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The most important thing to know here is that the HD image quality for this film is vastly improved from the Theatrical Blu-ray. It's actually a new presentation, remastered from the film's original 2K digital files. In fact, it's breathtaking. There are significant gains in fine detail and overall contrast. The image is delicately textured and refined. You can actually see the very light grain structure of the image, which results in a far less digital and far more film-like presentation. Contrast is excellent, with deep, true blacks. Colors are pleasing too, though it's worth noting that the color timing for these films has been redone. I've confirmed with production-related sources that Jackson and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie were directly involved in all decisions related to this new transfer and approved it personally. So to the extent that there are changes to the color-timing, they were made at Jackson and Lesnie's direction - the films look exactly as they want them to. Like the DVD release before it, the high-definition presentations of all three films in this set have been split over two discs, in this case BD-50s. While I've no doubt some will complain about having to get up and change discs, I'm EXTREMELY pleased that this was done in order to max out the video and audio data rates with the least amount of compression. The Rings films have so much detail, texture and action that they really need room to breathe on disc - even in high-definition. I'm very pleased they've gotten that room. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise - it makes a REAL difference. The added data space and lower compression significantly enhances the dimensionality of the image. All you need to do to see it is watch the scenes in Rivendell - there's remarkable depth visible. The improvement almost knocks you over. The presentation is rich, nuanced... stunning. My hats off to Warner for making absolutely the right call. At long last, Fellowship presents a truly satisfying image on Blu-ray.

The audio is also exceptional. Presented in lossless 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio format, the clarity is superb. The mix is big and wide up front, and smooth all the way around, with natural staging and highly-atmospheric ambience. The dynamic range is also very pleasing. During moments of intense action, there's thunderous bass and you're just awash in sound. Then, in quiet moments, you can hear the subtle whisper of the wind, the soft gasp of breath. It's a wonderfully enveloping, highly-immersive audio presentation. Note that 5.1 Dolby Digital track are also present in Portuguese for all three films, and there are subtitles in English SDH, Spanish and Portuguese for those who might need them

As was the case with Fellowship, the A/V presentation of The Two Towers: Extended Edition is magnificent in virtually every respect. Like the first film, it's been given ample room to breath over two BD-50s. I'm once again blown away by the sheer depth visible in the image - something that just wasn't visible to this degree in the Theatrical Blu-rays. Contrast is excellent - especially important during the nighttime Battle of Helm's Deep. Detail is abundant - note the subtle textures of the different kinds of armor during the battle and the stone walls of the keep. The lossless audio mix is clear, crisp and natural, delivering in spades in both the quiet moments and the overwhelming din of battle. Just listen to the deep sound of the horn of Helm Hammerhand near the end of the film, of the screeching of the Nazgûl as they soar over the fighting in Osgiliath! Thrilling! Two Towers has never looked and sounded better. As with Fellowship, extras include the audio commentaries, the War in the North trailer and the Easter egg from the previous DVD release.

The 1080p video and lossless audio quality here is once again on par with the new Fellowship presentation. Fine detail is abundant, with lovely contrast and accurate color. The image is delicately textured and highly dimensional. The sweeping shot as King Théoden and his Rohirrim charge the advancing line of Mûmakil on the fields of Pelennor looks almost three-dimensional. And note the subtle pencil strokes in the Alan Lee character sketches that accompany the film's closing credits. The DTS mix is just as enthralling here - from the thunderous battle before the White City to the pulsing, throbbing sound as we see the final fate of The One Ring. Thrilling, breathtaking - there aren't enough positive adjectives to fully describe the splendor of this A/V presentation. Extras once again include the audio commentaries, the War in the North trailer and a pair of Easter eggs (one on each Blu-ray) from the previous DVD release.