This holiday season finds two of 2002's biggest movies going head to head and competing to be the best under your tree this Christmas. On November 12, 2002, "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" and "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" Special Extended Version Box Gift Set were released at the same time. Both were incredible movies and each deserves the title of "the best DVD for your buck." But there can be only one. Which DVD should be your ultimate Christmas present?

I set out to find the answer. I arrived at the store at exactly 12 midnight to pick the movies up. Deciding which to get was difficult so I got both. I got "Episode II" Widescreen Edition and "The Lord of the Rings" Gift Box. In the store I compared prices. In this category "Star Wars" took the medal. At Walmart "Episode II" was only $15 compared to the "LOTR" Gift Box, which was $64. That's an incredible price difference. However, the Gift Box contained several additions that I will get to later which made the price well worth it.

I raced home and over the period of three days I sat and I watched both films and their extras. After much debate and research of the extras I came down to a clear winner. The DVD that should be crowned as the ultimate stocking stuffer is: "The Lord of the Rings" Extended Version Gift Box Set.

Lets start with a review of "Episode II." Everyone is nearly aware of the whole "Star Wars" saga. If you are not, "Episode II" takes place 10 years after "Episode I" and continues to follow the life of Anakin Skywalker as he trains to become a Jedi. This road is not made so easy due to his strict and wise master Obi Wan Kenobi and his growing feelings for Senator Padme. The republic is on the verge of war and the Jedi are called in to help settle this matter which does not always end peacefully. Throughout the film you see the love grow between Anakin and Padme as well as the dark side beginning to show in Skywalker. In no means is this a bad disc or not worth the $15. Hell, the Yoda fight sequence is enough that I would pay $20 just for that. The extras are interesting as well as the deleted scenes chapter, which really have some killer scenes that were ultimately cut from the film.

The "Episode II" DVD succeeds in every category expect one: Originality. It fails to deliver something new and fresh from the "Episode I" disc. Granted, you get a “mockumentary” on R2-D2 but that is merely filler. It runs and reads just like the "Episode I" DVD, only updated with "Episode II" content. The only other problem I had with "Star Wars" was the deleted scenes chapter. They made it a chapter rather than include the scenes in the actual movie. I personally hate deleted scene chapters. I can never fully understand the scenes unless they are in the context of the film. Other than those two reasons, "Star Wars: Episode II" Widescreen Edition DVD scores in my book: A-

"Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" Widescreen Edition DVD SPECS

• Commentary by writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, picture editor and sound designer Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow


• Eight exclusive deleted scenes with introductions: Padme Addresses the Senate, Jedi Temple Analysis Room, Obi-Wan and Mace on Jedi Landing Platform, Extended Arrival on Naboo, Padme's Parents' House, Padme's Bedroom, Dooku Interrogates Padme, Anakin and Padme on Trial


• "From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in Episode II:" all-new full-length documentary about the creation of digital characters in "Episode II"


• "State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II": witness the vital role of the animatics team<
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• "Films Are Not Released: They Escape" sound documentary


• Three featurettes examining the story line, action scenes, and love story through behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers


• 12-part Web documentary


• "Across the Stars" music video: an original composition by John Williams crafted exclusively for this DVD


• Exclusive production photos


• One-sheet posters


• International outdoor campaign


• Trailers and TV spots


• "R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" mockumentary trailer


• ILM visual effects breakdown montage


• Exclusive DVD-ROM content


• Widescreen anamorphic format

The National Geographic documentary is chock full of info as well. Also, in addition to the DVDs, you get a free movie ticket to the "Two Towers," cards from the "Lord of the Rings" trading card game, and two amazing bookends of the Argonath that appears in the movie. I nearly peed my pants. The amount of material you receiveis just incredible. Not only that, the new footage is actually added into the very film itself so you see how the film was intended. The scenes do nothing more than enhance the "Lord of the Rings" experience. They are amazing scenes. I expect that you would have to pay $64 for a package like this but it is well worth it. The only negative to this box set is the very fact that I am lazy and actually had to get up and switch to disc two because the film is now on two discs instead of one. Grade: A+

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings" Extended Version Gift Box Set SPECS

• Four-disc Platinum Series Special Extended DVD Edition of "The Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings"


• New version of National Geographic Beyond the Movie: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" DVD, with additional featurettes


• Exclusive Argonath bookends sculpted by the film's visual effects artists


• Exclusive Decipher trading cards


• Special edition of the "Lord of the Rings" Fan Club official movie magazine


• Packaging illustrated by famed artist Alan Lee


• Special Extended DVD Edition of "The Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Discs 1-2: The Feature:


• Unique version of the epic adventure with over 30 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film and new music scored by Academy Award®-winning composer Howard Shore (approx. 208 minutes)


• Commentary by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens


• Commentary by the design team, including production designer Grant Major, costume designer Ngila Dickson, Weta Workshop creative supervisor Richard Taylor, and conceptual designer Alan Lee


• Commentary by the production/post-production team, including producer Barrie Osborne, executive producer Mark Ordesky, director of photography Andrew Lesnie, editor John Gilbert, and composer Howard Shore


• Commentary by Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, and Sean Bean


• Easter egg: theatrical preview of "The Two Towers"


• Special Extended DVD Edition of "The Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Discs" 3-4: The Appendices:


• Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"

DISC 3: "From Book to Vision":


• Adapting the book into a screenplay & planning the film


• Designing and building Middle-earth


• Storyboards to pre-visualization


• Weta Workshop visit: An up-close look at the weapons, armor, creatures, and miniatures from the film


• An interactive map of Middle-earth tracing the journey of the Fellowship


• An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process


• Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists


• Guided tour of the wardrobe department


• Footage from early meetings, moving storyboards, and pre-visualization reels

DISC 4: "From Vision to Reality":


• Bringing the characters to life


• A day in the life of a hobbit


• Principal photography: Stories from the set


• Scale: Creating the illusion of size


• Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos


• Editorial and visual effects multi-angle progressions


• Sound design demonstration


• DVD-ROM Content: Includes access to exclusive online features


• Widescreen anamorphic format


• Number of discs: 5