TTT DVD: A Review
Some Obsessions Are Less Harmful Than Others....My Precious
Even if you have seen TTT a dozen or more times (and if you are reading this review, you have), TTT 2-disc DVD is a sure late summer buy. The movie itself is exactly what you left in the theatres and worth having but the second disc is where you will get your money's worth. Although a number of the features you have probably seen on television (On The Set of Lord of the Rings, Return to Middle Earth and Sean Astin's short film), the featuretts and sneak peeks of TTT extended version and ROTK should be enough to keep Ringers chomping at the bit for the next few months.
Once again, cool Kiwi ingenuity decrees that actors give interviews without nervous PR people from New Line Cinema standing behind the camera making wild hand gestures when actors, as they will invariably do, start telling stories out of school. Somehow, Peter Jackson's low key approach to dealing with the voracious and unending demand for all things LOTR seems to work when he allows cameras into the editing room and calmly gives viewers a snapshot in (production) time as to where WETA is in terms of wrapping up ROTK. That the 'bigggest battle of all time' (i.e., The Battle of the Pelennor Fields) is still in the art concept phase should bother viewers not at all. The one scene of hundreds of warriors on horse back thundering across the Pelennor Fields was enough to give WETA personnel a thrill of a lifetime. Add to that the news that Aragorn will indeed brave The Paths of The Dead in ROTK and it's enough. For now, that is.
Some of the more fun interviews involve Viggo Mortensen vaguely trying to recount how many times he had killed each stuntman (hint: he lost count after 50) and the surprisingly sweet looking Brad Dourif, who could easily pass as someone's soccer dad, earnestly explaining his character with eye-wide charm. Nobody should miss the real Karl Urban., aka, Eomer. And we thought the blond wig was fetching. Also, Billy Boyd, very much the local boy made good, with his rustic Scottish accent and charm, tells a good tale by giving viewers some insight into his characters' development in ROTK as well as the much anticipated Ent Draught scene from TTT extended version. And of course, Wood and Astin, very much the Southern California Hollywood boys, are on hand to lend some insight into the continued quest that Frodo and Sam undertake as they claw their way to Mount Doom. There is even a bit from Sean Bean (Boromir) involving a flashback scene that made it into the extended version of TTT but we won't spoil the fun, buy the 2-disc set and see for yourself
More fun is to be had when the cameras take viewers back to WETA and those fun loving techies who are the genius behind the special effects. Under the ever charming direction of brilliant Rick Cook, WETA seems to have no problems with showing fans exactly how they create special effects, including how horses were digitally scanned so that dangerous stunts would not be performed using live animals. This clever mention should also put to rest all those unkind rumors that horses might have been mistreated during the filming of the trilogy. It's kind of hard to abuse a digital version of a living being. Though Andy Sirkis, plunging into freezing waters as Gollum, might cheerfully disagree.
In summary, while Ringers count down the days to the extended version and finally, the preview of ROTK, the two-disc set serves as another teaser of great things to come and a reminder that nobody makes cinematic history quite like WETA. The production company continues to have an amazing knack for not only letting viewers in but taking them along for the ride.
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