Fanboy-fueled Oscar bait hits home

Peter Jackson's brilliant cinematic envisioning of Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's three part literary juggernaut, "The Lord of the Rings," wraps up with "The Return of the King," deserved winner of 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.\nThe special effects, designed masterfully by WETA Digital, have transferred perfectly to disc, so much so that this film could be appreciated almost as much with the mute button on. Don't hit that button though, or you'll miss fine acting by all members of the cast, highlighted by stunning voice and motion capture work by Andy Serkis as Gollum, Ian McKellen's heartfelt portrayal of wizard Gandalf and Sean Astin's tear-inducing turn as noble Hobbit Samwise Gamgee, this installment's true hero.\nDisc extras, including three making-of docs, six short featurettes and a vast DVD-ROM, would seem somewhat plentiful for most any other film, but fans of the series are well aware of the impending four-disc Extended Edition DVD due out this December, which will come equipped with multiple commentary tracks, tons of production material, and nearly one hour worth of extra footage added to the film (making its running time a glorious 4 hours and 15 minutes).\nThis film, as well as the entire trilogy it concludes, is not just for fans of fantasy. This is not fanboy bait. It is pure epic filmmaking and will certainly go down in history as one of the finest achievements in cinema.