This summer, we’ll see the release of the lauded Lord of the Rings film trilogy on Blu-ray Disc. But don’t throw on your cloaks and swords just yet, kids; it’s not quite the version you’re clamoring for. The trilogy boxset will be the theatrical releases, not the now-standard extended editions. The extended editions will be released on Blu-ray at some unforeseen point in the future. This is a standard movie studio tactic; whet fans’ appetites with a regular release, then push them to buy the films again once the new version comes out. LOTR fans are especially susceptible to this, as the trilogy has been released numerous times on DVD. (I have steadfastly refused to purchase it for this exact reason.)

The moral of the story is: don’t fall for that shit, you dork. Ignore the initial LOTR Blu-ray release, and just wait. If you buy what is 90% the same set twice (especially when you know that a proper edition is coming down the pipe), then you’re an idiot. Welcome to the real world.