New Hobbit trilogy is one collection to rule them all

The Hobbit: Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition)

DVD, Blu-ray & Digital HD Warner Home Entertainment

★★★★★ out of 5 As anticipated, Peter Jackson’s extended edition of The Hobbit trilogy is now available as a boxed set — at least for those who, unlike me, were content to wait rather than purchase the individual extended films.

Thankfully, the extended edition boxed set provides the same product — including the special features — available on the individual extended edition films, meaning diehards who purchased the films one at a time won’t be forced to go out and spend even more money to complete their collection.

And, as with all other films in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, the special features make the discs well worth buying, providing an incredible (and incredibly lengthy) journey through the filmmaking process.

As someone who loves both special features and Jackson’s vision of Middle Earth, I’m always thrilled with his extended editions and devour the hours of extras Jackson religiously compiles and includes in the disc releases.

In his look back at the making of the films, Jackson doesn’t pull many punches. While the various extras explore the fun side of the filmmaking process — the goofs and practical jokes, the friendships forged, and the thrill of putting a project like this together — they also delve into the darker side. Jackson and others talk about the health problems that plagued him as he worked himself into the ground to bring Tolkien’s story to life, and discuss the difficult decision to significantly delay the filming of complicated battle scenes.

The extras provide a detailed glimpse into movie magic — and, as always, Jackson’s special features are magic in themselves.