14. Lord of the rings extended cut, 2001-2003, Peter Jackson
The big one, I just got done watching all 6 discs again. Quite an achievement for a movie to be able to keep your interest for 10 hours and 53 minutes. (excluding the 68 minutes combined end titles) I waited for the blu-ray version to be released before getting the extended edition. The actual visual upgrade was a bit dissappointing after the long wait. Not too surprising as the movie was originally mastered in 2K, while shot in soft focus with flat lighting, no doubt to make it blend better with all the cgi. It was also a learning process with new technology, you can see the visual upgrades in two towers and return of the king. (with the disadvantage that the cgi sticks out more in return of the king)
Although it might not have aged as well as Alien or even Ben Hur due to tech limitations, the advantages of cgi are obvious. Lotr offers a rich and vast fantasy world that would have been far too time consuming and costly to create otherwise. And it still had to be split in 3 parts and be about a story everyone knows (of) to be lucrative enough to take on.
I prefer the extended edition over the theatrical release as it balances the journey parts better against the fight scenes imo. The journey is what draws me most to the movie. The vast landscapes, dangerous places and amazing cities. Quite different from how I had imagined it while reading the book, and actually even better in places. Great performances by Frodo, Sam and Smeagol too. (they deserved some more screen time in the first half of return of the king imo)
Overall an excellent movie that sucks you into its world for 11 hours, something only a repetivive rpg can otherwise offer. Not bound by episodic format restraints I prefer this kind of triple movie deal over a series like Game of thrones.
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