I don't watch movies for how accurate the snow is shown. If everything else looks far better and the snow isn't perfect, I don't really care. I still don't see anything wrong with it and enjoy that image *far* more than the green-drenched one or the other one which looks cartoonish in comparison.
Technically the "ROTK" review doesn't "go public" until Sunday, as that's when I'll post it on the main page. But I already uploaded it! I'll say this: the dated VFX didn't distract me at all, and I think Gollum holds up remarkably well for a CG creature rendered almost 20 years ago! I'm honestly not that sure a re-done Gollum would work much better!
I didn't say you watched movies for how accurate the snow is shown. As for what's wrong with the BD theatrical version screengrab, it has worse definition and slightly green tint relative to the 4K screengrab. I'll check out the 4K itself before making further observations.
I first read the trilogy in the late '70s/early '80s as a pre-teen (I remember seeing the animated Hobbit at the the time; just saw it yesterday for the first time in 40 years with my 7-year-old - that definitely hasn't held up well in many ways, but it's a good primer for a neophyte)... I was a fanatic about the Tolkien books at the time, but by the time the movies came out my fanaticism was a mere shadow of its former self... I was pretty disappointed by the LOTR movies at the time - especially the fact that everybody looked so clean with every hair stylishly out of place no matter how long the fellowship wandered without bathing (which still bugs me) - but after repeated viewings on television over the last ten years, I've grown much more fond of them... Jackson's Hobbit trilogy is a completely different matter, though...
I bought the extended edition blu ray set years ago and only cracked it open a few weeks ago to test out my upgraded surround sound set-up. Kiddos are now old enough where I think they might enjoy so I'm hoping we can watch all three over the winter. I've only seen the original theatrical cuts (in the theater.)
Apparently that was a mistake somewhere in the mastering. Somehow it got through and once it was out they didn't own up to it. Didn't offer a new version. "2001" got a replacement disc because of an extended 2 sec scene or something like that. It wasn't a big deal at all, 99.5% would not have notice it. But they still did it.
That's why I say I'm sore. They put that crap out and when complaints started coming in they chose to be dicks about it and played the "artistic choice" card. So the fact that they took our money for flawed product and lied about it like we're dumb left a real bad taste in my mouth. I want a good-colour, hi-def Fellowship, but I'm not paying for the new version unless I come across it dirt cheap.
Am I the only one that can't see the pics? Asking because, in case, I can try fixing my browser. Thanks
That greenish snow on the Extended "Fellowship of the ring" is an abomination. And the green tint is not on "2 Towers" and "Return of the king". Was "Fellowship" the only one that needed "artistic" green on it? Thankfully I also have the theatrical versions on blu ray.
Lord of the Rings, The: The Motion Picture Trilogy (4K UHD Review) Reviews on the other two films are equally glowing. Now to hope that the big box set next year with 4K Blu-rays, standard Blu-rays and extras will also have the fixed color grade.
I got the 4k yesterday and watched part of Fellowship last night on my bedroom LG OLED. Stunning. A huge upgrade in every way. The reviews on Home Theater Forum and The Digital Bits are spot on. Haven't checked blu-ray.com yet.
Their reviews are up but it appears they do not have 4K screenshots at this time, for those that that's important to.
I was holding off on the 4K until I could see some reviews. Good to hear some positive press about it.
I just sampled the 4K theatrical Blu-Rays on my HDR eyeball-calibrated display. Very happy with the restorations although I feel the price was somewhat hefty for just the 3 films. Fellowship had the most problems with some soft-focus scenes, and on some shots, more-noticeable-than-I-would-have-liked noise reduction giving a bit of a waxy appearance -nothing too awful though, and probably not noticeable to most people. The color-grading was near perfect (the SFX compositing on some shots was apparent but not bad, even by today's standards). HDR highlights were tastefully done and brought a realistic "pop" to the picture, though some indoor scenes were not as dynamic as I would have liked (at least on my 3 year-old HDR Panasonic display). These little "defects" progressively disappeared with the next two films, and Return of the King looking positively demo-worthy on the whole. All the dark scenes looked great with previously unseen details and perfect color-timing, most of the outdoor scenes and battles were very dynamic and pinpoint sharp. I don't have Atmos capability, only 5.1, but the mixes also have been improved compared to the originals, with dialogue sitting perfectly alongside the huge hyper-detailed rambunctious action sequences, with very accurate positioning and fidelity at every moment. The LFE channel was used often but convincingly and tastefully. I also felt the music was perfectly balanced.
Even though I greatly dislike what was done with and to The Hobbit, I ordered it for the visual feast. I think things generally have to be done in comparison and the 4k blows the HD by a mile especially in color and contrast. The Moria scenes in Fellowship and the fly through into Saruman's forges are stunning just to pick a couple. Will watch ROTK this weekend
So far I just sampled the 4K theatrical versions, but my assessment of the picture quality would be something like Fellowship: 8.75/10 Towers: 9/10 King: 9.5/10 I expect the better compression of the extended cuts will yield slightly better results. The bitrate of the first two averages 65Mbps while Return of the King, being much longer, is more around 54Mbps which is still high. The extended cuts are said to be in the 100Mbps range, which is the highest I have ever seen (on the Color Out of Space 4K).
If you read the forum posts on Blu-Ray.com, most of them think the 4K LOTRs are among the worst things ever created. Some people on there are crazy and apparently pause every second of a movie to find all the flaws. I am glad I don't have that much time. I think the 4K discs are the best versions of the movies by far.
Yeah I've read some of that. People are are a bit crazy. I'm sure it will look good in motion. That's the point with a film right? I do believe that they are right about this being a 2K to 4K upscale though. A new 4K scan from 35mm should yield more detail than the old 2K master, but that is not the case here from the screenshots I've seen
I believe the whole thing is from the old 2K DI master. There isn't a leap in detail to be found on the non effects shots. Only the colors and lighting and stuff like that has been changed (for the better)
You don't get that kind of detail back with an upscale: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring • UK Extended Edition Ultra HD Blu-ray vs. UK Extended Edition Blu-ray
