If you love it, you adore it. If you hate it – I doubt anything will change your mind, and I’m happy enough not to try!

Much as I adore the Lord of the Rings films, there is another aspect to these DVDs. Not only do you get to see the extended version – adding back in so many scenes perhaps not essential to the plot, but adding so much depth and characterisation – but the wealth of extras is just staggering. I don’t think anything has given me such an understanding of the entire film-making process, not just background to LotR.

This is the only time I’ve ever felt the urge to sit through a movie commentary! I listened to the cast one ages ago, but last week I finally sat through the directors’ commentary. It does add a lot of interesting little facts, although it can be a bit rambling at times – it can take far longer to talk about a scene than that scene is on screen for. With Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philipa Boyens all sitting together, there is also less variety than the cast commentary, but it does add another aspect of knowing how the films were put together.

My major complaint, though, was having sat through the commentary, I then had to see the film again!!