Warner Bros, out now

Peter Jackson’s 17 Oscar-winning trilogy adaptation of Tolkien’s novels is a glorious reminder of just how good blockbuster filmmaking can be, and they really do scrub up well in 4K.

For three consecutive Christmases from 2001 we went to the cinema to watch The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, interspersed by the intermediate releases of extended versions, boosting already bloated running time… and how we loved it. Both the theatrical and extended cuts are included here, the extended cuts being so long that they fall across two discs, thus ensuring that nothing is lost in unnecessary compression.

I won’t spend time bringing you up to speed with the story – it’s essentially an epic quest with major battles and top cast – and instead focus on what you get. The first question is arguably ‘I’ve already bought these releases in multiple formats (DVD, BluRay, regular and extended) so is it really worth getting them again? The answer is a huge ‘yes!’ as this is no simple job of upscaling a previous home video release. For this gorgeous HDR version, the original camera negative has been scanned in 4K, and the digital fx shots upscaled before being integrated into the print. And it’s stunning in every detail.

The audio also benefits from this UHD release, with each version of each film now offering a Dolby Atmos track. Just wait until you’re in the Mines of Moria and you can hear the Orcs scuttling around you or the arrows whizzing across the room during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The only downside, and I guess it’s all a matter of perspective, is that you can’t discard your previous sets if you want to revisit the hours of encyclopaedic Appendices that were included, or indeed the documentaries or commentaries. These are movie-only discs, maximising the disc space for the UHD experience. But what an upgrade. The New Zealand skies have never looked bluer nor the landscape so lush.

Verdict: Released simultaneously with The Hobbit Trilogy, this could prove to be a very expensive Christmas for Tolkienites, but this sort of quality always comes at a price. Grab these precious discs and discover just what the 4K difference is. 9/10

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