Fellowship of the Ring:

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• Compression: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373692"

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 6.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.2 Mbps.

Last year’s Blu-ray release of Fellowship of the Ring created quite a stir within the internet community as there were some problematic issues with the quality of its high definition rendering. When it was announced that the release of the Extended Edition was going to contain a new transfer re-mastered from the original 2K digital files everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked forward to the results. Word was also received that director Peter Jackson and director of photography Andrew Lesnie oversaw the retiming of the film’s color as well although the reasoning for this hadn’t been made clear. It didn’t take long for samples/clips/captures to begin appearing on the internet. Outraged fans/enthusiasts began to complain about the changes in the color and what appeared to be the inordinate application of cyan/green which now had been added where it hadn’t previously been and enhanced to a deleterious point otherwise. There were also complaints about problematic changes to the contrast. Upon receiving the set I examined several sequences that seemed to focus on the complaints. The overall changes in color are readily apparent. Across the board chromatic emphasis is deeper which I personally don’t see as a problem. As it was the film relied heavily on deep greens and bluish hues during certain segments. This newly revised presentation overemphasizes some of those segments and imparts what I would call an unnatural level of cyan/green. Furthermore it has been added to segments where it didn’t originally exist. Comparing this presentation to the Extended Edition DVDs confirms this. I don’t have a problem with the stylized use of mood setting color and in fact this very method (image permeating cyan) is used in The Two Towers (examples can be found in the extended edition DVD/Blu-ray at the beginning of chapters 17, 33, 38). The issue here is the inconsistency of its application and use where it doesn’t seem “logical”. The best example of this comes at the 7:21.00 mark where the scene shifts to the Fellowship as they begin their ascent up the snow covered mountain.

On a whole the film appears a bit darker which negatively impacts the perception of shadow detail during some sequences. Conversely there are many instances where the balance between white and black levels is right on the money which gives the video a pleasingly rich quality. The sequence where the four hobbits hide in the root of the tree, as the dark rider hovers directly above, is a good example. The blend of vivid color, deep black and dynamic contrast coupled with the high level of detail looks incredible. I found the changes in contrast to be noticeable but far from egregious. The same is true of the basic changes in chromatic emphasis/depth. The overdriven cyan/green additions/changes are another matter. The sequences affected are apparent and can be distracting especially when viewing with a critical eye. If what appears herein is the intention of Peter Jackson and Andrew Lesnie so be it. As a fan I would have to say that I disagree with them but keeping it in perspective can put it aside knowing that what we see here is in fact what was intended. If that is not the case then that is another matter. I will update this review should any further information come to light in that regard.

Putting those issues aside I found much to like about this presentation. Unlike the previous Blu-ray release fidelity appears intact as the video delivers rewarding levels of detail that enhances the perception of minutia within the physical features and structural make-up of people and objects onscreen. As previously indicated blacks are deep with mildly compromised delineation that lessens dimension but not overtly so. Colors range from lush and vibrant to sepia toned and earthy to bleakly monochromatic. Sequences that feature prolonged use of uneven light and shading are visually enhanced via warm accents and multi-staged grays. Like the color palette fleshtones shift accordingly to coincide with the mood, lighting and scenic theme. The overall result works perfectly within the film’s narrative construct. Grain is intact and gives this presentation a film like aesthetic that looks terrific in high definition. I saw no signs of unwanted digital manipulation, image degrading artifacts or distracting video noise.

As I alluded to earlier I think it is important to keep this presentation in perspective from an overall point of view. While there are aspects of it that are in question I didn’t find that they adversely affected it as a whole. It is true that I am not crazy about some of the revisions (assuming they are what was intended) but at the end of the day The Fellowship of the ring EE looks head and shoulders above the problematic theatrical cut Blu-ray release.