The guardian part 1 14 If you re upgrading straight from the

The guardian part 1 14 If you re upgrading straight from the extended DVDs, having bypassed the theatrical Blu-rays, you re in for perhaps even a bigger treat than the wonderful visuals the DTS-HD Master Audio mixes for the Extended Edition Blu-rays are a downright audio rollercoaster, a dynamic feast for the ears. The bass is the guardian part 1 14 startling in spots, and Howard Shore s iconic score is delivered with heart-tugging fidelity. The louder bits are louder; the quieter bits are quieter; and through it all, dialogue rings through with the utmost of effortless clarity. All of the commentaries from the Extended DVDs have carried over, as well, along with the Easter Eggs, and a point that may disappoint some, but not me the two-disc-per-film structure, which I m going to guess is a significant contribution to this set s visual superiority over the theatrical release although there are enough differences in color and contrasts that less compression alone simply can t account for all the improvements. Each film also comes with three DVDs worth of extras: the complete Appendices from the Extended Edition DVD sets, as well as Costa Botes candid behind-the-scenes documentaries that graced the Original Theatrical Extended Limited Edition DVD release. The former are all presented in anamorphic widescreen, while the latter are unfortunately letterboxed only, meaning you ll have to deal with not only black bars above and below, but also black or gray bars on the left and right of the image, as well. It s a shame the docs couldn t have been reformatted to 16:9; despite the fact that no additional resolution would have been gained, it would be handy not to have to hit the Zoom button every time I pop the guardian part 1 14 discs in. But such is life. That s my only real complaint about the set as a whole. I can see some fans complaining about the packaging, though. And perhaps they ll have a point; the three five-disc cases included in the magnetically sealed slipcase don t have quite the same aesthetic elegance as their DVD brethren did. Much less so if you had the deluxe box sets with Sideshow statues and an extra DVD apiece. But function wins out the guardian part 1 14 form for me in this case. It s much easier to flip through these cases, in contrast to having to unfold the delicate cardboard wallet of discs that the DVDs came in, especially in the dark, between discs of the same film. What else can I say, really? If you ve never seen the Extended Editions of the films, you re missing out on one of the greatest achievements in cinematic history. Even if you loathed the films in theatrical form as I did The Two Towers you owe it to yourself to give these a shot. And if you ve never dug through the hours and hours and more hours of amazing featurettes in the Appendices, you re denying yourself perhaps the most fascinating, entertainment, enlightening movie-making exposös ever committed to video. It s hard for me to imagine anyone who hasn t seen the films or the Appendices, but if you ve waited this long, you re certainly going to be doing it right the first time. Even if Jackson makes good in his promise to further tinker with the films and release even more extras down the road, this Extended Edition Blu-ray release is the pacifier we deserved to begin with. And if not if this is all we re going to get I don t feel slighted one bit. Hate filling out the form below every time you comment? Want to keep track of your comments on one page? Sign up for an account or Login to your existing account. Its free, and we promise we wont spam you. Notify me of follow-up comments? Email me with Contests, Big Announcements, and Breaking News. We WILL NOT spam you or sell your information. Privacy policy Comment painlessly, without having to fill out your information every time Will the iPad shake up the touchpanel remote control market? Almost certainly, but thatÁs not necessarily a bad thing according to one of the worldÁs most renowned installers. What a dramatic expose of an album.