are The TV specials they made, the stuff you can already download from their website and some spam for the Extended Edition and EA game Preview!
Well i think i will wait that the 2 others movies will be released to have a nice box with all three together.
No need to buy something now, when we know they will do a nice collector edition later.
Pelops
They knew there were going to be tons of D&D people running out to get it the first day, and they also know that D&D people like collectors stuff... so what do they do? Wait for around x-mas and release something else.
Typical corporate nonsence.
It's 'disc' and 'edition'
At least you spelled article right, unlike 50% of slashdotters. (artical?)
The movie is what the collector lusts after... the extras (documentaries, trailers, etc) don't have too much repeat value, IMHO. Get the first edition ASAP, and rent, or borrow the special edition from a friend who chose to wait for it (for the extras).
Why have only one copy of LoTR? I can't wait till next month, so I bought the 2 DVD set. Next month when the 4 DVD version comes out I'll get that too.
-Tolerate my intolerance
I didn't like this whole mess either! I think I found a good solution though. I did buy the 2-disc set and watched all the material. When the 4-disc set comes out I will purchase that one as well and give the 2-disc set to my parents :)
Happy parents = better loot in the will
... [Insert decent Sig]
They said that the 4disc edition was coming out the same time as the 2 disc. Anyone could read the press release.
Honestly, what's the big deal? We all know about it already. It's not like they released the regular edition now and surprised us with the expanded edition a month later. We KNOW and HAVE KNOWN for awhile now they are going to release the expanded edition later in the year. The fact that they've been VERY upfront about this has been a breath of fresh air.
Honestly, if you really can't wait, there's this thing called a VIDEO RENTAL STORE! Go rent it (but please, rent from something OTHER than Blockbuster if at all possible).
Not until the 35-disk set with all three movies, including the Director's Cut, the Producer's Cut, and the Gaffer's cut comes out will I even consider buying a LOTR DVD set. If I really decide I need to see it again, there's always NetFlix.
You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
-- Colonel Adolphus Busch
No doubt when the Two Towers and the Return of The King come out there will be a super-duper deluxe ultra gift souvineer special edition bundle-pack with the whole thing. Wait if you can!
is Kanas City Taco's birthplace? I even wonder if he was taught proper edition and subtraction in grade school!
...are you buying the DVD for the movie or for the extras? I just got the Aug. 6th release because I wanted a copy of the movie. I don't need a National Geographic special or extra footage inserted into the movie. I liked what I saw in the theater well enough, and that's what I wanted to get. Plus it was free.
If you feel that these extra things are for you, then wait. It's not like if you change your mind the version that just came out will be out of print. If you absolutely *have* to watch Lord of the Rings right now but want to wait to buy the super-duper special version, JUST RENT IT.
If you don't like the movie, don't wan't to support whatever shadowy organisation your paranoia is fixed on this week or don't own a DVD player don't buy any version. Otherwise buy the 2-disc set now to get the theatrical version and a small amount of bonus material (including 3 almost identical "making of" featurettes... *yawn*). THEN buy the box set with the extended version when that comes out.
;-)
You know you will wan't to compare the two versions to each other later!
Come on... It's not like techies are underpaid!
one of my friends bought the dvd AND said he will buy the special edition...
i think it's all a big rip-off. if you pay, it's your own problem...
ok, i admit, i'm not a fan of all this fantasy stuff. i find the books annoying and never got past page 50 or so...
christian
Fight the fucking Man! Read the couple of articles before this, the ??AA has finally controlled the US Congress and Aschroft, and they're doing that with your money! Boycott their fucking products!!
Fucking stupid government..
Never thought I'd ever say "Fight the Man!" and meant it.
What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
I will get the edtion that comes out on Nov. 12,
I really can't wait, but if I have to I will.
Because I actually just want to, you know, watch the damn movie.
Guess I'm a bad American consumer or something, but if in November I have a hankering for that deleted footage, I'll rent the "specialer" edition. But realy, I just want to watch the movie! Sheesh. Newfangeld technology... shoulda kept my betamax....
(...but what about the "custom bookends"?)
Karma: T-rexcellent.
I also own two copies of the hobbit (a 2nd and 7th editions) as well as 3 complete sets of the other books (2nd, 4th, and uh ... 7th? editions). Besides, if they *only* released the 4 or 5 disc box, we'd be without watching a dvd-quality lotr til November ... and I couldn't wait that long.
Buy now, and sell it to a used dvd store, or on ebay when the other comes out. Trust me, it's not the end of the world.
I bought the 2-disc set on the 6th. Why? Because it had value to me. I wanted to see the film again, and it was worth the 20 bucks to me to own a copy of it.
When the 4-disc set comes out in November (or whenever), I'll decide if the extra content is worth whatever they're charging for it. If it is, I'll buy it. If it's not, I won't.
Why are veryone's knickers in a twist about this. It's a very simple equation.
I think it's a little of both. I think we have a case where the studios realize they can make a lot of money from releasing not one, but three versions of the video staggered across several months. And the DVD has been hyped more than that XXX movie. (I don't get the big deal - I've been watching XXX for years now, and Vin Diesel didn't show up once.)
On the other hand, if you look what they're doing, it makes sense that it's taking awhile for the last "extra bits" to be finished - as the article states, all new music is being composed, the formerly shot scenes have to be put into the movie in a way that they add to it, not just go "Oh, and here's another 5 minutes here", and so on.
Personally - I have the $40 version reserved (though after reading more about the $70 version, I am leaning - no, I will be strong, I don't need the extra National Geographic special (I don't give a crap about the bookends - I want the extra video)), and I'm debating doing other things (like trading in 3 old DVD's for the free movie at my local Software Etc, taking a Kia test, drive, etc) to get the current one free.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
Personally, I could give a flying futz about extras like behind the scenes footage, commentary tracks, and that sort of thing. I can't be alone in this view. I know a lot of people like em, but I don't find them interesting, plain and simple.
Extended movie however: I'm there. I can't wait for the extra 30 minutes of footage. I can see it now; 2 years from now, all 3 LotR DVDs are out w/ extended footage. Sit down on the couch with a funsize bag of funions & a couple 2L bottles of Vanilla Coke, and have a nice 12 hour LotR marathon!
I am BelDion's
I really can't wait to get FOTR, But I will wait till Nov.12 to get it because I want the Special Edtion.
Simply buy pirated versions.
So you went out and got the first one disk version or whatever.
Yikes - a few months later, there's a new version with far more 'bang for your bucks', so what's a person to do ?
GET THE PIRATE VERSION !
Yep - you've been ripped, so rip them back.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Call me a sucker but I just had to have it.
And its absolutely great.
Maybe not perfect for the true LOTR fan, but thank
god its as good as it is. There were so many times
that the film could have sunk to Monty Python antics
or a bastardized hyped up version with no relation to
the real story.
I saw it once in the theater and have waited 8 months
for the DVD and in that time I read the series another 2
times so I know the details that ARE lacking from the
movie. BUT Jackson held true to the stories and feeling
of the trilogy. I think Jacksons love of Tolkiens work
really comes through.
The preview of the 2towers is pretty good also.
I'm going to rent it on DVD now and wait until November for the 4 disk 'extended edition'. I may also rip the rented DVD for further watching until November. Is this ethical, since I'm going to pay more for the extended edition than I would if I bought it now and I refuse to be ripped off by buying both DVDs.
HH
And you are here because..???
Thanks for the opinion. Do you feel better??
Friends next door have bought the first one, and came over last night to watch it on our huge screen. Impressive. Now we don't need to go out and buy our own copy, if we want to see it again (probably not for another month or so), we'll just borrow it again.
We are waiting until the 4 disk set comes out, and we'll buy that version. Between the two of us, we'll have both versions, and can swap as needed.
All of us are waiting for a couple of years from now, after all the films have been released, WETA finishes all the CGI SFX, and Peter Jackson makes the final extra-long directors cut. That will probably be a 7 or more DVD set. Showings will then be day long affairs with a couple of meals between films, lots of drinks, and regular bathroom breaks.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
My plan is to rent both versions and decide which one I prefer to own. The wife is worried that the extra footage won't be up to snuff and will make the extend-o version lower quality all around. I'm hoping that it will add more depth and detail.
So I guess they suck a few extra bucks out of me, but I'm sure as hell not buying two copies of the same freakin' movie.
~LD
if your not really a fan then buy Now
if you are a fan then buy now and november!. Yes they are milking you, yes it sucks they didn't release them both at the same time, yes you are going to have to buy them both if you have to ask the question. It's not really much of a choice.
He who defends everything, defends nothing. -- Fredrick The Great
Truth table of the thead title:
Now Later Now OR Later
1 1 1
1 0 1
0 1 1
0 0 0
So, I'm the top row, so my answer is "yes".
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I Preordered myself the november one and when comparing the prices there was a minimal ($10) difference between the august and the november editions, except for the big big one that has a National Geographics special in it and 2 bookends of those 2 statues, that was $70.
(Score:0, Interesting)
Some movies are just not better with additional footage. Appocalyse Now: Redux has additional scenes that were simply boring beyond belief. Star Wars had the stupid computer graphics additions, and the ridiculous scene where they are driving through the city in Tatooine, which was simply George Lucas jerking off over how great the CGI was at the time, but it really killed the flow of the movie. I am personally going to wait and actually *see* the 30 minutes of footage to see if it's worth the extra cash. I have no qualms in spending the cash if the movie just to collect it, but once you've seen a documentary, how many times will you actually put that disc in after the first time? Otherwise, I'll just buy the cheapest version for the sake of posterity.
And yet, all the geeks who go out to buy the 4-disc set and not the 2-disc (myself included) will just be reinforcing the notion that you can "add all the shit you want, they don't want the original version" (the original cut will not be available via branching). Granted, since opening sales of the LOTR DVD outsold the previous winner, Harry Potter, they might not get to say that after all.
Schnapple
noah
The fullscreen version in stores now is of no value to a movie fan.
not like I can afford either. I'm just hoping I can see Two Towers this December.
Release a "normal" DVD first, then release an "enhanced" or "Special edition" version months later.
Its very similar to the technique for VHS release. Sell the first release very high and then later release a consumer version priced $15-$30.
This is really targeted to the suckers and rental chains. They need to meet demand early on. Later, after the rental stores have run through their initial rental wave a cheaper version comes out for purchase.
Quite simple actually.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
It's one of the rare movies that are really worth buying twice. So I've really no problems with 2 editions thing.
True warriors use the Klingon Google
The DVDs I have that have these kinds of extras (commentary, deleted scenes, etc) I use the extras alot. Sometimes more than the movie itself, because often I know the movie very well. Sometimes it's nice to watch Brazil, but there's something about watching Brazil while Terry Gilliam talk about it as well, or listening to a Japanese film guy talk about Kurosawa and the Japanese film industry of the 50s while the Seven Samurai is playing. Not all extras are worth it, but I definitely believe these ones will be. I'm waiting (but I may pick it up anyway, as a gift to less movie fanatical friends).
The main conspiracy theory in the paper is:
"Of course, there's also the theory, proposed by the cynics among us, that the movie companies are using this sort of release pattern to entice movie fans to buy both the basic package to watch now and the more complete special edition a few months later."
It isn't going to fly for one reason, who the hell would buy a 4 disk set of 'super troopers' after you bought the first one? How about 'hey arnold: the movie', or even 'haloween: resurrection'? I didn't think so. As soon as the greedy start filling the shelves with the 9th edition of 'master of disguise', the landfill owners will be licking thier lips and fighting over who gets to bury the millions of unsold copies. Enough money will be lost to stop the practice almost for good.
The movies that do come out with multiple editions will be the ones that actually benefit from the additions. The industry is still feeling out what it can and can't do, and the only way to do that is to fall flat on it's face a few times, and they are doing it. Unlike the moribund record industry, I think the movie people can and do learn, and have been making an honest effort to produce stuff we want at fairly reasonable prices. DeCSS aside, they learn quick.
I still have a little faith in the capatilistic system. Whatever happens, we won't know for a year or 2, it will take that long for trends to become clear.
-Charlie
The nonsense is on the part of the morons who buy both.
For those who want to die by wrist slashing, but are too squeemish to make deep enough cuts. I put this invention idea into the public domain under the GPL.
I find that the power of the DVD format is wasted on most movies. Frequently the extra content are a few lame scenes that didn't get any CG and aren't worth the film they were recorded on (yes, there are some exceptions, but I'm not enough of a fan boy to care!)
Really, the best things are 1) the crisper picture and 2) the ability to fast forward almost instantaneously.
Infact reason 2 is why exercise videos on DVD are super-fantastic! Just want to do Abs? Go to the Abs chapter! Work out too hard? skip to the cool down. And frequently there are a la carte options where you do one piece, it brings you back to the menu,then you quickly pick your next piece without resting too much between exercises.
At least, thats what I keep telling myself when my wife says "I just bought the 23 dvd workout set!" (don't laugh. its real! check out the quantity discount packages!)
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
so I usually won't pay extra for "gold" edition collector tins, an interview with someone who's uncle did CG work, or DVD games. Usually they charge a small fortune for these extras. All I really want is a clean copy of the movie.
Walmart has the "basic" DVD version for under $16USD right now... $80 perhaps for all three movies seems pricy, but one movie + bonus tracks? Count me out.
+++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
Luckily it was from Netflix so I didn't have to actually shell out money for bad product.
Where's the loss here, you said it yourself, she knows he's an LoTR fan, and she's bought the DVD for him. What's not to like?
both of them anyway. Just admit it; they
are after your money, they know your weak spot and they are smarter than you are when it comes to hacking wallets.
Dw
(I'm not saying you're actually my son, or that I have one.)
...
The edition I saw in Walmart yesterevening, and was tempted to buy but did not, was the 'standard' (not widescreen) version. All issue of fluff aside, this is not the way I'd rather own a copy LotR. Maybe they also had the widescreen somewhere in stock, but I didn't see it.
The *best* deal (wish I'd known to take advantage of it) was the one Blockbuster gave, with 10 free rentals + the 2-disk version for $27. However, since my brother did get this, I will hold out till October at least and get the one with extra footage. I wish it was like Dune, with a bajillion-hour version somewhere
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
I scanned all of the comments, and no one has mentioned the best reason to buy both the editions, which is what I am going to be doing now. I already had the best set on preorder, and swore that I would not get the normal 2 disk edition. However, when I saw how cheap it was at Circuit City (15.99), I went out and got it.
To my surprise, there is a $10 rebate in the set for those who puchase the larger set in November, which means I'm only going to be paying $5.99 for this 2-disk edition. I think that's well worth it to hold me over until that released date, and it's only barely cheaper than the rental suggestion that some people have made.
Please subscribe to see the more insightful version of th
Just test drive a KIA and get a free copy of the current release. Then buy the extended one, if you want it, in November when it comes out.
There's a feature on the Ghostbusters DVD that has a printed commentary to accompany the movie that's kinda like that Pop-Up Video show. It gives facts about locations and ideas for scenes and so forth that are actually really interesting. That might be one of the best features I've seen on a DVD to date (although I suppose it doesn't really harness the power of the medium...).
With the exception of that one shining example, I agree with you completely. Most special features are junk. I buy DVDs for the picture quality and longevity of the medium as opposed to VHS. I'm not a huge film buff, though, so what do I know.
Interesting about the workout videos. I would've never thought of that.
just download it like any normal computer loving, LOTR fan would do :P
------------
Sase
"It's the opposite of that."
I decided to buy it even though I know I will buy the Special Edition. Since my girl freind has never seen it, (we weren't dating when it was in theaters) I figured I would rent it at least once, probaly twice, and since I always forget to bring the back on time, it would wind up costing me close to that anyway. When the other version comes out I'll just give this one to my baby sister.
And $15 dollars seems like a reasonable price, instead of the normal 25, which doesn't. Something the movie industry should realize. In fact almost every DVD I own was purchased for that price or less. $20+ is too much for entertainment and few movies justify that type of expenditure.
Everyone here talks a good game when they're sitting behind their keyboard, but c'mon, 90% of you went and bought it anyway, didn't you.
Let's have a real /. poll, without the Neal option, and ask 2 simple questions:
- Did you buy the LoTR DVD now?
- Are you waiting to purchase the final compilation?
This is no fucking attempt, wake up, you've been screwed and gouged in more ways than your puny geek brains want to think about. But you, like me, will keep coming back for more. (well, me only if there's more Liv involved.) </rant>--furiously awaiting the newline fanboys to mod me down at any second.
The problem with waiting for the November release is that it will not have the original edit of the movie. There won't be an option to turn off and on the extra 30 minutes of footage. So if you want a copy of the original movie version the August DVD is the way to go.
Also, the extended version DVD has 3 DVDs worth of special features mostly detailing how they did most of the special effects, which makes the Nov box set worth it even if you aren't interested in the extra 30mins of footage. I thought The 'Matrix Revisited' DVD was well worth the buy, even though all it was was a 2 hour behind the scenes of production video.
While I definitely agree this is a matter of personal preference, and that since we have fair warning (for the most part) that there is going to be another DVD set coming in November.
Personaly I find it kind of funny that I never saw many discussions like this when DVD began to make VHS its b*tch. I mean seriously, all of you that still have your VHS video collections I am sure have some dups that you got in DVD. I mean hell, I bet the average /.'er has and will own the original CBS/Fox Star Wars Trillogy (with the cool original box art), the anniversary boxed set VHS, the Special Edition Boxed set (complete with Greedo shooting first no less!) and will own at least one or two of the DVD sets of Ep 4/5/6 that are sure to be released in the coming years... not to mention the HDTV DVD remastering edition a couple years after that.
I mean WTF, do you really believe that you are paying for the content when you buy copyrighted works.. if that were really the case, we should be getting some friggin reduced price "upgrade" for current owners when we buy videos/dvds/music/etc..
Just my take on the matter.
Why do you complain about Hollywood's shenanigans, while you are so eager to pay $$$ for crap like this? You might like to learn that there are out there far, far better things the The Lord of the Rings, both in movie form and in literary form. But then again, you kids don't really care about reading anyway - you have yet to understand the difference between its and it's.
Well, setting aside all the issues about "bilking the consumers" and all that rot, has anyone considered the fact that the reason they're releasing two editions is because the average movie viewer (in America, at least) probably wouldn't be willing to sit through a four hour movie? I mean, hell, I heard enough people gripe about the length as it was! (Of course, not having read the books, they didn't understand that they were lucky that the story was even able to be compressed into three hours...)
Just my $.02...
The movie company isn't the only ones behind this. What a lot of people don't know is that the IP rights for LOTR is NOT held by the Tolkein Estate, but by Tolkein Enterprises, a completely seperate company owned by the guy to did the LTOR cartoon thingy a couple of decades ago. (side note: Tolkein Estate still holds the IP for the Hobbit, which is why you have not seen anything since that first cartoon)... This Company, TE, has a reputation for being exceedingly money-grubby. In fact, for their RPG licenses, they wanted so many special clauses and considerations that the makers of D&D turned down a chance at the license. (this straight from the man in charge at the time). TE is also the primary agent who drove the last company to hold the rpg license out of business. (note: it is rumored that the company they drove out of business also held the movie rights as well, but that TE sold them without getting them back first - but like I said only a rumor) Back to topic! I am extremely sure that Tolkein Enterprises has a hand in this (as they normally get larger than average royalties for any Tolkein product dealing with LOTR). They are likely behind this multi-DVD release scheme more than the movie companies are!!!
Watch at the beginning of the movie for the placement
of the staff.
To the left of gandalf
to the right
hanging out of the back of the wagon with a tassle.
-
continuity, ain't it a bitch.
How many takes to get that scene right I wonder??
Listen for the song that he is singing before he meets
up with frodo. Its bilbo's old song.
You suck.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Buy the extended edition in November.
Go test drive a Kia, or get the Blockbuster 10 rentals for $25, and free LOTR:FOTR. If you rent even one movie a week, the BB deal saves one money (since DVD rentals are $4 these days, sheesh..)
Then, if you wanna own bonus material out the whazzoo, buy the 4 disc collectors ed. and you've only "bought" it once.
This is where I get my recommended daily allowance of "Foot in Mouth."
But the main reason i'm holding out is that i cant afford to blow any cash right now...I dont know that i'm going to spring for the one with the bookends and all that stuff, but i do want to see the 30 minutes of extra footage..
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
I've had the Divx for several months now :), so waiting til Nov isn't that big of a deal.
I was intending to purchase only the November version of the LOTR DVD, until Blockbuster video came out with a nice little deal:
purchase a 10 week video rental card (1 rental per week, for a max of 10 weeks, expiring in 2 years) for ~$25.00, and get the LOTR DVD for free.
I would look for deals like this in the near future.
-d
Both sets are completely unique. The current release is the theatrical version. the future release is NOT THE THEATRICAL VERSION.
Since there is no duplicate content, I have no problem paying another 30 bucks for another version. Non-diehards will be happy with the theatrical release.
You must be trolling right? How have you been ripped off if you choose to buy the first release, when you know: A) Exactly what date the other releases are going to be made on. B) Exactly what extras they will contain. This is the *most* pissweak excuse I have ever heard to justify piracy.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
When you go to the movie theatre you vaguely assume that you are seeing "the same" movie as everyone else. But as cineastes know, there are often minor variations in content even during the first run, and major ones on second runs, re-releases, etc. Oklahoma! was filmed concurrently in 35mm and Todd-AO so the two versions actually represent similar but different performances, etc. etc.
Recently this has all become more _visible_ (in the form of deliberately labeled "special editions," "director's cuts," etc.) There's now so much of this going on I have to wonder whether the whole idea of "a" movie is gradually becoming obsolete.
Multiple versions of movies are now available to fans within a year of the release. Of course, the variations in the versions are trivial (unless you're a dedicated aficionado...)
There was a World's Fair where some director, Czech I think, showed a movie in which at ten or eleven decision points, the audience got to vote on what the actors should do. Of course, the plot was engineered to reconverge on the next decision point (so the amount of film that needed to be shot was only 2X, not 1024X or 2048X the running length of the movie).
I wonder just where these DVD's are going? DVD's supposely offer the ability to choose different camera angles, but I've yet to rent one in which this ability was actually enabled... Are "movies" going to gradually become a participatory experience? Where you have at least the illusion of a trivial degree of participation?
In the fifties, food companies (supposedly) discovered that housewives did not like complete cake mixes, because it made them feel as if they were being lazy. So they gradually moved to mixes that required adding some ingredients (milk, eggs, etc.), supposedly not because fresh ingredients actually improved the flavor, but because housewives felt they were doing a better job if they had contributed SOMETHING to the process.
I dunno, though...
On the whole, I think I would just prefer to "watch a movie" and assume that for better or for worse the producers have made all the decisions for me, and all that's left for me is to like it or not.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
I have children.
I want my children to view the "PG-13" version of the movie, so I've purchased the current release. I also want to have the extended version, which reportedly will include scenes that would warrant an "R" rating. I'll get that one for myself and allow my children to view it when they are older.
I know - why don't we all just put all our money in an envelope and send it to them? Then maybe they'd be able to hire a director for the next movie instead of a useless hack like Jackson.
Yeah, yeah, mod me flamebait and/or troll but I'm not the one taking your money off you for half-finished projects.
TWW
"Encyclopedia" is to "Wikipedia" what "Library" is to "Some people at a bus stop"
At least they are telling everybody that there is going to be another edition coming out in November.
Let us all consider what George Lucas would do in this situation. Release a VHS tape, and claim that there won't be a DVD for 5 years. A few months later, a DVD will come out... surprise! Too bad if you already bought the VHS.
George Lucas gouges his fans deceptively. At least with Lord of the Rings, they are telling everybody about the special edition in November. That way, if you want to wait for it, you can. They aren't tricking anyone into buying the first version. If you can't wait until November, and you want to see it still, rent it! Or borrow it from somebody!
I'll personally just buy both.
Seriously, how many times have us Star Wars fans said to just release the classic trilogy now, without fancy extras, on DVD? Sure the time frame on LoTR is much less, but it's giving the fans a choice, instead of holding it from them.
Believe me, I know the anger people feel. I'm one of the chumps who bought the Tron bare-bones CD virtually the day before Disney announced the two-disc enhanced version. And I'm steamed about that, because the second release is a proper superset of the first -- the entire first release (which was essentially just the movie) is contained in the second.
But that's not the case here. Not only have I been told, upfront, that there is a later set coming. I also know that the second set is not just a proper superset of the first. The first contains things that the second won't. So my value is not negated.
For the casual fan (and believe it or not, there are a lot of casual LOTR fans), the August release is what they expect: A faithful reproduction of their moviegoing experience, with some typical extras thrown on as is de rigeur. For the hardcore fan, the November release is what they desire: The extra scenes, some more background, a wealth of detail. And the really, truly diehard fanatic can simply consider this a single, 6-disc set that happens to be released in two parts but has all the things a diehard fanatic would want: the theatrical movie, a "director's cut", a Two Towers preview, behind-the-scenes footage, background detail, audio commentary.
To my eye, these guys are the first in Hollywood to realize that the DVD market is not homogenous -- to not treat everyone as the lowest common demographic. They're giving people options rather than making one dictatorial decision. I think it's a development we should applaud, not attack.
(Aside: Note that what transforms this from an underhanded marketing ploy to a consumer-friendly menu of options is the fact that all three discs were announced simultaneously, putting information into the hands of the consumers and empowering us to make an intelligent choice. That's perhaps the most important lesson of the current age: Freely-available information empowers the citizenry.)
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
So you like your epics abridged, eh? Were you surprised that the movie version was so much longer than the cliff's notes you read when you were a kid?
Rent it now, get your fix.
Buy it later.
Easy
Just FYI, if you do decide to get both versions, Amazon is offering a rebate coupon. You get $5 back if you buy the Aug. and 4-disc Nov. releases, and $10 back if you buy the Aug. and 5-disc Nov. releases.
;-)
Could help ease the pain a bit if you feel absolutely compelled to buy both.
I was little disappointed to discover the two disc set out now didn't have an audio commentary. However at least the four disc version will have the commentary.
There also will be six hours of behind-the-scenes features in the DVD package and four commentary tracks by Jackson and cast and crew members.
By the sounds of it the commentary will be like one on the Phantom Menace, which had crew members explaining everything from CGI to sound effects and I must say is one of the best commentarys I have heard thus far. Coming back to the two disc I found most of the extras throw aways, especially considering most of them reused interviews with cast crew to the point you got a bad case of deja vue.
aus.music.scrapbook
I was never able to go see this movie in the theater, so i don't know if this is just the way the film was cut, but the score drowns out the dialog. You can't hear what people are saying most of the time. It also seems like the actors are mumbling most of the time, which doesn't help. I wish I could adjust the score/dialog levels on my dvd player.
I've seen the current Fellowship of the Rings on widescreen DVD.
All I can say is that the picture quality is top-notch (only marred by occasional edge enhancement) and the sound quality is just flat-out SUPERB. You definitely want a quality surround-sound setup to really enjoy this movie at home.
Besides, this release is what Director Peter Jackson personally intended as the Director's Cut of the movie.
Although the article does touch on the idea that it might be a gouging tactic, they quite plainly follow that up with a perfectly reasonable explanation. The other DVDs are taking more work, and Peter Jackson hasn't finished the extras for release 3. When they put the extra material back into release 2, they had to have the composer add new music. Yes, they could wait until December to release all three... but why on earth would they? Most folks will be quite happy with just their copy of the movie "as seen in theatres". Anyone who wants the extras will wait for their preferred edition, and in the meantime you can rent it if you're desperate.
C'mon, read the whole article. The entire second half deals with this. Peter Jackson's enough of a loon that personally, I don't think he'd try to screw over Tolkien fans. He's shown how committed he is to the material, let the studio make its money while he finishes his definitive editions.
~ Leilah
Well, I plan to buy at least two versions - I haven't decided if it's going to be the gift set or the extended version in addition to the theatrical releasse.
But I'm *really* a hard core fan, and so is my wife. To give an idea how much so, when my wife was a teenager she read WH Auden's review of LOTR, and ordered the boxed set in the original Allen & Unwin printing from England (First Ed.), complete with typos and errors (elfin anyone?). It is still one of our most prized possesions.
I have a simple solution: I rent it first. If I like it, then I will buy it.
I rented LotR yesterday. It's a good movie (well-acted, good story), but there are scenes that are a little too violent for my children (the oldest of whom is only five), so it'll have to wait.
As far as the advantage of getting the current release or waiting, I'd say wait. when the "latest" release is available, see if you can rent that one and do a little comparison. If you like it, fine. There's every possibility that you might not find the 4 disc set worth the additional cost....
When politicians are involved, everyone loses.
Best Buy Pre-order was 14.99 (for the 2-disc set) with a $10 gift card, cost down to 4.99, which is roughly equivalent to a rental... and then buty the full 4-disc version in November
Let us all consider what George Lucas would do in this situation. Release a VHS tape, and claim that there won't be a DVD for 5 years. A few months later, a DVD will come out... surprise! Too bad if you already bought the VHS.
And Lucas Film has announced they will be releasing AOTC both on DVD in VHS in November, so what's your point?
Granted the TPM DVD was released many months after the VHS and the original trilogy still isn't available on DVD but in my opinion that's more about spending the time to put out a quality product than trying to rip off the consumer.
aus.music.scrapbook
see your KIA dealer or www.kia.com
As long as MPAA, and RIAA lobby for laws that
makes it legal for them to hack computers
to prevent their precious IP to fall
into the wrong hands, I wouldn't buy DVDs
or go to the movies. Or for that matter
copy film or music.
I can live without film and music. But
can the movie and music companies live
without customers
God is REAL! Unless explicitly declared INTEGER
That's why I downloaded the divx, so I can watch it whenever I want until I buy the special edition :)
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2002-07 -29
Dude, the 2-disc edition is on sale for $15 at Best Buy right now. Go buy it, watch it, examine all the goodies.
Then, in November, but the 4-disc edition.
It's only money.
And no, I'm not being insensitive to our unemployed brethren (and sisthren.) I'm only saying, if you liked the movie, we're not talking about hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
Think about it, you probably spend a lot more money on sillier things, so why not.
if you have that kind of money you could have sent that ~$20 for the aug 6th release to a GPL project and help further develop Linux and its software so you children will have a much much better OS!!
I bought the standard DVD through Toyopia.com using the FritoLay "Summer of Cash" promotion chits that have been sitting admist the chip guts in the bottom of my Wavy Lays bags.
LOTR 24.95
Fritolay cash -20.00
S+H 6.95 *bastards*
Total: $11.90
If I buy the extended DVD in November:
rebate 10.00
net cost $1.90
$1.90 to watch a movie for 4 months that I can then sell on ebay for 5 bucks. Damn near make a profit on this and I didn't have to drive a Kia....
The primary reasons I pre-ordered the 4-DVD set were to see the extra footage, and also because only this one apparenty has DTS audio on it. So for those who like the audio quality of DTS, this one's for you.
'cause you may have excellent karma but can't prove you have 50 karma.
sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
I paid 24.99 for a LOTR 10week BB rental card. You get one free rental a week for 10 weeks. I bought it in july. Value from that alone is 37.99 ;)
:)
Plus, I got a widescreen DVD lotr last tuesday when it came out.
Please note: I rent movies weekly anyways, so it DID save me good money
What's wrong with Blockbuster?
Well, to start. Blockbuster recently tried to force the studios to adopt a rental pricing window for DVDs they way they have with almost all videos that are released. The movie studios refused, but if Blockbuster had their way, you would have to wait months before you could buy a DVD at a sell-through price after it was released.
Also Blockbuster put all of the better video stores out of business near where I live. How did they put better stores out of business? Well, they cut a sweetheart deal with the movie studios over video pricing, so they were able to stock 50(or however many they felt like) of every major piece of hollywood swill that was released. The average asshole who rents movies only cares about getting the latest hollywood crap, so most of them started going to Blockbuster because they knew that Blockbuster would have the latest junk in stock. They also had special pricing deals and lots of coupons when the other stores were open to help drive them out of business. Of course, now that the other stores are gone, Blockbuster jacked up their prices, so they are now more expensive than any of the stores that they put out of business.
So now, instead of the two good video stores that were right near my house, I have Blockbuster or I have to drive a few miles to get a video from an independent store that is pretty lousy compared to the other local stores that Blockbuster put out of business. About the only video stores that survived where I live are the ones that are far enough away from a Blockbuster to stay in business. There are also some Hollywood video stores near where I live, but they are too far away to be worthwhile for me to rent from them.
So instead of the two local stores that were near my house(Blockbuster put a lot of other video stores out of business near where I live, but I am most upset about theese two) that had a great selection, NC17 rated films and adult films. I have one shitty Blockbuster with a crummy selection that is mostly just mainsteam Hollywood junk, no NC17 films, no adult films and higher rental prices than the stores that they put out of business. Fuck Blockbuster. Boycott them and use other local stores. If you don't have any other local stores, rent DVDs by mail from Netflix.com or Rentmydvd.com. Die Blockbuster! Die!
I just saw a commercial today that if you go test drive a Kia car or SUV, they will give you a free copy of Lord of the Rings on DVD! I don't know if this is just in the Cincinnati area (where I heard the ad) or everywhere, but if you don't mind getting to play with a car and listen to a sales pitch, you can score a free copy of the DVD.
Check out the information here
--Won't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop. - Dr. Walter Gibbs
If folks don't know that there's a special edition version coming out then they're not LOTR geeks and will be happy with what they saw at the cinema being released. I don't think the average person will want another 30mins of footage in the film.
A more legal method would be to buy this edition used or on clearance when the other one comes out.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
First off, wouldn't you rather wait 2-3 more years and buy the Super-Duper Extra-Deluxe Lord Of The Rings "Trilogy" Geodesic-Box-Set Really-Awsomely-Special-Edition-With-Polka-Dots-An d-Stripes that you know they're going to put out after all three movies have run their course? Why would you want to buy the movies individually when you know there's going to be a box set later on that will have even more stuff to see? You're just going to have to buy it (you know you will, and they know you will), because it'll certainly have a few extras on it that they "left out" (whoopsie! How could we have done that! certainly we didn't mean it!) on these earlier "special editions".
Or, maybe you could say "Dammit, I'm not only frustrated with this kind of movie-industry crap, I'm fed up!" and just not buy the DVD at all. I mean, you've seen the movie in the theatre as it was intended (and probably more than once, huh?), so the people who made it have already been paid for their trouble. Now you want to buy copies of the film and give more money to the people who distribute it? Why? You've had your fun. You don't really need the DVD. You're just addicted.
Instead, buy another copy of the book if you really must buy something, and relive the real story.
Or even better, use the money to buy a new book that you haven't read, and add something new and refreshing to your life, instead of filling it up with copies of the same stuff over and over just because your'e a "fan" and therefore "have to have it", which is just an attitude you've been sold so you'll buy their stuff.
The Nov release will have DTS-ES, 30 addtional minutes (director's cut)...2 discs worth of extras. The DTS-ES is the biggest change for the Home Theater Enthusist.
Come now, people! Jupiter and Saturn are in the same house, and it's the second Saturday of the month. As a result, we love the MPAA today, which means we should all run out and grab a copy of the LOTR DVD and put down a really big nonrefundable deposit on the superduper edition coming out in November.
Man, people just don't pay attention to detail anymore... *sigh*
once all 3 movies are released on DVD there will be a special box set with all kinds of new goodies in there as well.
it is basically a hulking cash cow that I'm gonna feed like the dumbass I am.
moo.
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
"WTF such a great movie and it only gets an average DVD, this is another example of the movie industry not putting effort into less mainstream movies while true art like this is overlooked."
If they only released the movie in november...
"What the hell it took them that long to create the DVD? look i could have done that in three weeks from my basement with my computer which i built myself AND Id be making the world a better place by using linux at the same time."
My advice? rent now, buy later. options arent always a bad thing
--aiee
Then releasing the DVD in October of the next year. Most people think that a little over a year is forseeable, especially when that includes the time to manufacture the completed product.
-------- This space intentionally left blank --------
Considering I can buy the actual DVD for $14.99 versus $17.99 for an Audio CD to add to my collection. An added advantage is that I know the DVD is good. And for $15 I wont feel to bad getting the extended edition in a few months. Plus my wife has not seen it (I guess I saved $7.50 at the showhouse then plus another $7.50 for the popcorn and drink -- hell that pays for the $15....) Yep -- I have talked myself into it -- off to wally world I go,
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
By default on the Region 2 disc lines in Elvish appear in subtitles. Unfortunately they seem to be anti-alised and are nearly unreadable.
I'd have expected a bit more quality control, especially as the full subtitles are OK.
...until the 4 disk releaase.
Because, IMHO, Peter Jackson and others who would profit from this deserve to get stinking rich for what has been accomplished here. And if, later on, he wants to make a second special edition that's *4* hours long I'll buy that one too.
Normally this "double dipping" by the studios annoys me, but there are a few reasons why I don't mind at all in this case.
First, New Line announced both versions at the same time. They didn't cash in by taking our money for the first and then announcing the second.
Next, there are no duplicate supplements. It _really_ sucks to buy a new Special Edition release only to get all the same features with only one or two little things added.
Third, the price is quite reasonable. This release was available for $15.99 this week. The new release will come in under $25 (I expect we'll see $19.99), PLUS there is a $5 rebate available for buying both. So, $19.99 + $15.99 - $5 = $30.98 for SIX DVDs worth of Fellowship related material.
LordBodak's journal.
In the US go to your local KIA dealer & test drive one. Get a certificate, call the number, answer the prompts, presto 4-6 weeks later you have a Free (as in Beer, in case you couldn't figure it out) Copy of the Aug 6th release.
See: Kia's website for details!
Your complaints about being offended offend me.
I was pretty irritated with this whole thing too... I wanted to own the movie now but I wanted the collector's edition later. Then I checked the price at Best Buy.... I think they're going to sell it for $54.00 which made my decision to buy Tuesday alot easier. I'm a fan of cinema but $15.99 Vs. $54.99 is a big contrast for most people. The collector's edition has its value but thats box set pricing.
There's no gouging here, everybody's got choices. On this first DVD release, if you read the back of the box (ie: no purchase necessary) you are alerted to the fact that there's more to buy in November. I knew right away I'd be owning both, and even jumped up and down a little in the store. If you're not inclined to read the box before purchasing, you give up the right to bitch about buying too many versions.
What may disappoint me is if the 4-DVD set includes not only the extended release, but the theatrical as well. Then I *might* feel I'd wasted some money, except for the fact that I have it *now* too. NOW is a very important time for me, as I live most of my life there.
Ya well... I picked up the SVCD version off a friend and burned myself a DVD a while ago.
Sure the quality isn't as good as the official DVD, but it's enough to hold me over until November so I can get the 4-disc set.
Lets do a search on Amazon.com for Men in Black as an example. Minus the MiB2 movie and a duplicate entry, we have FOUR EDITIONS of the same DVD. "Collector's", "Deluxe", "Collector's (with DTS)", and the recently released "Limited Edition" (which I might add does NOT include a DTS track). Now, other than different combinations of extra content which most people only ever watch once -- if ever -- the only edition worth picking up here is the Collector's with DTS, because it's the only one that actually improves on the movie at all with the addition of the better audio track. Men in Black is only one example of this kind of crap. Don't even get me started on the variety of Star Wars releases, and I'm betting every time we see a new Mummy film there'll be a new release of the ones before that bring nothing new to the film.
Now that being said, my own opinion on the topic at hand, the Lord of the Rings DVDs. I'm waiting until the November release, because not only does it offer additional footage, but set includes a DTS track. From what I've seen of the specs, this set -- with the inclusion of the National Geographic dvd to go along with the movie and its own extras -- will have a great combination of additional content that may warrant more than one viewing. However first and foremost there's something there that actually adds to film itself, bringing it more to the theatrical (including more footage of course) level of sight and sound that was experienced in the theater, and that's my main reason for buying it.
Just my two cents. Or like ten cents given the length of this. :P
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
My bro-in-law (who rents part of my house) bought this version. I've seen it twice this week. This version is NOT the one in the theatre. Little bits here and there have been cut out. Some of the cuts are good (cf the ring changing sides of the table), some are a tad annoying (only 3 black riders glide past the Butterburl (sp?)).
:)
So my advice is to rent this version once or twice, to get your LOTR fix.
BTW, can I take this moment to complain about this movie? IT'S TOO GOOD! I was watching it in december and suddenly realised that DAMN i'm going to have to break down and buy a TV and DVD player. I'd been refusing to buy a player because of the DeCSS and DRM crap. And I'm philosophically opposed to television. But yesterday I bought a 32 inch screen and hooked it up to my bro-in-law's player in the basement (remember, he rents part of my house). *sigh* I guess we now know what my principals cost
The movie studios have been doing this since DVD started. Where have all you people been? This is not news. The only thing slightly different is New Line was so upfront about what is coming in November. But other movie studios are doing the same thing these days. And if they don't officially announce it you can bet really good money that a special limited edition of (insert title here) will be coming out in 6-10 months after the initial version.
I was even in Best Buy the other day and overheard an employee telling a customer to wait till November when the special edition comes out. So people are finding out, but a lot of folks just don't care. And if you do just rent it from Netflix and keep it till November. I've had Black Hawk Down from Netflix for 2 months now. A special edition for that is coming out in January or February (it keeps getting pushed back).
just rent them and make good divx rips of both copies....
Base 2 yields only ARTIFICIAL Intelligence
Rented it when it came out. Copied it into DivX.. watch it when I will until November, when I'll buy the special edition. :)
Ja, waiting until November will net you the special edition DVD. Remember there are two more movies coming out. Both of those will also have regular edition DVD's and a few months later, the "Special Edition." But wait, there's more. After all three movies are out, there is going to be the "Special Collector's Director's Edition"*. I plan to wait for that. *I do not have any special knowledge to this effect, just some logic and cynicism have lead me to this conclusion. So don't ask me for URLs.
Call me quirky because I come from a finance background and I read SlashDot...
::Colz Grigor
The value equation for you may be:
Pay $20 now for the access to the content.
Evaluate the November version to see if the additional footage is worth an incremental $30.
_If_ you decide it's worth it, the total outlay is $50.
For me, the equation is:
Avoid being shunned by my friends for not having access to FotR content between August and November. (Opportunity cost)
Buy November version.
Total outlay: $30 + the opportunity cost of having not owned access to the content for three months.
The difference in cost, and thus the debate, is this: from my perspective is three months of not being able to view the content worth $20? from your perspective is the additional footage worth $30?
The summertime market is heavily represented by rentals for viewing during vacations. The November market is heavily represented by gifts. Even among the folks that are buying the DVD this summer they will be influenced by the thought of 'should I buy this or rent it'. So it makes absolutely perfect sense to release the cheapest version with just the movie during the summer and the really nice version that you would want to give as a gift in the fall. And as others have pointed out since the cheap version is selling for $15.99 at the discount places and has a $10 coupon the net is not much different than a rental fee or two. So, you want to have it both ways, and be a hero too? Buy the $15.99 version now. Save the reciept and the coupon. Watch it a couple of times in the next month. In November buy the extended version and donate the original to your local public or school library. Between the discount, the savings of rental fees, and the deduction for the charitable donation you have a a good deed and good karma too!
The most galling thing is that there is an extensive advert for the joys of The-DVD-That-Is-Prophesised on the 2 DVD set that is now. Aaarrggh!
I pre-ordered before the 4 DVD set was mentioned - but it's important that everyone who can wait for the delux edition so that the manufacturers realise the folly of their evil ways.
www.sjbaker.org
Gouge? What are you talking about? The movie industry is just providing consumers with a choice to purchase whichever product best suits their needs! Most companies take the needs and preferences of consumers above shallow bids to gouge the market for as much money as it can get! Silly slashbots!
I pre-ordered the 4 disc extended edition on amazon.com about a month ago for $25.99.. There is also an extended collector's set you can pre order for 59.94.. Personally I think the $60 one is nothing special so I just got the $25 one.. I can wait til november to see the movie, so no I didn't buy the one that is out right now..
the current DVD comes with a coupon for $10 off the special one. Go find it on sale for $15.99 and buy it. Total cost to you for the current DVD? $5.99. I say it's worth it, and that's what I did.
I bought the 2-disc set on the 6th as well. Why? Because it's not my birthday and no one else is gonna buy it for me!
I'm not in any big rush to buy the 4-disc set. That goes on my Christmas list and someone will end up buying it for me.
So might as well lay out the $16 hard earned bucks at Wal-Mart for the 2-disc set. Hell, that means for one full week I have to skip the Venti Mochachino and just drink regular coffee from the street vendor. It's a sacrifice I can live with!
-- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
If you already have the book.
Don't get me wrong, I think FOTR was very well done, but the book is clearly superior.
If only because a book can go into much more depth than a movie ever can, due to differences in the media.
Roland
Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
Buy it, get the fix. Come november, but that one, and give this one to less geeky friends. (Such as me!)
/.'s policy of not allowing mods to post in the same topic they've modded is enforced, or merely etiquette.
(PS: Don't moderate this up: I'm trying to see if
That Jackson guy can direct himself to another time, please.
That Jackson guy can direct his account number to me, please
That Jackson guy? Peter Jackson, was it?
That Jackson guy told in an interview that he ON PURPOSE left out some key scenes in Part I which are essential to understand Part 2. They were left out in both the movie version and the current DVD version. They will be available in the November version, however.
That Jackson guy can go drain his account number into my pocket.
That Jackson guy is ever so detestable.
Screw you, Peter. Direct my dick, and I'll screw you.
"hey john (roommate), should pick up lord of the rings today, on sale at best buy for 16 dollars"
needless to say i have access to this incredible film until i buy my own copy in november. and guess who ends up the with badass jackson's director's cut? exactly.
At least they have the guts to come out and say "here's the theatrical release on DVD now, and if you want you can wait and get the special extended DVD, or just get both!". Paramount was lovely enough to not mention they were going to release re-releases of Star Trek II and III (and who knows which others are in the pipe) until months later (AFAIK!). Had I known about the new versions when the older releases came out almost a year ago, I may have waited.
Now I can decide for myself which version I want to own permanently. Of course being a fan, I'm going to get both (because the DVD released on the 6th contains the original theatrical release, while the one being released this coming November contains ONLY this extended edition, NOT the original you saw in the theatre). Had I had this choice with Star Trek II, I'd probably have waited for this Director's Cut.
I applaud them for coming out and saying ahead of both releases that there'd be two releases a few months apart. It's less like squeezing money out of fans and more like being honest.
All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
Supply, Demand. If you have everything you want, why would you buy anything else? This kind of thinking defines the American entrepreneurial spirit. Capitalism, kept in check (read, without Monopolies), works.
That Jackson guy told in an interview that he ON PURPOSE left out some key scenes in Part I which are essential to understand Part 2. They were left out in both the movie version and the current DVD version. They will be available in the November version, however. Reason? Increasing the tempo in the first version.
Ok, I get that, but why release it on dvd?
What I've yet to see anyone point out, and haven't seen anyone mention one way or the other when the DVD's were announed is: Will the 4 disc set include the original cut of the movie, or just the newer longer version.
For what it's worth I bought the recent version and my only complaint is that there is no director's commentary, that is the feature I bought a DVD player for. Picture and sound quality be damned.
until the christmas after the third movie before buying any of them. You know they will come out with the box set you must have...
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Whats with you slashbots? We already did this debate weeks ago!
Seriously, Lord of the Rings was a great movie, and I plan on buying the DVD released on August 6th, but I think there's some consensus that the movie is LOOONNNNG.
I love the story, but I don't think I could take ANOTHER thirty minutes on top of what we already have. I mean, I'm gonna have to quit my job just to watch this thing!
"But the cars are all flashing me, bright lights are passing me, I feel life passing me by" - Stiff Little Fingers
LOTR = 3 hours of my life that I can never get back :-(
...and buy in November. Not much of a conundrum, IMO :).
Yeah, 'cuz it's not like the DVD released on the 6th came with a mini-catalogue marketing LOTR rings, LOTR clothing, LOTR soap on a roap, LOTR bedroom and dining sets, LOTR cereal, and the LOTR personalized will and final wishes kit. Oh wait... yeah it did.
"But the cars are all flashing me, bright lights are passing me, I feel life passing me by" - Stiff Little Fingers
I got mine from Blockbuster as part of a deal. I paid for a 10 movie Rental card for $24.99 (or something like it, itself a cheap proposition) and got the movie free!. I could not wait. Now, I can buy the Special Edition in Nov. without guilt ;-)
to buy both discs:
The November release will not have the original cut on the disc. If you want to see the original, you must buy or rent the current release.
WWJD? JWRTFA!
Downloaded the DivX rip off this guy . . . wait until November
Dick Laurent is dead.
Enjoy it while you can, mate. Soon this sort of thing will be seen as the Evil Piracy That It Is® and you'll have a totally deserved criminal record, and your nice big tv will be impounded.
Thief!!!!!!
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
No offense intended. I'll probably take in the film sooner or later (probably when it comes round on public access TV). And I'll probably enjoy it, just as I've enjoyed viewing Blade Runner even though I read DADoES many years earlier.
Now and Later
I'm PJ's bitch (but not Romero's!)
Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
Why I have to have the first one: it's the "official" version.
Why I have to have the second one: it's got deleted scenes.
I fully expect Star Wars to do this. Expect, after ep 3 of course, a trio set released, then an epic release, then a Star Wars Universe series collectors edition that includes even more stuff including the (non movie) kid shows, like those ewok specials.
A couple things I've been wondering:
:)
First, why is LoTR's rampant merchandising "OK" while George Lucas' isn't? My brother bought LoTR the other day (more on that in a second) and it included a little flier for a replica One Ring (Chain Included, Buy Now!) and something else equally pandering which I can't remember at the moment. These in addition to the action figures and other garbage you get in the stores. I haven't heard a single complaint about this stuff.
On the other hand, I've heard numerous complaints about SW1 and SW2 products, mostly centered around George's vast greed and desire to own all money in the universe, yadda yadda yadda. Why is George Lucas "wrong" in wanting money while the LoTR crew isn't? Because you percieve the new Star Wars movies as "bad" and not worthy of making extra cash off of this stuff?
What elitist tripe. And I thought we were supposed to be above this kind of thing.
Then, there's the whole LoTR DVD issue. Yes, the same stunt was pulled with the numerous VHS versions of Star Wars, but at least they had the sense to separate their releases by more than a freakin' month! The LoTR crew is being much more blatant, but it's still no more greedy than Lucas in my opinion. Not to mention that (as I understand it) SW2's premiere edition will include gobs of 'director's cut' content, making it seem that he's being nice for a change.
Sorry for ranting, this has just been festering for a while.
we are building a religion
a limited edition
we are now accepting callers
for these pendant key chains
PLEASE, PLEASE don't say "boxen." The plural form of "box" is boxes [m-w.com]. Saying "boxen" makes it seem like you played too much D&D.
I could swear I've seen this same post a couple of times before. If you can't accept the construct "boxen" as a humorous plural of box, then you appear to be really hidebound.
However, since I just received the LOTR DVD in the mail, I'm going to leave the box, boxen, boxed-set arguments to the rest of you and go watch the movie.
I want my directors uncut
I'll buy both the releases (not the gift pack, its a little beyond what I care to have) just to reinforce companies/crews that do good projects the right way. Peter Jackson was turned down when he brought 'The Hobbit' to the studios the first time. So since New Line decided to pick up the Tolkien trilogy, I'll give them money in thanks for doing such a worthwhile movie. Thanks New Line and Peter Jackson.
Scott, Keeper of the Crystal Flame
Blockbuster had a special going on, you pay $20 and get the LOTR DVD that was just released plus 10 free rentals. What a deal!
Not only that, but they had another deal where you pay a dollar or so to join the Kid's Club, and you get one free kid's rental every day until September 30th. For the past month, my family has been hitting Blockbuster 2 or 3 times a week, and almost never do we pay anything.
Oh, and someone mentioned Blockbuster forcing the editing of movies... I gotta say, I'm *highly* skeptical of that. I see those Cinemax porn movies all over the Blockbuster shelves, why would they force an edit of a guy raping a nun? And why would they even bother to carry a limited run title like that if they had a problem with it?
That was the single most stupid comment I've ever seen on this board... sigh!
What about borrowing a book from a friend, or from a library. Would say that public library's are "pirates nest" or something like that?
There is a difference between sharing and copying/pirating here that you obviously don't see.
Most movie companies would prefer to release the theatrical version first, and then wait a year for the special version, so that fans will purchase both editions, since they won't inititally know when the Special Edition or in this case the "Extended Version" is being released. For LOTR we had ample notice of the special edition before the theatrical release, so we could either buy both or wait for the November release (which will certainly be worth the wait!). If they could have they would have released both editions at the same time, but as it is the Extended Edition is being done with lightning rapidity for such a deluxe edition. No movie has ever had such and extensive supplemental section, and especially not one done with such love and care (just wait and see). I would have been very impressed if they could have gotten the extended edition done earlier, especially when Peter Jackson is busy working on he Two Towers!
I just thought I'd add to this already very long discussion by saying why I'll be getting both.
2 Disk set - The only reason I got this set is because it's the movie on a single disk. I actually get annoyed with movies that flow over 2 disks (or sides). The break, although usually done at an opportune moment, reinforces the fact that I'm only watching a movie, and therefor doesn't allow me to become immersed in the world. This 2 disk set will allow me to become immersed in the world for the whole movie. Plus it has some funky previews of TTT...
4 Disk set - The primary reason for me wanting this box is the extras. I love to see this sort of thing, and 2 disks of it is going to rock! The fact that the movie has an extra 30 to 40 mins of footage (Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin meeting elves as they travel between the Shire and Bree for example) is going to be an extra bonus for me, and not really the main reason I get the disks.
It seems that Blue Stone is more correct on this one. The license notice with the DVD prohibits lending or viewing by more than the original owner. Even if the original owner wants to view the DVD in the presence of a large group of friends.
/.)
If we were in the US, our actions would be criminalised already. As it is, here in Europe, it will be another year or so before such an action becomes a criminal action (see several stories on NTK, the Register, and
It is a sad state of affairs when loaning materiels becomes a criminal act, and if Belgium adopts the new EUCD directive even public libraries will be forced to shut down or start charging for every book lent or read. Get a clue. The copyright corporations are buying some very bad laws, and there is nothing we can do about it until it gets so bad that everyone is a criminal and forces our politicians to revoke the bad laws.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
My post was a parody, but the underlying reality holds true. This is how things will be, legally. And it'll make a criminal out of all of us, you, me, our friends, your brother or sister, your parents and their friends; all "thieves."
:o|
Not to stick the knife in, but since my comment was parody (not serious), I guess that would make your quote "That was the single most stupid comment I've ever seen on this board... sigh!" irony.
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
There are so many "special offers" out there right now to get the DVD free that it is probably just a matter of finding which "special offer" you would already qualify to get your free movie from anyway.
So wait to buy the Extended version, and get the current release...free.
> The Kanas City Star has an article discussing the merits of each addition and touches on the issue of this being an attempt by the movie companies to gouge as much money from die-hard fans as possible." I'm waiting, but I definitely find this whole mess frustrating.
If the "die hard fans" can't keep their money in their pants and wait for the 2nd set, the studios deserve allll the money they get from them.
Im just going to test drive a Kia and get the DVD free for my trouble
I'm on my 2nd copy of LOTR on dvd and neither will play all the way through on my ps2. They both start to skip on ch 23/24 and then stop playing with a "unable to read disk" message. On sony's web site i've seen posts from several others describing the exact same problem at the same spot on the disk. I don't know if it's a bad batch of disks, or a glitch with the player but you might want to save your $ if your only dvd player is a ps2.
Yes, indeed, what WOULD a discussion of Lord of the Rings, Linux, or indeed anything be without a little Lucas-bashing thrown in for -- well, no good fucking reason at all.
Bitch, bitch, bitch. Whine, whine, whine.
If you really, really, wanted a complet collection,you would buy FOTR now on DVD and just get a the Preview for TTT (The Two Towers),and then go and buy it again in Nov. And get all the special stuff.(Like cool interviews, and a really long preview for The Two Towers. And then do the same for both The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Because then and only then you would have a complet collection...
(OR you just wait and get it in Nov....)
For me I will just rent now and buy later...
I really want to buy it now but I will just rent it and hope that satisfies me till Nov....Ok, maby rent it a couple times...
Check it out. That would really suck!!!
scientologist??
if you buy one of the special editions with the 4-hour cut, will you be able to play the original cut (ie. leave out the extra half-hour)?
This is something that would affect my decision of whether to hold off or not.
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
Having heard so much praise about the movie, this Friday I drove around pretty much all of south west Houston, looking for a rental copy of Lord of the RIngs. I finally found one [on VHS though] at a Blockbuster, and decided to take it. I swear, I have never wasted three hours of my life in such a way. What is so great ahout the movie? Is there something I'm simply not understanding? The special effects and scenery is really cool, and I really like the dwarf and his cocky attitude, but just what is the craze over this movie? I was laughing out lout when Gandalf and the other wizard [the evil one] were fighting, and they were moaning and groaning, but besides that...
Truthfully, am I the only one who thinks this [and Harry Potter] have been some of the worst movies ever released? And I thought Episode II was bad...this was like..a miliion times worse.
Maybe if it wouldn't have been so damn long, and had a real ending, not just a "we're going to make a sequel and release it in a year" finale..
Still, the movie was generic. I'd rather watch Merlin, First Knight, or even Camelot.
I too bought a DVD player and was waiting for the
same reasons.
But damn. I am very happy I bought the thing.
It kicks ass. Not perfect but I've been reading the books again and again
for 28 years and am very pleased with the movies.
Also count again. I have 4 nazgul going by butterbur.
full screen version dvd bought at target
Die-hard fans don't need to buy the movie, now or ever.
Die-hard fans didn't need a movie in the first place, because no director anywhere -- skilled as Peter Jackson or not -- could come up with a movie as good as what we've had in our heads since the first time we read Tolkien.
Your comments apply to the die-hard sheep, not the die-hard fans. And those are hardly limited to Tolkien.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Personally, I bought the two-disk set and won't be buying the November release - I'm planning to buy the three films on DVD as they come out, and then to buy the great big three-movie boxed set once all three films are available on DVD.
One big difference for me is that the Nov. extended edition cut will be avialable in DTS which is noticably superior to dolby 5.1. With the low price of 15.99 plus a $5.00 coupon off the extended edition version, I bought the 2disc set now and will get the extended version in Nov. I noticed that there are usually good introductory prices the week that a new DVD is released. So I expect to be able toget the 4 DVD set for something in the low $20 range.
Last night, was going to go see LotR at the (two-) dollar theatre, but dinner went late, so I missed the start. So, since I figured I would want it anyhow, and since I would complain at near-retail prices for used copies for a while, and since I don't feel like taking a Kia test drive for the free movie ... I bought it from the ugly blue-and-yellow logo place.
:)
Hopefully I'll get a chance to watch it soon
timothy
p.s. And then, like some other people have suggested, I will probably wait for the UltraMondoSuperDeluxe all-three-movies-and-a-kiss-from-Galadriel version. I might continue to buy the "normal" versions of the next two movies, though.
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Winterblink wrote: "Lets do a search on Amazon.com for Men in Black [amazon.com] as an example. Minus the MiB2 movie and a duplicate entry, we have FOUR EDITIONS of the same DVD. "Collector's", "Deluxe", "Collector's (with DTS)", and the recently released "Limited Edition" (which I might add does NOT include a DTS track). "
;)
Of course it doesn't. It's limited.
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5