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And so it ends: What started as an industry-buzzing risk by New Line Cinema to make movie versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's massive three-pronged fantasy tome has emerged a decade later not as a mere sci-fi/fantasy nerd curio, but as one of the more viable film franchises of recent memory. Outdoing Star Wars' newest incarnation in terms of audience engagement and repeat viewings, The Lord of the Rings movies are the mass-market adventure films of the early century; three outrageously long fantasy epics that have received not just viewer approval but almost unanimous critical kudos (The Return of the King won 11 Oscars earlier this year).

On DVD, however, the films have provided an entertainment revolution of sorts. The four-disc 'extended' versions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers don't just showcase DVD as a wonderful way to enjoy the films you loved in theatres, they come violently close to rendering the theatrical versions of their pictures incidental. With each of these three 'extended' versions clocking in around the four-hour mark, they make the 180-minute cuts of their pictures in theatres look like Cliffs Notes.

The long and the short of it is that any fan of the series who has affinity with Tolkien's original work will undoubtedly find these mega-versions vastly superior to their already-great theatrical brethren. For those who start dozing when they think of walking trees or elves or short Hobbit people with hairy feet, the idea of more Lord of the Rings may seem interminable, but let them stay in the other room: These 'extended' cuts are everything fans of the films could want out of a home viewing experience.

And The Return of the King is the grandmaster of them all. Entering your DVD player armed with just under an hour of extra footage - AN HOUR! - this four-disc bonanza of swordplay, epic battle and wildly imaginative adventure will ruin your weekend: Not only are there 4+ hours of movie to worry about, but this set offers four commentary tracks (that brings us to 20 hours) and two bonus discs filled with a solid 450 minutes of supplemental material (that makes for about 28 hours total) - not to mention still galleries and special Easter egg goodies. Just remember to stay hydrated during your couch-bound journey.

Still not sure you're willing to shell out another thirty bucks on The Lord of the Rings? Watch it once and you'll change your mind. Aren't you curious as to what happened to Saruman (Chistopher Lee)? His death scene in the film is a delicious blend of evil and smarmy bloodlust - and we even get a short throwback to Saruman's and Gandalf's wizard fight in the first film (Disc 1, Chapter 4, 00.11.19, 00.18.20). And one of the creepiest creatures in this 'extended' version gets a scene all to himself that had no home in the theatrical version: 'The Mouth of Sauron' involves a dark knight with the creepiest mouth you've ever seen. And what happens when he thinks he's better than Aragorn? Buh-bye, creepy guy (Disc 2, Chapter 26 (64), 01.00.46, 01.04.27).

But don't just focus on the new stuff: The Return of the King as a full, vibrant whole is the real treasure here. Peter Jackson describes The Lord of the Rings as the biggest home movie ever made on the documentary, and he's right: It's easy to get emotionally involved in these pictures, and all the critical attention the films get are rightly deserved, but there's a fun to the development of narrative in Jackson's LOTR that not even Tolkien manifested. In each frame of these movies (and for those keeping track, there are over one million frames of film here), you can sense the child-like glee that Jackson and his team are having with the mere act of filmmaking.

Cameras dart here and there, wars are waged with thirty trillion soldiers (of various monstrous descent) all wielding swords and clubs, elephants charge across the horizon: Where George Lucas and his team want to impress you with their state-of-the-art CGI effects-as-paintings, one feels when watching LOTR that while Peter Jackson has the forefront of filmmaking technology at his fingertips, what he really wants to do is play an elaborate fantasy game of cowboys and Indians in the backyard with you.

This involvement, this apparent - even aggressive - desire of the Jackson camp to engage its audience in a decidedly visceral way is what sets the film apart. I don't know how these films will look ten or twenty years from now, but for now these 'extended' editions are quintessential mainstream fare. And Return of the King is the most impressive of the lot - a mammoth undertaking that provides a fitting, emotional coda to the results of the best decision (both in terms of film and DVD) that New Line Cinema will ever make.

VIDEO: HOW DOES THE DVD LOOK?

If you thought the last batch were top-notch, take a deep breath and let the roller-coaster ride begin: This Return of the King video transfer is quite simply the embodiment of why every film lover should own a DVD player.

First of all, the integration of old footage with new footage is seamless and impressive. Typically DVD-exclusive 'directors cuts' (like the new Highlander 2 DVD version or even, say, the Star Wars Trilogy) have state-of-the-art technology behind the special effects in their new versions, but they're obviously not kosher with the rest of the film. Not to beat a dead horse, but while it's great to have the panorama-enhancing CGI effects in Star Wars - after all, more cool stuff is always welcome - it just doesn't look like the original movie. In Return of the King, however, everything blends together perfectly, as though it was meant to be this way. And this picture is spread over two full discs, so bit rates tend to be keenly high.

The 2.35:1 Anamorphic transfer of ROTK is simply stunning. It goes without saying that black levels and color contrast is crisp and vigorous - if, perhaps, aggressively so (painting with computers can be a little harsher on the eye than simple paint-and-water, after all) - and the differences between flesh tones and tan/beige backgrounds in certain scenes and eye-poppingly rich saturated hues in others is extraordinary. There is no bleed or smear in terms of overall flesh tones or similar color juxtaposition, and textures are detailed and crystal clear - even in the film's widest shots. Shadowing is also not a problem for the ROTK DVD team, nor are there any appearances of halos around sharper objects or compression artifacting.

For reference - and, yes, I know it's kind of a predictable example - take a peek at the introduction of Shelob (Disc 2, Chapter 2, 00.02.00, 00.10.05): This chiaroscuro scene showcases a) how stellar the visual effects in this film really are, and b) how wonderfully they're presented in a potentially over-dark scene such as this one. All the while in this stunning sequence, production footage, VFX and a wonderful manifestation of color-timing pervade the entire visual scope of ROTK with amazing results.

Don't be fooled: This is the real deal.

AUDIO: HOW DOES THE DVD SOUND?

The Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS ES 6.1 soundtracks here are equally earth-shattering (this mix will literally make your teeth chatter!). Stereo separation, exploitation of dynamic range, utilization of surround channels for atmospherics as well as more prominent sound cues (not to mention a deliciously-mixed score mix) - all presented excellently. Ambience is also consistently well-developed and discrete effects are both positioned and executed with seamless integration with the rest of the mix.

If you need to be immediately convinced, check out the invasion of Osgiliath (Disc 1, Chapter 18, 01.02.59, 01.04.25): Over a slow, minute-long build-up, it's apparent how the sound designers here involved the viewer in the mix. These orcs don't just show up and start fighting - they creep in from all sides and this exemplary sound mix personifies how surrounded our weak armies are against them at this point in the movie. Killer.

If your system is equipped for it, the DTS mix is - by a slim margin - the mix to choose here, if just for the out-of-this-world rumble that accompanies the film's exhaustive battle scenes. Imaging across all channels is simply invisible, and pans from front to back are executed with finesse and splendid usage of range. And high- and low-ends are both wonderfully noticeable for their thorough manipulation of frequency response and placement. Crank it.

Also included are a 2.0-channel Dolby Surround mix, English and Spanish subtitles, and closed captions.

SUPPLEMENTS: WHAT GOODIES ARE THERE?

As I mentioned earlier, the most prized 'supplement' here are the deleted scenes (50 minutes' worth) that are incorporated back into the film. However, I'm not exactly the best resource for you: After seeing the Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers special editions, I staged a political battle against the summertime double-disc releases of Lord of the Rings pictures. Sure, it's nice to see the films again, but these mega-editions blow their earlier incarnations out of the water. All this is to say that I don't own a copy of the original DVD releases of any of the three LOTR movies, so I can't tell you exactly what's added to the film.

I do know, however, that there are fourteen (!) brand-new scenes incorporated into this film (insert your ROTK Extended Edition disc in your PC to play these scenes with one mouse click... exclusively on dvdfile):

There are also twenty-two 'extended' scenes in the picture. Amazing. If this doesn't make your mouth water as a LOTR nerd, you're reading the wrong review.

On to the screen-specific audio commentaries: First, the director and writers - Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens - and while everyone has marvelous insight to the creative impetus of the film, this time it's Peter's show. Discussing why certain scenes were tossed out for the theatrical cut, what it meant saying goodbye to the franchise - check out the trio's discussion of a shot that was prepared one way for investors at the Cannes Film Festival and then executed the opposite way (!) for the final film (Disc 1, Chapter 5, 00.18.25, 00.18.52) - as usual, extraordinary.

The design team has their finest commentary moment here, as well. This writer has always felt that the design perspective on these films has been outrageously interesting, but where there have always been nuggets of great info to grasp onto in commentaries past, as a whole, they've been somewhat uneven. Here, however, things are different - the discussion of ideas and visions of Tolkien and how they transformed themselves into cinematic form are fantastic here. Design team members - production designer Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, creative supervisor Richard Taylor, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, supervising art director Dan Hennah, art department manager Chris Hennah and workshop manager Tania Rodger (costume designer Ngila Dickson, who appeared on TFOTR's extended commentary, is still missing here - a shame) - offer great anecdotes and dissections of every aspect of the pre-production process in wonderfully thorough ways. A highlight: Various members talk about how physically heavy certain elements of the film's design really were - so much for thinking CGI is just a bunch of zeros and ones (Disc 2, Chapter 12, 00.35.50, 00.36.33)!

The production and post-production team also has a lot to offer, and because there are so many people involved and everyone has such rapturously interesting perspectives on this swan song Tolkien experience, this commentary is a step up from the above-average tracks on earlier extended-edition Lord of the Rings DVD releases. Producer Barrie M. Osborne, executive producer Mark Ordesky, co-producer and editor Jamie Selkirk, additional editor Annie Collins, co-producer Rick Porras, composer Howard Shore, visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel, supervising sound editors Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins, animation designer Randy Cook, VFX art director Christian Rivers, VFX cinematographer Brian Van't Hull, miniatures director of photography Alex Funke and visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri all contribute here, and where other LOTR commentary tracks from this crew had their dry patches, this one is top-notch all the way through. [For example, check out sound editor Ethan Van der Ryn's discussion of how certain orc sounds were originally made by chickens (!) (Disc 1, Chapter 21, 01.10.37, 01.10.56) (The Two Towers editor Mike Horton, additional editor Jabez Olssen, visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri, and director of photography Andrew Lesnie, who appeared on TTT's production and post-production commentary track, don't show up here)

Then there's the cast: While not consistently as revelatory as other commentary tracks here, the men and women in front of the camera in ROTK nevertheless have a big handful of good stories to share with us. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Lawrence Makoare, Smeagol and Gollum (Serkis in character) all throw out some funny and revealing anecdotes about being associated with this wondrously successful and resonant series. And if you think the cast is all tears and hugs at the end, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd convince you otherwise - their discussion of whether Viggo was clean-shaven or bearded during his wedding scene is a hoot (Disc 2, Chapter 38, 01.35.42, 01.36.05).

Now onto the supplemental discs: Disc Three is the fifth installment of Extended Version Lord of the Rings Materials (titled here "The War of the Ring"), and it houses stuff that, for fans, is essential material. Some of the stuff here is a bit similar to the bonus documentaries on the first two films' editions - after all, with this wealth of material, one can't help a bit of overlap - but it's still worth getting through every feature here.

The best way to do it is to select the Play All function at the top of the root menu here: And first up is a Peter Jackson introduction (2 minutes) that brings us right into the wonderful - and melancholy - world of Return of the King (after all, it is the last Lord of the Rings movie!). We then get another documentary look at Tolkien's legacy in "J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth" (30 minutes), a behind-the-scenes doc, "From Book to Script: Forging the Final Chapter" (25 minutes), and - most interestingly - a deleted animatic, "Aragorn Battles Sauron" (5 minutes), that lets you know that even though this mother of a movie is bursting at the scenes at 4+ hours, there was even more material that was left by the wayside. Amazing.

Then we get to more pre-production-oriented material: "Designing Middle-earth" is a predictably self-explanatory doc (40 minutes), as are the "Weta Workshop", "Big-atures", and "Costume Design" featurettes also included here (47, 20, and 12 minutes long, respectively). These features give a bit more information as to the specifics of The Return of the King within the Lord of the Rings pantheon, but they're very similar in feel - and in explanation - to their brethren on earlier discs (while excellently done, they're the toughest to get through - you feel as though you've been here before). Next is a 30-minute "House of the Horse Lords" documentary, an interactive Middle-earth atlas (very cool), and - for travelers, a stand-out bonus - an interactive New Zealand as Middle-earth feature that shows the real-life locales of your favorites scenes from Lord of the Rings. It makes you want to move there right now.

Then come the production galleries - with optional audio commentary, there are 50+ galleries here to get through - on miniatures, sets, locations, characters - you name it. Whew

But if that's not enough, there's a FOURTH DISC (!!!) of material, just like the last two extended-version films, that dives into the production aspect of ROTK. Entitled "The Passing of an Age", this is where die-hard LOTR fans (like myself) might want to have hankies nearby - it's quite bittersweet.

Billy Boyd, Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan offer an introduction to this part of the disc (2 minutes), and then we dive straight into the goods: The documentary "Cameras in Middle-earth" is a sprawling 73-minute look at the similar but more developed and creatively-finessed camera technology used to bring this final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy to life, and the "WETA Digital" doc (42 minutes) is equally exhaustive and revelatory. "Editorial: Completing the Trilogy" is a 22-minute documentary regarding the cutting and pasting of shot footage to create the boggling template of ROTK, and then "The End of All Things" (21 minutes), a look at ROTK's final hours before completions, and "The Passing of an Age", which is the tear-inducing documentary where you are forced to watch your beloved hobbits, elves and ents say goodbye for the last time (25 minutes).

There is also a "Music for Middle-earth" featurette (22 minutes) and a "Soundscapes of Middle-earth" (22 minutes) featurette that look at the aural components of a film of ROTK's scope and heft, as well as a 32-minute documentary on Cameron Duncan, "The Inspiration for 'Into the West'", as well as two of Cameron's short films, "DFK6498" and "Strike Zone". As Jackson describes him, Cameron was a young filmmaker with amazing prowess and career potential who was struck with cancer too early in his life. This testament to this talented artist is quite warm-hearted and earnest - well done.

Then we get a cool multi-angle visual effects demonstration with the "Mumakil Battle" (with optional commentary from various members of the WETA crew including Richard Moore and Eric Saindon) that shows the unbelievable effort that went into putting this astonishing battle sequence together. Oh, and there's another still gallery here - if you're not totally exhausted by the time you get to it.

DVD ROM- WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT THE DISC INTO YOUR COMPUTER?

An exclusive website is available when you have any of the discs in your DVD-ROM drive. It contains six beautifully presented sections, featuring content that's easy to get excited about:

A Journal for the Ages - create your own journal, Lord of the Rings style. Also includes personalizable stationery, bookmarks, calendars, desktop images and more.

Constructing Middle Earth - see and zoom in on the detailed plans for sets constructed for the LOTR movies. The plans are linked to video clips of the scenes that take place in these sets.

The Murals of Rivendell - view the artwork that adorns the walls of Rivendell and read comments by their artist.

Saruman's Book - explore Saruman's book, and view comments by its artist/creator.

Character Palantir - graphically represented information about the characters and how they relate to each other. Includes video clips and printable portraits.

Cast and Crew Palantir - discography of cast and crew and how they relate to each other. Uses an interactive Venn Diagram format.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Oh, buy it. Who are you kidding? And if you already have it or don't want it, I can almost guarantee you that someone you know wants it. Perfect transfers, more extras than any DVD nerd could think possible - and the prices in our upon-us holiday bonanza will be way cheaper than its list price of $39.99. Don't miss it. Essential.

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