I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!

The new The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition Blu-ray Edition box set was released today and the price has dropped to only $69.99 (that’s 42% off the list price of $119.98).

The 15-disc Blu-ray set box contains the extended versions of all three of Peter Jackson‘s Lord of the Rings films — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King — along with over 26 hours of behind-the-scenes and making-of bonus material, including the Costa Botes documentaries. It also comes with the digital versions of the films.

See full listing of bonus features here below.

I’ve been watching my review copy of this set for over a week now, and I’m loving it beyond belief. If you’re a fan of the trilogy, this is the ultimate viewing the films, as they look great in high definition and, to me the Extended Editions are the definitive versions. Plus, I can’t get enough of the bonus features, the commentaries and behind-the-scenes footage are amazing. Seriously, get this Blu-ray set!

Bonus Features

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Over 30 minutes of footage incorporated into the theatrical release of the film
Commentary by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens
Commentary by the design team
Commentary by the production/post-production team
Commentary by 10 actors, including Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen
Easter egg: MTV Movie Award Spoof (The Council of Elrod)
Costa Botes Documentary: The Fellowship of the Ring: Behind the Scenes

The Appendices, Part 1: From Book to Vision (on DVD)
* Peter Jackson introduction
* J.R.R. Tolkien: Creator of Middle Earth
* From Book to Script
* Visualizing the Story
* Designing and Building Middle Earth
* Middle Earth atlas interactive

The Appendices, Part 2: From Vision to Reality (on DVD)
* Elijah Wood introduction
* Filming The Fellowship of the Ring
* Visual effects
* Post-production: Putting it all together
* Digital Grading
* Sound and music
* The Road Goes Ever On…

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Extended edition of the film, incorporating 43 minutes of footage incorporated into the film
Commentary track by writer-director Peter Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens
Commentary track by the design team
Commentary track by the production/post-production team
Commentary track by 16 cast members, including Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Bernard Hill, and Miranda Otto
Easter Egg: MTV Movie Awards clip (Gollum accepting award)
Costas Botes documentary: The Two Towers–Behind the Scenes

The Appendices, Part 3: The Journey Continues
* Peter Jackson introduction
* J.R.R. Tolkein: Origin of Middle Earth
* From Book to Script: Finding a Story
* Designing and Building Middle-Earth
* Gollum
* Middle-Earth Atlas interactive
* New Zealand as Middle Earth (map with video location)

The Appendices, Part 4: The Battle for Middle Earth
* Elijah Wood introduction
* Filming The Two Towers
* Visual effects
* Editorial: Refining the Story
* Music and Sound
* The Battle for Helm’s Deep is Over

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Extended edition of the film, with 50 extra minutes incorporated into the film
Commentary track by writer-director Peter Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens
Commentary track by the design team
Commentary track by the production/post-production team
Costas Botes documentary: The Return of the King: Behind the Scenes

The Appendices, Part 5: The War of the Ring
* Peter Jackson Intro
* J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth
* From Book to Script
* Designing and Building Middle-earth
* Home of the Horse Lords
* Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship: interactive map
* New Zealand as Middle-earth: interactive map with on-location footage

The Appendices, Part 6: The Passing of an Age
* Elijah Wood/Sean Astin/Billy Boyd/Dominic Monaghan intro
* Filming The Return of the King
* Visual Effects
* Post Production: Journey’s End
* The Passing of an Age
* Cameron Duncan