We called The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King "majestic, moving, and immense", and the majority of filmgoers agreed. So did the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences, since the movie swept the board at the 2004 Oscars. But while Return Of The King marks the last instalment of Peter Jackson's phenomenal Rings trilogy, don't expect closure from this two-disc package. It's merely an appetiser - and a rather a stale one at that - which comes ahead of a special four-disc edition due for release at the end of the year.

Double Vision

Although not lacking in quantity, the package of extras doesn't offer much in the way of fresh insight. The two headlining documentaries, A Quest Fulfilled and A Filmmaker's Journey, retread ground already covered in previous DVD releases. You'll also have to endure cast and crew spouting such proclamations as, "We've made a trilogy that is going to live as long as film itself!" Fair enough, but the hugging and weeping is a bit much - and that's just the men.

Thankfully there are some lighter moments, like Ian McKellen fluffing his lines and swearing like a trooper - yet still managing to retain his dignified air. Indeed, the producers of this DVD enjoyed that moment so much they included it twice! That's because both half hour documentaries have been edited together from the same batch of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. That's right, folks! For the price of one DVD, you can enjoy two versions of pretty much the same documentary!

Revisionist History

For history buffs among you, there's an intermittently engaging hour-long National Geographic Special, which joins the dots between your favourite Lord Of The Rings characters and famous figures from world history. There are some viable and interesting parallels: Aragorn's portrayal as "the reluctant hero" is compared with Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace (of Braveheart fame). Occasionally though, the theorising descends to barrel-scraping depths ie Aragorn compared to Queen Elizabeth I. For the record, Viggo Mortensen is also a natural redhead...

Horses For Courses

The supplementary batch of featurettes are mostly made up of humdrum character profiles. However, shining out is Digital Horses, a layer-by-layer dissection of CGI steeds galloping into battle. It's the only featurette to give a no-nonsense, tangible feel of what a mammoth undertaking this film was - not just for Peter Jackson but the special effects wizards who helped him realise his vision. It's just a pity there isn't more of this.

Of course, the trilogy's worldwide legion of fans will ensure this DVD sells through the roof. However, if you only want to buy one version of the film on disc, save your pennies till Christmas and that four-disc release. For, in the words of Gandalf, "the journey does not end here."

EXTRA FEATURES

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (Two Disc) DVD is out to buy in the UK on Tuesday 25th May 2004.