Lord of the Rings, The: Book V – The War of the Ring

Review by mullholland665 — July 23, 2010 @ 7:30 am

Tremendous.

Such a new experience to see the lead-up and siege of Gondor assembled without any cuts away to Sam and Frodo’s story. I didn’t see the orginal cut of Book 5 before Kerr made some changes, but as this DVD stands now, most sequences gels together very nicely indeed. 10/10.

Review by Brumous — June 20, 2011 @ 10:22 pm

This is an action filled episode all about preparing for the battle of Minas Tirath, the battle itself, and the aftermath. Kerr’s consolidation really helps make sense out of the storyline, a major improvement over the original with its frenetic intercutting and relatively confusing choreography of scenes. Kerr’s technical work here is tremendous, producing a smoothly flowing reconstruction with only one seam that I noticed (cut from night to day during the battle for Osgiliath). In fact the editing is so smooth, it spotlights some sequences where the original feels choppy, like Éowyn’s abbreviated recovery and romance with Faramir.

The battle itself is more enjoyable with Kerr’s numerous subtle cuts and rearrangements. The battle is more linear and realistic seeming, the pacing is more lively, and events and characters are truer to the elevated noble tone of the book.

Once again, the new beginning and ending are outstanding and make a perfect frame for the episode.

I saw a Peter Jackson interview where he said he created the individual storylines first, and then intercut them to make the final film version. I think that explains why the individual stories reassemble so well, but great fandediting is a necessary part of the equation also. 10/10.

Review by chancer127 — December 16, 2010 @ 6:30 pm

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Review by BigDamnHero — April 11, 2011 @ 4:57 pm

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Review by WyndorfDave — May 18, 2011 @ 7:10 am

*This rating was given before reviews were required*