A Set To Have In Your LOTR Collection
592749
`The Hobbit' and `The Lord of the Rings Trilogy' by J.R. R. Tolkien on Audio CDs from Recorded Books. Complete and Unabridged, performed by Bob Ingles. 10 compact discs in `The Hobbit' and 46 in LOTR; more than 60 hours.

I've read `The Hobbit' and LOTR several times over the years and I've seen all the movies several times (Good News! Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro are filming `The Hobbit' and a `prequel' to LOTR to be released in 2010 and 2011). So when I saw this was available from Recorded Books I bought it. Overall I was not disappointed; there is enough here to satisfy any LOTR geek (not do disparage geekatude, in fact I admire most geeks) but the main thing I got out of it was an increased admiration for Peter Jackson's film adaptation. Jackson was a genius at cutting out the parts that added little to the overall story and in changing places and characters to make it flow better.

I could review and compare the books, the movies, and the audio CDs, however I'll just refer to the whole thing as LOTR here.

The recording at times gets very heavy and hard to follow. Just like in the books, there are long passages you'd like to skip. Unlike the books, you have a hard time doing that here. Having said that I still have to give this all 5 stars as it is worth having if you are a LOTR fan like me. Bob Ingles does a masterful job of performing all the parts, not merely reading them. At times it is confusing, but then LOTR is confusing at times; all those names that are so close always got mixed up in my mind. Also Ingles at least even tries to make those doggerel `songs' of Tolkien sufferable. Thank gawd that Jackson cut them from the movies. I did think that Ingles was channeling Dwight Frye at times when he was doing the voice of Smagol/Gollum. But overall I was very impressed and rarely confused, or at least no more than normal.

I will say in listening to LOTR I noticed things which I never picked up on in the books or movies. For one thing Tolkien's rather snobbish acceptance of the `Divine Right of Kings' and aristocracy worship in general is much more evident when you are listening. Also I came to detect a more than small amount of racism on Tolkien's part; for example Smagol/Gollum is referred to as `black' and the humans who join forces with Sauron are described with racial stereotypes. I suppose Tolkien can be excused as this was probably merely a reflection of his background and era, but it did get on my nerves at times. Also Tolkien seems to me to be even rather dismissive of the Hobbits as `little people' and in the end Gandalf abandons them to fight Saruman on their own; he is `too busy' off smoking his pipe and talking to Tom Bombadil (a character thankfully left out of Jackson's movies)to be bothered to help them.

But, all things being equal which they never are, if you are a fan of LOTR you'll want to spend the US$150.00 or so for this collection and listen to it all in preparation for the Jackson movies.
3882471
It's rare that we get a Star Wars figure multipack where I'm excited about all of the figures. Usually, there's at least one dud. However, this pack hits so many sweet spots.

First of all, this is a great set of characters who belong together in one set. Two of them (Maul with cyborg legs and Nightsister/Mother Talzin) are new. Savage Opress is a repack but one that didn't get a lot of circulation when initially released (on secondary markets it was one of the most expensive Clone Wars figures).

Hasbro gave each figure a clean and vibrant paint application. Maul's body is consistently the same color red, from his face to his arms to his chest (even the articulation joints match the rest of the body). The Nightsister's face includes a fair amount if detailed paint with no smudges or mistakes. And Savage Oppress just looks stunning.

If there's anywhere I'd have to take off points, it's the articulation for Maul. The cyborg legs are surprisingly posable and a joy to move around. Unfortunately, Maul lacks waist and wrist articulation. This really does limit your ability to post him in any direction except looking directly forward.

Overall, this is a must-have set if you're a fan of the Clone Wars series.
1299604
Collectable (like) Father's day gift.  Great for the LOTR fan in your house.
2847753
I absolutely love these movies. Maybe not nearly as much as I enjoy the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but these were still very well done. Sure, there was a lot missing from the books but what movie doesn't? The only thing I really disliked about this movie (this trilogy) is that the Orc are all animated rather than using FX makeup like they did in the LotR. You'd think that after 10 years, FX makeup would have come a long way... but instead digital animation seems to be the way to go. However, it's awful to see that the orcs in Lord of the Rings look more realistic than the orcs in The Hobbit. That's my only disappointment. It doesn't take away from the fact that I still absolutely love these movies.
1316202
This review is not of the Lord of the Rings.  So much has been written already and after the movies everyone has their own opinion.  I purchased The Lord of the Rings (Millennium Edition) in 2000 and I absolutely love the set I have.  I have read the books countless times, but I like how there are seven separate volumes (six books one appendix).  Each volume has the original book title that Tolkien himself named it.  This is how Tolkien intended for the Lord of the Rings to be read.  Each volume is hardbound and artwork on the box is all top notch.  I recommend this to anyone looking for a quality Lord of the Rings set.
933669
This set is simply DARLING! The building itself is extremely well made, and has has so much of that old-time charm that you expect from a building of this time period (plus the fantasy elements-purple door, etc.). The 3 stages will take a bit of time, but it's worth it in my opinion. Now, I am an adult collector, so I do not know how well the set will do with children, but as far as I can say it's one of the FIRST pieces to get in the set if you're planning on purchasing some of the Elves line.
2291022
These are the best action figures ever made for the price.  Every so often I get the urge to add a random old figure to my collection And each LOTR figure from this line is great. I think the villain characters have even better detail than most.
1460702
Amazing set. More special features that I ever expected, including, a continuation of the appendices from the Lord of the Rings. If you are a collector of the Weta figures as I am then this one won't disappoint. Highest quality and well worth every penny.
4089574
As others have noted, this is not the super cool, sturdy box set that comes with all the digital copies and whatnot. This one came in a flimsy little box. The movies still work great and everything, and it was a great price. My cases had no broken pieces like some other people have complained about. The only movie that came with a digital copy, for me at least, was The Battle of Five Armies. But, I guess if you look at the description, it doesn't necessarily say that it comes with any digital copies, so I'll just consider it a bonus.

My biggest complaint is actually that the product page/description needs updated, because it does not to a great job at describing what you will be getting. Obviously we get the extended edition blurays, but with some people posting reviews including the cool box they got, or all the digital copies, something should be done to the product page to make sure we know what we are getting.

Overall, I'm very satisfied, but an awesome box would have been ideal, as it would have matched my LOTR set.
370664
Excellent!
I am a big fan of LOTR, and this package will bring you total satisfaction. First movie has 32 minutes of extra material, 2nd has like 45 minutes and the third one has like 52 minutes extra.

To watch all three will take you up to 12 hours!

This package will include 12 disc's in total. Also, te package is pretty cool designed and you can take the movies out. They look just like 3 books ina shelf.

I can say that whomever likes LOTR will like this product without any doubt.
168384
I still really enjoyed the movies and the set itself is gorgeous. No problems with the seller either which I am grateful for. If you are a nerd like me and like to watch "making off" or special features thenn you'll have to find them separately, the set itself is great though, I highly recommend it!
4347491
An amazing collectors edition set, all the movies are fantastic and the extra contents will make any fan, whether from the movies or comics, squeal with delight. My only issue was with the Tesseract. A bit of a let down being just a simple cube. Some detail could've been added to the cube, but the rest of the set was amazing.
1248148
This set is a great copy of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I got them for Christmas and absolutley love them. The only things is that the copy of the Hobbit is more of a deep wine purple/red instead of the brick red shown in the picture.
1837654
A nice collection for those who would like to have more from Tolkien's world.
You may find it's between The History of Middle Earth volumes and the collection by Editorial HarperCollins.
Really affordable and enjoyable.
I recommend it for any person who wishes to have a fantasy time in bed right before going to sleep.
3046344
Great blu ray set, nothing much else to say I would recommend to any Harry Potter fans out there that this is the set to own
2242645
Another in the latest additions to PlayAlongs great Lord of the Ring figures line, Armies of Middle Earth, the Men of Rohan now enter the great field already inhabited by those from the Gift set, The Helms Deep Playset, and the Riders set.  In this great set, you get a Rohan Soldier, Rohan Standard Bearer, and a Rohan Archer.
As noted in my other reviews about the line, do have a care with regards to the wee ones in purchasing these figures.  The acoutrement of small swords, knives, spears, or standards may not be suitable for those under five.  Also, as noted, many of the details such as the arrows and spears are quite fragile, as the plastic that they are made from is a stiffer blend.
The Rohan soldier comes with a very palpable ax.  He has minimal arm and waist movement, and his shield is not removable.  The Rohan Standard Bearer, clearly the leader of the trio also has minimal arm and waist movement, but some minimal head movement as well.  His shield is also not removable, but his standard, complete with the requisite symbol of the Rohirrim, stands beautifully in his hand.  The Rohan archer, a welcome surprise to this set, comes with just elbow (the drawing hand) and waist movement, but his bow is removable.
Each of these great men are painted to the outstanding details of which the line is known for, clearly making use of metallics, drybrushing, and colors that do justice to the fine details.
This set is clearly not only a great set to receate the battles of Middle Earth, but also to outfit your Helms Deep playset, as any good castle should be. Since the weapons are removable on some and the poses not all confrontational, this should please those who look to make imaginitive play and scenarios...
4073370
Superb set.
Any real fan of these films will already know if it's for them.