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Return of the King Coming Sooner to DVD
daveewart writes "According to the BBC, the DVD for the third installment of Lord Of The Rings will go to DVD quicker than either of the first two parts of the trilogy. It is scheduled for release on 25 May, with the usual 'extended version' to follow 'at the end of the year'." Ya know, I feel like a month after I buy the extended version, they'll release the super-trilogy version with more footage.
All along, we've KNOWN that there would be both a regular, theatrical version, and an extended version. Peter Jackson simply wanted to put so much more in that he couldn't get away with showing in theaters (since after all, the longer your movie is, the fewer times you can show it a day.)
They've delivered on that promise, and they've also promised that any future releases, such as an entire trilogy box set, would have no new content. Peter Jackson isn't being "revisionist after the fact," he simply knew along there was just too much content and the movies were already too long, and they have to draw the line somewhere. Just because Lucas wants to update his movies ever 10 years doesn't mean Peter Jackson is GOING to.
If you didn't want to buy two sets, you would have known all along to wait for the extended version. Now, if the HD-DVD version has added content, people would have to be crazy to complain. Theres no way i'm going to wait until HD-DVD is out to buy a copy of the movies, so I'm just going to buy the extended now, and HD later.
On March 4th this thing had already hit the internet as a two disc dvd rip (check vcdquality's web site). I figured that I would have heard it all over the news sites over the weekend, but I guess it's under the news' radar. Who is the MPAA going to blame this copy on? Looks to me like it is a insider leak as usual. The copy is a full rip including 5.1 surround and complete menu structure. The speed at which it was leaked is amazing, still in theaters and before the DVD was even mentioned to the public. Is suing a 12 year old going to stop this?
Some Tolkien society people I know are hard at work producing a dvd version with elvish subtitles for all the english dialogue instead of the other way round. I doubt it will be available to anyone but their members, but you have to admire/fear the geek factor.
If you've played the RotK video game (out on PS2, Xbox, Gamecube and PC) you've been treated to a whole bunch of footage that most definitely didn't occur in the theatrical release. (Gandalf confronting the king of the Nazgul at the gate of Minas Tirith, far more battle footage from the Black Gate and a whole slew of other stuff that I can't remember at the moment).
This gives me great hope for the extended edition.
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
And the source.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.