Rating: 
Summary: Wow! I went to see it twice, and that's still my word!
Review: A really good job of adapting J.R.R.Tolkein's first novel! I'm reading that right now, but all I can think of is the movie! Here's a summary of events: Frodo Baggins is a hobbit that inherits the house and a mysterious ring from his elder cousin, Bilbo, on his eleventy-first birthday, when Bilbo decides to retire. Dark forces have been stirring, and it all somehow leads to the ring. Frodo's friend, the wizard Gandalf, investigates the history of the ring and returns shaken and distressed. The ring is evil, having the power to overcome its bearer and bring them to the Dark Lord Sauron, long ago slayed but slowly returning (think Voldemort or the Horned King of "The Black Cauldron"). Frodo must take the ring and leave his home secretly to prevent endangering the Shire. His friend Sam goes with him, but soon their number increases to 4, with 2 more hobbits. They race to Rivendell, a city of Elves, where hopefully the ring will be safe. Meanwhile, Gandalf seeks the counsel of a higher wizard as to the destruction of the ring, for it will be the end of Middle Earth if it ever were in Sauron's hands again. "The Fellowship of the Ring" is the eventual group of hobbits, men, dwarf, elf and wizard, whose mission is to destroy the ring. The first part of the trilogy (3 hrs. long and worth every minute!) is exciting and immensely entertaining. It was pretty scary at times, and much more engrossing than the book, but be prepared for a disappointing ending - kind of a cliff-hanger for the next installment. ...Oh yeah, keep your eyes open for Legolas!
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Peter Jackson, cast and crew
Review: A release specifically for LotR fans, and brilliant! I loved the theatrical release, and initially assumed I would not like this version. But I love it! The additional line of dialogue here, scene there, etc., just adds so much to the experience! The additional appendices are fascinating -- a real accomplishment, since usually additional stuff is really boring. Not so here. This is how DVDs should be made! A must-have for any DVD library. In my library, I have the extended release and the theatrical release sitting side by side!
Rating:
Summary: Pure Magic
Review: A revelation that people will attempt to copy in scope from now on. One can't wait for TTT.
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal Fantasy
Review: A short time ago the best serious or high fantasy movie was considered by many to be "Ladyhawke", with a very limited number of other movies even close. Move over "Ladyhawke", "Lord of the Rings" has vaulted to the number one spot in one fell swoop. "Lord of the Rings" seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor sets with special effects to create the most incredibly believable fantasy world ever, setting a new standard of excellence for fantasy movies. The cinematography gets five stars plus. The standard of excellence does not stop there. The actors chosen for the main parts fit their parts perfectly. I was originally concerned about the choice of Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. Throw my concern away. Elijah Wood is a perfect Frodo Baggins. Ian McKellen IS Gandalf. Viggo Mortensen brings a wonderful dimensionality to Aragorn, a character I had trouble visualizing in the books. I could easily spend thousands of words regarding the choices made for each of the characters, and how well each played their part. Suffice it to say that the acting was among the best of any movie in 2001, if not the best. The short-sighted people at the Academy missed the opportunity to award an epic fantasy rewards for acting excellence. Let's hope they take advantage of the opportunity with the next installment in the series! Special effects: The new state-of-the-art. The flow between special effects and set effects is invisible. Probably the most evident special effect to me was the Balrog, which, while very good, still had somewhat of an animated feel to it. The effect was still good enough that you felt the fear of the characters and for the characters. "Run!" you wanted to yell...okay, I did yell run. The special effects are so good that I want to move to Middle Earth! How well was Tolkien translated? Very, very well. The principal characters are there, and their depth is well-established, with even more potential to increase depth in the next two installments. Admittedly, there are some characters missing. Some of the detail had to be trimmed. However, the movie adds visual detail that enhances the story. The movie remains true to the essence of the story, and I think that the modifications the director and producer made fit well with the translation, in several cases summarizing what took Tolkien dozens of pages to describe in a brief moment, capturing what Tolkien intended the reader to understand. This series of movies will be able to do what all other movies have not, tell a single story of incredible scope in 3 separate 3-hour movies, each released a year part. Only made-for-tv miniseries have previously had the luxury of such extended length. When I reached the end of this movie, my only disappointment was that I had to wait for two years to see it to the end. This movie is a must-have for any serious fan of fantasy, and for fans of Tolkien. Fantasy has for many years taken a backseat to the development of ever-better science fiction movies. With the release of this movie, the opportunity to create movies to match the vision of other great fantasy books can at last be realized.
Rating:
Summary: A spectacular, resounding triumph
Review: A spectacular triumph
I waited so long for this movie to come out, that getting closer to the day, I started to fear that I had built it up into something that consummation could not possibly fulfill. But when I finally saw it, my fears were allayed once and for all. This adaptation is not quite flawless, but there are so many exquisite things about this film, they more than make up for distracting omissions. The depiction of the Shire is wonderful, and the interaction between the main characters truly heart-warming. In my opinion the best acting job (which is saying a lot in this superbly-acted film) is by Ian Holm as Bilbo. And I refuse to believe that Ian McKellen is in this film. Clearly, they somehow got Gandalf to play the role of Gandalf. The flight from the Shire and the subsequent trek to Rivendell end up painfully abbreviated; particularly as Merry and Pippin are depicted as just bumping into Frodo and Sam quite by chance, whereas in the book it's clear that they know what he's up to and their joining of the company is premeditated. But this I can chalk up as a necessary evil; they do, after all, have to get to the good stuff. I can't believe so many people are even mentioning Tom Bombadil in their review of this film. Did you honestly feel his absence? Sure, he's a fun subplot in the book, but there's no way to make him work cinematically. There seems to be a time problem right around the escape from the Shire, too: clearly not as much time as in the book has elapsed between Gandalf's exit and the hobbits' escape, but there seems to be an internal inconsistency in the seeming simultaneity of Gandalf's and the hobbits' leave of the Shire and all the extensive traveling Gandalf obviously has to do before meeting up with them again at Rivendell. Ah, well. I must confess I was a trifle disappointed in Aragorn; low-key is certainly apropos, but Viggo Mortensen just seems to deadpan a few too many lines. The visual creativity in portraying Frodo's visions when he puts on the ring; i.e. at the Prancing Pony and at Weathertop are fantastic; one of the things that really makes this film and gives it is haunting sense of danger and threatening evil. I believe PJ & co. couldn't have done any better than they did with the character of Arwen. In the book she scarcely appears, and it's completely logical for them to conflate her role with that of Glorfindel. A single movie can only have so many characters, after all. Since Aragorn ends up marrying her at the end of the saga (sorry for the spoiler for all you uninitiated), you obviously have to see more of her than the book has. Liv Tyler's portrayal is enchanting and lithe, and Elvish just sounds like so much sweet milk on her lips. If you think about it, it's obvious that portraying Saruman explicitly instead of implied as the book does is cinematically absolutely necessary. From Gandalf's recounting at the Council of Elrond in the book, you find out what happened, but I think it's just as well to show it as part of the narrative instead of in flashback. I think it worked quite well. One thing that felt sorely missing was the re-forging of Narsil-they don't even mention it! It is, after all, a crucial thematic element. I wonder if they'll reveal it later down the road somehow. Sean Bean's Boromir is excellent, as is John Rhys-Davies' Gimli. I just love Gimli. He's just happy as long as there are orc-necks to hew. The action scenes are phenomenal; like the special effects, truly unlike anything I've ever seen before. Visceral, kinetic, and with a palpable sense of peril, they speak of Peter Jackson's filmmaking talents like so many other aspects of this movie. The cave troll, wow! Then the Balrog, HOLY MACKEREL! Like so many others have already said, the real sense of emotion and passion is one of the things that really drives this movie, maybe even *the* thing. The filmmaking techniques, acting, and overall screenplay contribute to this effect. Cate Blanchett's Galadriel is quite good; particularly in the scene where they first meet. The sense that the book gives so well that she's gazing into your soul is achieved wonderfully. The mirror scene is perhaps a bit heavy-handed, but still okay. Another thing they definitely should have shown (it would have taken only a minute of screen time) is the various gifts that Galadriel gave to the members of the Fellowship, besides the vial with the light of Earendil in it. You do see the leaf-clasps on their cloaks, but not her giving it to them. And obviously the elvish rope Sam gets figures in kinda importantly down the road. Also missing that would have been nice to see if Gimli's reaction to actually meeting Galadriel and subsequent one-eighty in his attitude towards her and elves in general. It's important for his character, and I felt the loss. Oh man, the Argonnath on the river Anduin-totally convincing! You totally buy that those are real statues that are part of the landscape. Along with many other Oscars it deserves, it'll be a crime if this doesn't get at least nominated for cinematography. The ending, like everything else in this film, is extremely effective. Of course they had to show the very first part of the Two Towers, because, well, it's just natural that way. I expected it. All that was left wanting were the words "Minas Tirith shall not fall!" from Aragorn as his last words before Boromir dies. I guess they never refer to Minas Tirith by name in the movie, though. I do believe this may indeed be better than Star Wars, and I congratulate and effusively praise PJ and crew for pulling this off so wonderfully. Now begins the long wait for The Two Towers... Lord have mercy.
Rating:
Summary: The Lord of the Rings REIGNS
Review: A totally awsome movie! Everything I expected it to be and more! Undoubtedly the best movie out there right now and it's worth seeing over and over again. I can't wait for the remaining trilogy to be unveiled. I just wish they'd go ahead and release all of the trilogy simultaneously months apart, instead of having to wait so long! Can't wait for the DVD as well. If ya haven't seen this one a couple of times yet, then your missing out!
Rating:
Summary: A treasure!
Review: A treasure - that is possibly the only word to describe this movie and this amazing special edition DVD! I've seen the movie about 8 times, and the same for The Two Towers...it's the most amazing movie you'll ever see. The casting is the best of any movie I've ever seen - what's even more amazing is that none of them had ever met, and some hadn't even read the books, and still they came up with this fabulous movie! The scenery is amazing, the script leaves no gaps, never slows down, and is easy to follow even if you've never read the books. Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen, and Christopher Lee are the most wonderful and talented actors and they combine to form a unique ensemble which will captivate you the entire way through. And that's only the movie! The extras are the best in any DVD - they take a look behind the scenes at the filming, costuming, casting, even the funny little stories from the cast interviews, they take you into the world of film making, into Middle Earth, and do something that few others have allowed the audience to see, which makes it unique. The 4th disc is my personal favorite - it features "A Day in the Life of a Hobbit" which followed Elijah, Dominic, Billy, and Sean on their typical filming day, "The Fellowship of the Cast" which interviews the entire cast in turn, them telling their own little stories, and features behind the scenes footage, as well as "Post Production Photos" and "Cameras in Middle Earth" which takes you behind the camera during the filming of the Fellowship of the Ring. I highly recommend this special edition dvd for anyone who is even the slightest fan of the movie - it's something you'll always remember and keep forever...it's truly a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Best Sci-Fi in quite some time
Review: A trully astonishing movie on an epic setting, tastefully done with tremendous acting, special effects, and directing. This will probably become a beloved classic for quite some time.
One of the recurring themes was how each actor pegged their roles. For example, Sir Ian could have easily overacted and ruined the entire movie. But he made Gandalf seem human and real. Trully remarkable. Enjoy this wonderful film!
Rating: 
Summary: Long, slow story of the good old days.
Review: A very good movie that develops lots of characters and leads to compelling action, but it is a slow mover at times. I love the film but I can't give it 5 stars as a recommendation because of the pacing. The release version moves a bit faster but they are both still slow (not Dancing with Wolves slow, but slow). If you like the books, you will like the movie. If you like fantasy, you will like the movie. If you don't you won't.
Rating:
Summary: Grand, Well Made A 13 year old reviewer.
Review: A very great movie. Special effects were great, cast was well chosen, and soundtrack was beutiful. Peter Jackson did a great job on the film. I wouldn't recomend this film for young children for violence (battles),and scary images (Orcs and Uruk-hai). The movie was a good interpetation of the book. Better than1970's cartoon versianby Ralph Bankshi. The movie is rather voilent by good in everything else. I am looking foward to seeing the 2nd and 3rd installments, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. A good entertaning versian o fthe epic novels by J.R.R. Tolkien.
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