New Line Cinema
‘The Lord of the Rings’ is coming back to theaters, but some are angry at the chosen edition
The Lord of the Rings trilogy will be re-released in theaters this year, but while many are happy, some fans are worried about which version it’ll be.
The Tolkien epic is headed back to the big screen. The ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy will hit theaters this summer in a special event for fans. It will be the first time that the remastered extended edition is released in theaters, a version that debuted in 2020 with its release in 4K Ultra HD format.
The schedule that will follow is as follows: ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ will arrive on June 8, while ‘The Two Towers’ will arrive on the following day. Then, ‘The Return of the King’ will close out the event on June 10. At the moment it has only been confirmed for the United States through Fathom Events partner venues such as Cinemark, Regal, and AMC.
Fans are not happy with the remastered version of ‘The Lord of the Rings’
There have been many fans who have harshly criticized the production company for choosing the remastered version for this return to theaters. The version from four years ago has worse image quality than the originals, according to the comments of some followers.
As you can see in these images, the remastered editions altered the color in such a way as to soften its appearance and balance the whites. The before and after is quite evident. Rivendell, for example, has much less light than in the original versions. But where the changes are most appreciated is every time an elf appears on the screen. The original versions traced a kind of mystical aura around them. The white and silver tones of their dresses shone with their own light. However, they now appear turned off.
If you don’t want to wait, the trilogy offers several simple alternatives to enjoy it from any device. Prime Video and Max both have the three movies available in high definition. And there’s always ‘The Rings of Power’, the Amazon series that extends Tolkien’s universe.