Overview: Celebrate 20 years of adventure and friendship as Warner Bros. releases the Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition, timed to the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The 31-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth saga contains new special features along with the theatrical and extended versions of all six films in 4K Ultra HD and on Blu-ray discs remastered from the 4K master. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be released on November 16th, 2021.

Blu-ray Verdict: This simply INCREDIBLE, 31-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes the theatrical and extended versions of the six films from New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures in 4K UHD with HDR - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Ultimate Collector’s Edition comes in unique “Puzzle Box” collectible packaging and includes a 64-page booklet featuring costumes, photography and production notes from the film, and art cards featuring travel posters and images from iconic locations throughout Middle-earth including The Shire, Lake-Town, Erebor, Anduin, Rohan, Minas Trith, and Rivendell.

Also included are the original Cannes Film Festival presentation reel, and footage from the recent Alamo Drafthouse cast reunion featuring director Peter Jackson along with cast members Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellan, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortenson, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood.

As for the six (6) films themselves, I think we all know what they are about and what they represent for the series, let alone this MAGNIFICENT box-set, but here’s a quick little synopsis on all of them for you anyway:

The Hobbit Trilogy opens on An Unexpected Journey (2012), when Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug!

Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s precious ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... a simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know!

Director Peter Jackson has few equals when it comes to special effects, especially the digital kind. This adapted prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is rampant with the effects as Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and a motley crew of thirteen dwarfs (not as cute by far as Snow White’s), under the leadership of Thorin (Richard Armitrage), go searching for the lost dwarf kingdom of Eredor to reclaim it from the dragon Smaug.

It’s an arguably long opening sequence, where Gandalf tries to enlist the happy Bilbo to become a burglar to win back the Lonely Mountain, to bring the dwarfs home. In this regard Tolkien and Jackson embrace the theme common to many kiddie lit tomes: There’s no place like home. The set pieces are almost always about fighting, be it stone monsters as large as mountains or wolves the size of elephants!

It’s all of one piece, cliff hanging heroes saved by the wit and magic of Gandalf or the heart of Bagins. The appearance of Gollum (Andy Serkis) with the ring that changes things forever merits attention as he and Bilbo match wits over riddles.

But then again, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), the visionary elf queen, provides needed visual relief from the ugly trolls and dwarfs.

Next up is The Desolation of Smaug (2013) where after successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin and Company must seek aid from a powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest - without their Wizard.

If they reach the human settlement of Lake-town it will be time for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug.

And, where has Gandalf got off to? And what is his secret business to the south?

Peter Jackson’s Love for the The Lord of The Rings is evident yet again with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. This one’s a dazzling sequel to an equally heavy prequel.

The Script is solid, offering heart-pounding moments in the goings-on, along-with magnificent direction by Jackson himself. Indeed, Jackson handles this magnum-opus like a pro, with each sequence looking like a painting to reckon with.

The graphics are extraordinary and the use of 3D effects has never been better along with top notch cinematography being truly outstanding also. The editing and art design are perfect too with a well deserved nod to costume design being really note worthy – and lest we forget the soaring music by Howard Shore, of course!

Performance wise, Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins continues to charm one and all, Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, despite limited screen time, is powerful, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield delivers heroically, Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug (vocal performance and motion capture) is OMG legendary, Orlando Bloom as Legolas is a delight and amongst others, Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel is highly efficient.

The third, and final film of The Hobbit trilogy is The Battle of The Five Armies (2014), where after the Dragon leaves the Lonely Mountain, the people of Lake-town see a threat coming.

Orcs, dwarves, elves and people prepare for war. Bilbo sees Thorin going mad and tries to help. Meanwhile, Gandalf is rescued from the Necromancer’s prison and his rescuers realize who the Necromancer is.

A solid conclusion of the trilogy, after the events portrayed in The Desolation of Smaug, the dwarfs, under Thorin Oakenshield, have taken control of the mine under the Lonely Mountain and searching for the Arkenstone, not knowing that Bilbo Baggins has already found it.

Meanwhile the dragon Smaug has attacked and destroyed Lake Town before being slain by Bard the Bowman. After this Bard becomes the leader of the survivors as they head to the Lonely Mountain expecting the dwarfs to help them. Thorin, affected by Dragon sickness, refuses and barricades the entrance.

Soon a force of Elves turns up hoping to retrieve their own treasure from the mountain; they ally with the human forces and prepare to attack. Just as they are about to strike a large army of dwarfs arrives to help those in the mountain.

That is the least of their worries; Orcish forces are also attacking and soon men, dwarfs and elves are fighting side by side.

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy of movies opens on The Fellowship of The Ring (2001) and unveils a story of an ancient Ring thought lost for centuries that has been found, and through a strange twist of fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo.

When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it. However, he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir, and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin, and Samwise.

Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign.

The Fellowship of the Ring is perhaps the most laborious of the three films, what with the setting up of the plot, the introduction of a multitude of characters, and several talky scenes eating into the 171 minutes running time, but thankfully the film’s impressive fantasy fighting action, breath-taking scenery, and amazing performances more than make up for the duller moments.

Peter Jackson not only attempted the most ambitious film project in modern cinema history, he pulled it off with a breathtaking mixture of nerve and verve also!

Visually striking, thematically poignant, and morally weighty, the first film of Lord of the Rings is superb for it manages to thrill and enthrall, all despite its aforementioned length and repetition.

Up next is The Two Towers (2002) where we join the continuing quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas, and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under Saruman’s deadly spell.

Also known as “The one in which nothing happens,” ironically it’s for that exact reason the second installment is my favorite. Since nothing happens, there are no awful violent scenes to worry about, and no one who gets killed when you didn’t want them to.

I still miss Sean Bean. But the rest of the cast, from Elijah Wood to Cate Blanchett to Christopher Lee, still continues the journey. Treasure this movie; in the third movie, all bets are off for the remaining cast!

And finally we are presented The Return of The King (2003) where we witness the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth.

Frodo and Sam reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the One Ring, while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron’s evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith.

Now THIS alone is a totally spectacular movie. It has some of the most amazing battle scenes in movie history, in my humble opinion and actually the spectacular isn’t even good enough to describe it – for it is simply breathtaking!

I mean, who didn’t wanted to pick up a sword and shield and charge with Aragorn towards a large number of Orcs for honor and glory?

Even though the special effects are far from the best ever, Peter Jackson is a master in mixing the special effect with real life action. The use of it never feels overdone and the result is spectacular as well as believable.

4K Ultra HD** showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, and more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.

The 4K remastering process was overseen by Peter Jackson.

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame.

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs will also feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.

To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

Middle-Earth Ultimate Collector’s Edition contains the following special features:
• Cannes Film Festival Presentation Reel
• Alamo Drafthouse Cast Reunion
• “The Fellowship of the Ring” - RT: 39:38 (with Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin and Elijah Wood)
• “The Two Towers” - RT: 32:24 (with Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortenson)
• "The Return of the King” - RT: 29:48 (with Ian McKellan, Andy Serkis, and Peter Jackson)