Warner Bros., out now

Peter Jackson’s lengthy three-part adaptation of Tolkien’s novel hits 4K just in time for Christmas, with both theatrical and extended cuts included.

Say what you like about The Hobbit – and surely we all accept that it’s not in the same league as The Lord of the Rings and should have been two films maximum – the look and scale of the 2012 to 2014 productions has always impressed. New 4K transfers supervised by director Jackson reveal a level of detail hitherto unseen, with these discs likely to be used as check discs to showcase the range of UHD and the vibrancy of HDR.

Of course, it helps that there was such a good quality original to work from, and thankfully these are regular 24fps versions rather than the High Frame Rate versions shown in some cinemas. All three movies have new Dolby Atmos audio, meaning that you feel fully immersed in the battles, not that the previous DTS-HD wasn’t already excellent.

There’s a separate disc for each extended and theatrical cut rather than branching from one disc, and you get the sense that every available bit of storage was used up in the mastering of these discs. I used Smaug’s Lair as a test of the transfer, and the piles of gold are blindingly crisp, the wily dragon’s voice bouncing round the room as he appears from the shadows.

However, before you take your existing Hobbit Blu-ray sets to the charity shop, be aware that these are just the movies. If you enjoyed ploughing through the documentaries, commentaries, on-set diaries and hours of other value-added material, they aren’t included in this collection. These are also just 2D versions, should you have also bought the 3D special editions

Verdict: With such a hefty price tag, some might feel aggrieved that these are vanilla releases. But considering the superb pictures and sound, we are talking the finest hand-picked gourmet Madagascan vanilla. 9/10

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