Here we go again. You might recall last years Lord of the Rings controversy, regarding the questionable image quality of the Blu-ray transfers on the discs in the theatrical edition boxed set. Particularly the soft, noise-reduced presentation of the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring. Well, the boxed set of the Extended Editions of the films, due out next week, seems to be rousing the ire of film fans who’ve had the opportunity to screen it early. This time around, however, it’s not the quality of the transfer that’s at issue.
Both critics and fans agree that the these new Blu-ray transfers, supervised and approved by director Peter Jackson and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, look detailed and film-like. Far and away superior offerings to the Theatrical edition discs. Both critics and fans are also in agreement that the colour grading of Fellowship has been tweaked. There’s no argument there. But the tweaks themselves are proving divisive, with some claiming that the tonal shift is too harsh, at times harsh enough to eat into detail.
Theatrical edition on left. Extended image, right. Images via blubrew.com. Click to enlarge.
While screengrabs and digital rips aren’t the best way to judge the changes (images and chunks of film can’t be accurately assessed out of context and through different, more compressed mediums) it’s best to be aware that the Fellowship you see in the new Blu-ray set, won’t look exactly like the same old film you’re used to. That said, early reviews from critics are unanimously positive, the colour shift a veritable non-issue on a properly calibrated setup.
What do you think of the re-imagined colour timing? Is Jackson making the right move, continuing to fiddle with his films? Will you be picking up this new boxed set of Blu-ray discs when it hits shelves in just over a week or will you be awaiting the eventual Ultimate Collector’s Edition with all 3 Rings films, the 2 upcoming Hobbit films and all the extras?
UPDATE: Just a little note to point you towards Amazon.ca to purchase the boxed set, if you’re so inclined. Right now The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Limited Extended Edition) is selling for only $64.99!
See more images and read the full review at blubrew.com.
Read film-archivist Robert A. Harris‘ take on the Blu-ray set and the reactions of fans and fellow critics at the Home Theater Forum.
Read Bill Hunt‘s excellent, well thought out review at The Digital Bits.
[...] Here it is, the big day… come yet again! It was a few months past a year ago that we were all snapping up the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray boxed set that included the theatrical cuts of the trilogy. You might recall that there was a lot of dissatisfaction with that release, specifically in regards to the very soft transfer of The Fellowship of the Ring. Much was made about the fact that the production team went back and supervised new transfers for the extended versions of the three films and that those updated, more detailed presentations would be the ones that would appear on the Blu-ray discs. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when review copies of the massive, 15-disc boxed set began showing up in the hands of the press and wouldn’t you know it, but controversy regarding the transfer of Fellowship erupted once again. [...]