Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: I never knew how much I could love a movie until The Fellowship of the Ring.Beyond the breathtaking New Zealand scenery, the special effects, the thrilling bad guys and the amazing fight scenes, it was the acting and the relationships between characters that really impressed me. I have seen my fair share of movies in my lifetime and this is by far one of, if not THE, most supurbly acted movies I have ever seen. The casting was brilliant. Elijah Wood simply took my breath away as Frodo. Through the whole experience I felt like I knew him and could feel the anguish he was experiencing. He is literally the best actor his age in Hollywood. Sean Astin was perfect as the loyal conscience of the film. I really believed that he and Frodo cared deeply for eachother, and in that way the film and book are very similiar. Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan were the perfect Pip and Merry. Though they were much less goofy in the books I enjoyed their spirit. Quite often when I felt that things were getting too harsh they would do or say something perfect to lighten the moment. Also, their transformation from silly boys to brave fighters willing to risk their lives for the fellowship was inspiring. Viggo Mortenson was a perfect Aragorn, both mysterious but approachable and kind at the same time. Liv Tyler was good as Arwen, her Elvish was excellent, and she made you see why Aragorn needed to get through the journey. Ian McKellan seemed born to play Gandalf. He perfectly mixed power and leadership with humor and kindness. Sean Bean was excellent as Boromir, the human who is tempted by the power of the ring. His last scene with Aragorn is one of the most touching I have witnessed. John Ryss-Davies is hilarious as the ax-weilding dwarf with many rules such as 'no one tosses a dwarf.' Orlando Bloom was stunning as the agile warrior elf Legolas, who has been proclaimed by Bloom himself 'the eyes and the ears of the fellowship.' To watch him run on top of snow is to see the true grace of an elf. This young man is truely one of the most gifted actors of his generation. All in all, the Fellowship of the Ring far surpassed any expectations I had. I felt a wider range of emotions in just three hours then I ever have at a film. I was scared, excited, sad, worried, and above all, truely thrilled to be brought into the world of Middle-Earth, where the brave fight for all.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done
Review: I never read the books before I watched this movie. I thought that the movie was great and read all three of the books after watching the first installment. I like how PJ tried to stay as accurate as possible within time and budget restraints. This movie had stunning scenery, great special effects and good acting which is hard to find these days all in one movie. The extended version of the DVD is even better. There is more character building and more scenes from the book. And even some not from the book but helped tell more of the background for those who haven't read the books. I hope they do an extended version DVD for the next two movies as well!
Rating:
Summary: Best. Movie. EVER.
Review: I never read the books, I never heard about LOTR until this movie came out. It was an entirely new experience for me, and I loved EVERY second of it. Awesome special effects, great camera angles, and a very good job all around. I even reserved my tickets for LOTR: The Two Towers a week in advance, although it wasn't as good as this, IMO. This is probably the best DVD out there. BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: The best movie of the past decade, hands down!
Review: I never read the books. I knew nothing of the plot. I didn't even know the meaning of the rings. I didn't even bother to see this move in the theaters. I'd heard the hype, and even the praise of some of my friends. But fantasyland is not my favorite movie genre. Curiosity eventually got the best of me, so I borrowed a neighbor's dvd copy one day during summer vacation. Little did I know what I was getting myself into... Five minutes into the film and I could already feel its hook sinking into my flesh. LOTR transports the viewer to the world of Tolkien's Middle Earth - and it's more wonderous, beautiful, and horrifying than my wildest and darkest thoughts could ever have imagined. I found it nearly impossible to get the film out of my mind, for weeks afterwards. It is, perhaps, the greatest fictional story of all time. To date, I've watched the Fellowship of the Rings three times through, and I love it more and more after each viewing. The film is absolutely beautiful. Tolkien's story is timeless. The dvd I watched during the summer was the original theater cut. I bought this extended version the week it came out. The extra 30 minutes found on this director's cut is well worth the purchase. (Give your old copy away to someone who hasn't seen the film yet!) The extra time makes some points more clear (great for a Tolkein novice such as I), and elaborates on many important elements of the storyline which made my experience even more enjoyable. The two discs of bonus features are also very entertaining, and help one appreciate the scale and scope of this production. There's also a fantastically funny "easter egg" on disc one - the MTV recreation of the Council of Elrond starring Jack Black. Probably not appropriate for kids, however. To view the "easter egg," use the scene selection menu. Go to scene 27, "The Council of Elrond." While this scene is highlighted, used the down arrow on your remote to bring up a ring. Select enter on your remote and the "easter egg" will play. If you haven't seen this film, don't wait any longer. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I never read the original books, although I've read a lot of both fantasy and sci-fi, but my friends who have tell me this movie was very faithful to the original story and spirit of the Tolkien novels. The movie's spectacular sets, backdrops, and many great action scenes make it one of the most exciting movies of the season to watch. The casting overall was pretty strong, too; the only part I had some misgivings about was the forest queen character, played by Kate Blanchett, for some reason I can't really put my finger on. But anyway, overall the selections for the roles were good and they followed up by doing a fine job in their respective roles. John Rhys-Davies is great as the dwarf, Gimli, to give a plug for one of the characters that didn't have as showy a role as the rest but was still important to the story. Prior to this, I new Davies from the outstanding job he did as the Leonardo da Vinci holodeck character on Star Trek Voyager. It would be interesting to see somebody make a film of the C.S. Lewis book, the Narnia Chronicles, since they're one of the few other things I can think of that are similar to the Tolkien story, with its richly detailed, mythic, and fairy-tale like setting, that might transfer well to the silver screen.
Rating:
Summary: One Ring is Plenty!
Review: I never read the Tolkien before seeing this movie. There, I said it. I have since then. And it raises the question with movies like this and Harry Potter about reliability to the text. Is it a virtue or a nusiance to try and recreate a book word for word on the big screen? I personally think it's maddening. It cannot be done properly so it's hardly even worth attempting. My advice is, do as much as you can. Start with the words, always start with the words, and let your own vision and ideas take flight. Peter Jackson (who I'd never heard of prior to this) did a superb job of taking a classic tale and giving it new life on the screen. The Frodo we see on the screen is not the Frodo we read about in the books, but he's the right Frodo for the movie. The visual style was stunning, the performances were largely Oscar calibre, I can even live with the sappy End Credits theme to say that the music was flawless. I'm obviously not going to go into a whole in depth review, because chances are you've read too many of them already. So, let's shorthand it: In fifty years this movie will be remembered, known and studied as one of the Greatest Movies of All Time. The disc is a must buy for Tolkien fans, Jackson fans, fantasy fans or even just plain old movie fans. And how hard does Gandalf rock?
Rating:
Summary: One "newbie" swept away
Review: I never read the Tolkien ring trilogy, nor did I ever have much patience with the cult that formed around it. When I heard that a film version was being produced, I cringed; another "trekie" situation I feared and expected. Even when the "Fellowship of the Ring" was released and received surprisingly (to me) good reviews, I still dismissed it and never even considered seeing it. I just hoped it would go away. Recently a close friend chastised me for being such a stubborn blockhead, and challenged me to watch it before offering any more of my "opinions" about it. Fair enough, I acknowledged, and so I got it and watched it. My friend was right, I was being a blockhead. This is a truly amazing film. I rank it among the top five best looking films I've ever seen, and among the top ten best films overall. True, it's somewhat difficult to follow at first, the plot is extraordinarily complex and dense for the film medium. But this rich tale is all in there, and with the DVD set one can watch it as many times as needed to figure out what's happening. I'm still watching it and not yet even close to being bored by the replays, I'm still finding plenty of new things in it. I still won't join the cult, but I highly recommend at least this extended edition DVD version of this gorgeous, soon to be classic film. I consider this currently the most advanced film yet made, and it's worth a lot more than the modest price to me, at least.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Powerful Movie!
Review: I never read Tolkien's LOTR books but did see a TV show which explained the religious aspects of the characters/story. The show helped me understand the LOTR movie. I walked away with a spiritual renewal. The movie is rich, deep, and emotional. I truly felt like I was reading the book and living the adventure with Frodo and the gang. The bad characters were powerful in getting across the evil they possess. Elijah Wood was a perfect Frodo. He acted in a way that made me feel the intense emotional drain his character, Frodo, endured as he carried the ring. I've never seen a modern film that possessed so much purpose and reflection on man and society. Truly LOTR was released at the perfect time in which man is questioning himself with God and his fellow man. Since Sept. 11 I see a spiritual renewal in people. LOTR reflects an inner look at ourselves through characters that truly reflect man's conflicts with power, greed, etc. I saw myself in a few of the LOTR fellowship characters--their reactions, behavior, etc. If one looks within him/herself he/she would see a little of Frodo, Bilbo, Samwise, Gandolf, perhaps even Gollum? Each LOTR character reacts to the power of the ring differently, just like each person reacts to temptations: power, greed, etc differently. I can't say enough of this awesome movie. I can't wait for it to come out on video and see the last 2 installments in the next 2 years. Watch this movie...and you will walk away with some inner reflection.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the Best Movie Ever Made
Review: I never review products, books, movies, etc, but I have to with Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I saw this movie with the mindset that it can't be as good as the books, (I have read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy every year for the past 20 years). The cast was truly outstanding, the choice of film location couldn't be better and the movie absolutely complements the novels. If there is any justice in the world, this will win best picture & best director at the Oscars.....
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't get much better than this.
Review: I never saw the first "Rings" movie in theatres, but I did see it on dvd (which at the time I thought was really disappointing) but seeing as how I love epically long movies, I REALLY felt the need to buy this. If you ask me, if Peter(Jackson)were to go back in time and release this instead of the original, he probably would've made "A Beautiful Mind" look like the Lifetime Movie Of The Week (meaning Rings wins and Crowe loses). Plus on top of that, now I have this habitual expectancy that every disappointing movie I see from now on, seven months after its release onto dvd, will have its plots filled and its meanings emphasized. That may be a longshot hope from yours' truly, but if it's not, I can only hope that Adam Sandler and George Lucas are taking notes RIGHT NOW.
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