Rating: 
Summary: great rendition, though I'd hold off for the special edition
Review: Peter Jackson took a great risk making The Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is such a cult following to Tolkien's original work, that it is a great risk for any filmmaker to make. Especially after the Dungeons & Dragons flop made shortly before this film. The risk was so great, that I didn't even go see it in the theater. Especially when I heard that Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler had major roles in it. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is this a good movie, but it is one of the best movies I've seen in the Fantasy/Adventure genre. Jackson is loyal to Tolkien's vision (I do admit, it has been a while since I've read Tolkien, but I think I remember correctly), and the production design and costumes are phenomenal. The attention to detail is amazing. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan are hobbits personified (as is Peter Jackson). Elijah Wood hasn't done that great of a job in the past, but I can't think of anyone who could be a better Frodo. Viggo Mortensen plays his role physical and dark, but still heroic. Wonderful job. And Sir Ian McKellan, well, I don't think I have to go into how great of an actor he is. These performances were excellent, the art direction is superb (they brought in two major illustrator's of Tolkien's books as consultants), and of course the story comes from one of the greatest. You don't even notice that almost three hours has passed. Most of the featurettes cover some piece of information contained in another featurette, but they still add to the experience of the movie. The Houghton-Mifflin featurette covers a lot of what went into publishing Tolkien's books. The Sci-Fi channel special is the definite best of the three featurettes. Then there are the lordoftherings.net Featurettes, which are 15 2-5 minute featurettes which cover everything from the actors to the music to the locations. They compliment the other featurettes very well, giving even more inside information on the film. There are also previews of The Fellowship of the Rings Special Edition DVD, The Two Towers film, and The Two Towers video game. It's a great movie, but I don't know if I'd buy this edition. There is a special edition coming out soon that has around 30 minutes of additional footage and many more extras, including commentaries. I think I personally will wait until all three movies have been released, and in their special edition packaging, because who knows what kind of great box set/packing extras, and so forth will be there once the trilogy is completed.
Rating:
Summary: You have got to see this movie!
Review: I just purchased the DVD three days ago (8-10-2002), and from the first moment, I was hooked. My daughters and I watched it twice that very same day. The next day we watched it again, but this time with the subtitles on, just to get all the names to match up with the pronounciation. My 8 year old and 10 year old watched the entire movie, and not once did the movie lose their attention, and it's nearly 3 hours long. We can hardly wait for 'The Twin Towers' to come out in the theatres, and my children are even thinking of reading the books beforehand. I would also recommend watching the behind the scenes disks that are included, as they contain very interesting footage about the making of 'The Lord of the Rings' and a preview of 'The Twin Towers'. I can see why it won 4 Academy Awards, and my daughters were the first ones to say it. You should NOT miss this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: this movie is apallingly bad
Review: Please, to anyone who hasn't yet wasted a good three and a half hours of their life on this drivel, do yourself a favor, use the time to go for a walk, or wax your back, or shop for vintage clown paintings. Trust me, do not sentence yourself to sitting through this utterly godforsaken film unless you have a large supply of ritalin on hand.
Rating:
Summary: This Epic is almost as cool as the Ring itself
Review: In the devided land of middle earth, a new force breath's life. A ring of pure power is uncovered. A journey of epic grandeur is begun. You all know and love Lord of the Rings. And how exciting to know in your lifetime we get them brought to life. Filmed within the gorgeous land of New Zealand, no less. Fellowship of the Rings kick's off the trilogy, and sets a new standard for all fantasy films that come in the future. (Sharing that position with Mr. Potter, in my little book of course.) Peter Jackson is at this very moment, while you read, creating the next installment's. How can a Tolkien Fan complain? Ah, technology. There are battles that are some of the best ever created. Frenzied and crazy, sword slashing, arrow wisping fun will keep you on the edge. The dvd is gorgeous. The picture is vivid, and the sound is exceptional. I read one review, claiming that he had some trouble. I wish I knew the answer to his problem, because for me, with a dolby digital/DTS decoder, it sounds fantastic. Imagine what the Special extended dvd will sound like in November with DTS! Wow! As you can tell, seeing Lord of the Rings is an exciting experience. And, until November, this dvd will do very nicely! ~s.a.o.s~
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I have never been so impressed with a DVD before. Not only is the movie good enough, but the features are so...cool (for lack of a better word). I highly recommend anyone who likes this movie to buy the DVD. Not only will you love the movie but you will appreciate all the hard work that went into after you watch all of the features.
Rating:
Summary: The second disc isn't to be overlooked!
Review: Yes, I agree that the film itself is spectacular, but the special features disc (is anyone even watching that?) is well worth the wait too! I enjoyed watching the interviews (there's one for most of the main characters) and liked hearing about the actors' experiences from their own points of view. Also Peter Jackson gives a ten-minute tour of preparations for the release of The Two Towers, which gives you a look into the very idolized world of LOTR filmaking. Also you can watch the trailers and tv commercials for The Fellowship of the Ring as well as see Behind-the-Scenes shows for FOTR done by Houghton Mifflin, Fox TV Channel, and the Sci-fi Channel. There is more, but that is for you to find out! And if you're a fan of the music of FOTR, you'll be glad to know that there are nice little snippets of it in the second disc. So if you're like me and a total LOTR geek who can't stop admiring the film, you'll be pleased with all the little treats in the dvd version!
Rating:
Summary: The other view
Review: My initial reaction to the film was that I must have missed something. This was the classic that critics and fans alike had raved about? After talking it over with a few friends I have discovered I am not alone. I will not decry this as a bad film it is simply heavy going. For myself I had to watch it in two parts as I fell asleep after the first two hours. Tolkein's stories, though regarded as classics, read like literary exercises rather than narratives and Peter Jackson's film follows suit. Where George Lucas got things very right with Star Wars (Episode IV, not Episodes I & II which coincidentally fall into the same trap as Tolkein's work) by plunging the audience straight into the action and showing us who were the good guys and the bad guys, The Lord of the Rings feels the need to describe it all in minute detail. Did we need to know the history of Wookies to know that Chewbacca was a good guy? No, it was simply obvious. Do we need to know the history of every species in Lord of the Rings? Apparently. The world of Middle Earth seems to be flung at you, Orcs and all, and you can either sink or swim. I sank and I won't be resurfacing for the next two installments, my curiousity having been sated by a quick search for online synopses. One page for all three books and I don't think I missed anything important.
Rating:
Summary: This movie IS "A Passage to Middle-Earth"
Review: THE MOVIE: First of all, this a fantastic movie, and I think that A Beautiful Mind and Fellowship of the Ring should both have gotten Best Picture. The 5 stars go for the movie alone. You likely already know much about it, and if you don't, read the editorial and spotlight reviews. It is completely true to the spirit of the books, and I loved seeing what could only be imagined before (especially Sauron in physical form and his Eye). You won't be disappointed by this film in any way unless you really wanted to see Tom Bombadil. DVD Features: The Quest for the Ring and A Passage to Middle-Earth are great behind-the-scenes looks at the movie, and if you see them, you can skip the Houghton-Mifflin feature because most of it is repeat information and/or interviews. My favorite feature was A Passage to Middle-Earth because it had a decent length, it had wonderful insights and information, and it did not have a "made for TV" look to it. The trailers, TV spots, music video, and video game preview are all about what you would expect if you've had any experience with DVD extras. The previews of the Extended Version and The Two Towers provide tantalizing glimpses of what is yet to come for Lord of the Rings fans. I am looking forward to the Battle of Helm's Deep, but I also want to see more of the friendships evolve, and it looks like Peter Jackson & Co. are going to do a splendid job with both. My ONLY gripe with the extras is that they do not go into much detail about places and events after the Fellowship leaves Rivendell. If complete information on every aspect of the film is what you desire, or if you only want to buy one version of this movie, wait for the Special Extended Version due out on November 12th. Otherwise, I would advise you to buy both; you will get two versions of the film and 3 discs of special features in all. Enjoy the DVD, and I'll see you at The Two Towers in December!
Rating:
Summary: Why you are reading this review
Review: I can only imagine how fortunate you must feel to be reading my review. This review is the product of my lifetime of experience in meeting important people and thinking deep thoughts. This is a new kind of review, and will no doubt influence the way you think about the world around you and the way you think of yourself. Bigger than infinity
Although my review deserves thousands of pages to articulate, I am limiting many of my deeper thoughts to only single characters. I encourage readers of my review to dedicate the many years required to fully absorb the significance of what I am writing here. Fortunately, we live in exactly the time when my review can be widely disseminated by "internet" technology and stored on "digital media", allowing current and future scholars to delve more deeply into my original and insightful use of commas, numbers, and letters.
My place in history
My review allows, for the first time, a complete and total understanding not only of this but *every single* DVD ever made. I call this "the principle of DVD equivalence." Future generations will decide the relative merits of this review compared with, for example, the works of Shakespeare. This effort will open new realms of scholarship. More about me
I first began writing reviews as a small child, where my talent was clearly apparent to those around me, including my mother. She preserved my early writings which, although simpler in structure, portend elements of my current style. I include one of them below (which I call review 30) to indicate the scholarly pedigree of the document now in your hands or on your screen or committed to your memory:
"The guy who wrote the book is also the publisher of the book. I guess he's the only person smart enough to understand what's in it. When I'm older I too will use a vanity press. Then I can write all the pages I want."
It is staggering to contemplate that all the great works of literature can be derived from the letters I use in writing this review. I am pleased to have shared them with you, and hereby grant you the liberty to use up to twenty (20) of them consecutively without attribution. Any use of additional characters in print must acknowledge this review as source material since it contains, implicitly or explicitly, all future written documents.
Rating: 
Summary: Movie is great - DVD: not so much
Review: The movie itself is WONDERFUL. My complaint is with the DVD. The 2nd disc - which promises features - is just an advertisement for the Special Edition DVD, to be released in November. There are no deleted scenes, no cool features, nothing! Just the director driving in his car talking about how great the Special Edition will be. ...
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