By the time of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's theatrical release, audience members who had already experienced extended DVD editions of the previous two films in the trilogy were gossiping on just what would be included on the third chapter's eventual extended version. While the original theatrical cut of the film, which made a clean sweep at the 2003 Academy Awards ceremony, was pretty close to being perfect, this extended edition from director Peter Jackson improves on that perfection. The now over four-hour-long film is split between two discs and is presented in a gorgeous 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. While the small-screen presentation makes some of the film's many digital matte paintings look even more like digital matte paintings, the transfer features brilliant colors and rich blacks. Make sure nothing is placed on top of your speakers, as the rumble of the disc's supersonic booming audio mix, presented in Stereo Surround Sound, Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound, and DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound, will likely make anything up there come crashing to the floor. The film also features four different and surprisingly lively audio commentaries, which are split up between Jackson and his co-screenwriters and various members of the cast and crew. Actor Andy Serkis even lets the characters Gollum and Sméagol get a few nasty words in occasionally. The real highlights of the first two discs are, without a doubt, the additions made to the film itself. The first disc alone contains 22 scenes that feature additional or entirely new footage, while the second disc offers 17 more. Long-awaited moments like seeing the fates of characters like Christopher Lee's Saruman or Brad Dourif's Grima Wormtongue are likely be embraced by fans. Overall, the new cut is better paced, more dramatic, more suspenseful, and far less rushed than the theatrical version. As with the other extended editions, it feels as if the theatrical release was the Cliffs Notes version of the film, while the extended DVD feels like the actual full, fleshed-out Lord of the Rings experience. The first disc of extras, titled "The Appendices Part Five -- The War of the Ring," contains six documentaries that begin with an in-depth look at Lord of the Rings creator J.R.R. Tolkien and carry on to Peter Jackson discussing how the book was converted into a screenplay and how that screenplay was finally designed and filmed. Also included on the disc are a series of abandoned storyboard concepts including a sword fight between Aragorn and Sauron, two interactive Middle-earth maps, and several art and photo galleries that include over 2,000 images. As if that wasn't enough, the fourth disc, titled "The Appendices Part Six -- The Passing of an Age" includes over three hours of footage on the film's many award-winning effects, the musical score by Howard Shore, the film's multiple Oscar wins, and reflections from the cast and crew on their years bringing Tolkien's books to the screen. A massive gallery of candid production photos closes out the disc. While fans who have already sat through the six hours of previous supplemental materials from the other films will find some repetition of footage and information here, it is a rather small amount. Still, New Line Home Entertainment and the film's creative staff have once again raised the bar for DVD presentations, and this is certainly a film and a DVD, for newcomers or Lord of the Rings fans, that is an absolute must to own.