EricBill

A couple of folks touched on this in the other TT thread, but I felt this sub-topic deserves a thread of it's own - especially since the discussion will most likely include more than just The Two Towers.

Now that we know that The Two Towers will follow the same release strategy as Fellowship Of The Ring, who will buy only the theatrical cut, who will wait for the "Extended Cut" Special Edition, and who among us will buy BOTH?

I, for one (and I'm sure there are many others), will buy both of the dvd releases as they come out. I did the same for Fellowship and I'll do the same for Return Of The King. I love BOTH cuts of FOTR, though I do have a preference for the "extended cut". Is it entirely necessary for me to own every digital version of this terrific franchise? Of course not. There are not many films for which I would lay out the cash for multiple versions, but there are already a few precedents in my collection.

I own THREE different versions of THE EXORCIST (actually FOUR if you count the Design Concepts "Collector's Edition" of the film which contains a signed senotype, soundtrack cd, and a full-sized substantial photo-book inside of a nice faux-leather slipcase; the dvd contained within is the 25th Anniversary Edition). There are reasons that I've retained all previous editions of this film (I published the precise differences in each edition in a previous thread from a while back), but the primary reason is that - when it comes to my favorite films - I am more than just a collector... I am a completist. I have my limits, of course. I won't go out and buy the "Boomstick Edition" of ARMY OF DARKNESS, even though I am ga-ga for all of the EVIL DEAD films, because I already own the formerly released 2-disc "Limited Edition" which contains pretty much all of the same material included in the "Boomstick Edition" (the same goes for the last release of AOD, dubbed the "Bootleg Version"). I DO envy the new artwork, and someday I might actually pick up the other dvds if I find them dirt-cheap.

I even own a few movies that I'm not really crazy about because I'm working on owning everything available on dvd from certain favorite directors. I also will sometimes purchase a sequel on dvd that I didn't particularly care for simply because I already own the other entries in the series (again, I cite THE EXORCIST... I also own parts 2 & 3 of the series, even though 2 is laughably bad and 3 - though not as bad as 2 - is still nowhere near the quality of the original).

So what is the difference between collectors and completists? A collector will buy most/all of the films he/she likes, and leave the rest. A completist will do the same, but will also lay out cash for those examples that I listed above. Some completists will go much further and seek out every movie featuring a certain actor, or even try to "complete" their collections of an entire genre. My personal tendancy is to buy any horror title that comes out, but after wasting money on a few TERRIBLE dvds, I've reconsidered this strategy. My buying habits will likely always lean heavily toward the horror genre and other "fantastic cinema" (any Video Watchdog fans out there?), but I'd be in the poorhouse in the blink of an eye if I tried to buy EVERY genre title out there.

So kiddies... what are your thoughts on the subject? What are your buying habits? Are you a collector, a completist... or something in-between?

PrometheusUFO

I'll also be buying both editions, for both upcoming movies...and I have never even read the books.

MacKenzieIII

I was thinking of just getting the longer cut, as the extras on the Original FotR seemed kinda lame and I was thinking the same would be true for TT. But now the TT's 1st release looks to have some cool extras that I am guessing will not be repeated on the Extended ver?

eau

Get 'em all! Hopefully the theatrical version will come with a rebate for buying the EE cut as well.

NaturalMystic79

I'll probably get the "barebones" version of The Twin Towers. A good film and all, but I wouldn't spend $40 for the Extended Edition. To be honest I'm more excited about the Dances w/ Wolves and Robin Hood releases this year.

Lastblade

I am buying both, who cares, with the movie coupon (hopefully), and sale, it will be less than $30 (well 40 if no coupon). That's like 1 entree in a decent restaurant here in NYC.

pdjennings

The whole point is to own both.... and I'm not even a lotr fanatic... just a movie fan.

adamblast

The *only* question for me is whether I'll buy the 4-disc EE or the "special gift pack" for the next two... Other than that, I'll buy everything, short versions and long...

And if he ever re-edits them into a single complete mini-series, I'd probably get that too...

In general I'm a completist. I just *had* to get TNG Seasons 1 & 2, but god knows why...

Muah'dib

I'll own both. Did the same for FoTR and I have read the books. I actually find FoTR better than TTT, simply because it does follow the book better. I'm actually not a completist. I've only got Die Hard 1 (even though I would like to have the other 2) as it depends on the movies or series of movies.

Spy021

I've read the books and enjoyed the movies. Add that to the fact that since this movie, like the last, was a big hit - it will be available for a very reasonable price on release week. Based on those reasons, I will be picking up both, as I did with FotR.

SCHMEGGA

I will be getting both as well. There are other movies that I have both versions of also. With the LOTR series I just feel that the releases are all good as are the extra lengths they go to give good bonus materials.

shanester

These films are so well done in terms of video and presentation I don't mind buying the same disc twice...but I will try and wait til the EE in November if i can..

I'm another who never read the books but loves the movies

PolloDiablo

I'll definatley be getting both just as I did with FOTR, but does anyone know if they'll be putting out a gift pack like they did with the FOTR EE?? I bought the first Gift Pack and would definatley buy the next two that way as well.

theneobez

I got both the regulard DVD release and the EE of FOTR, but this time I think I'll just rent the regular DVD release of Two Towers. I'll check out the extras and watch the movie, and it should hold me over until the November release. I just don't think it warrants 15-20 Dollars if I'm just going to buy a better version. . .a rental should suffice for me.

jough

I'll definitely be getting both. The extras will be completely different, and it'll be nice to have both cuts of the film.

I'm still deciding on whether to get the gift box or the regular EE release, provided they're going to make a gift set this time (I expect that they will).

It'll depend on what's in the gift set.

But the FOTR: EE was only $24.99 from BB on release day - hardly a major expense - so why not pick up the EE?

With the four commentaries, and all of the extras, the original EE had over 21 hours of content (maybe more with the still galleries and stuff). That's only about a dollar an hour of DVD bliss.

-- Jough

shizawn

I'm buying both, mainly because the extras are different on each set. I doubt I'll watch the theatrical cut after the EE comes out, just like with FotR, but I still like having all the different extras.

BlackBeauty92

i bought both before...
so, i'm buying the other two version again....

as long they improve the picture 7 sound quality, i'm ok with it

lisadoris

I will pick up the EE of Two Towers just like I did with Fellowship. I consider myself a completist in a very specific way: I'll buy X-Files season 8 & 9 even though I didn't care for them since I want a complete set, but I have a policy against owning two versions of the same movie. I enjoyed the extra scenes added to Fellowship and you just can't beat the features they included so it was worth the $$$ and the wait.

My mother has gotten into DVDs now and she doesn't have the patience or the inclination to wait for the EE - she's not into features, just give her the movie. So I can watch her copy until the EE comes out.

Ginwen

I'm undecided. I partly got the "short" version of FOTR because it was free; if that doesn't happen with TTT, I'm not sure whether I'll buy the shorter one.

EricBill

PolloDiablo writes:

I'll definatley be getting both just as I did with FOTR, but does anyone know if they'll be putting out a gift pack like they did with the FOTR EE?? I bought the first Gift Pack and would definatley buy the next two that way as well.

I concur 100%. I love the argonaut bookends in the FotR "gift set", though I probably won't ever remove them from the packaging. I wonder what kind of cool promotional item might be included with The Two Towers? Treebeard bookends, maybe? If it's half as nice as the FotR gift set presentation, I'll be happy to lay out the extra $$ for it.

Panda Phil

I'll only be getting the EE version thanks. I didn't think the theatrical version was as good as it should've been, but the 43 extra minutes will hopefully fix that. Plus I'd rather spend that $20 on some good anime.

milo bloom

I got both last year, I'll do the same this year. Although last year I didn't get the giftset, just the regular Ext Ed, last week I found the Nat Geographic disc that was in the giftset at a used CD shop. It said on the front it had the exclusive featurettes, and it had a Not for Resale part on the back, so it wasn't just the regular version. Now all I need are those other Tolkien documentaries, and for Warner Bros to fix the sound problems on The Hobbit so I can buy the animated trilogy. I've never seen them, but I don't want to get 2 out of 3, so on the shelf they stay

DumDum

I will be getting both as well.
Fingers crossed that there will be a gift set for TTT.

RichardW

Count me in for both versions.

renaldow

I'll rent the theatrical version, and buy the EE when it's available. I bought both the last time around, and can't see myself doing that again. I've already traded the theatrical version away. No need to buy the same product twice again.