Rating: 
Summary: Lord of Filmmakers
Review: Peter Jackson has again shown his genius. As if the theatrical version of the Fellowship of the Rings wasn't brilliant enough, Mr. Jackson has outdone himself with the extended version of one of the best films of all time. The additional 30 minutes of the film were seamlessly inserted into the original and they add greatly to the overall effect of the film. The additional scenes in Hobbiton and the sequence where the gifts of Galadriel are revealed were particularly beautifully done. Of course, I am a fan of Cate Blanchett, so I would like to see as much of Galadriel as possible in the three films.
I purchased both the theatrical version, as well as, the extended version and I was not disappointed by either. I look forward to similar dual releases for the Two Towers, which I saw last weekend. Although darker and more violent, it is even better than the Fellowship..., if that is possible. Thank you Peter Jackson, thank you New Line and thank you to the magnificent cast and crew who have brought Professor Tolkien's masterpiece to film. I have been waiting for this for 30 years.
Rating: 
Summary: The Lord of the Rings Delivers a Hit!
Review: Peter Jackson has created a visual masterpiece that remains very true to the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". Even those (like myself) who have not read "The Fellowship of the Ring" book before seeing the movie should find it entertaining from start to finish. The acting is magnificent and the story is timeless. Try not to be too disappointed at the end, there's more to come and it looks even better - if that's possible!
Rating:
Summary: The best movie ever made (at least until "The Two Towers")
Review: Peter Jackson has created his masterpiece. He was a great director with such films as "Bad Taste" and "Meet the Feebles", but "The Fellowship of the Ring" will finally get him the credit he deserves as one of the best directors today. "The Fellowship of the Ring" is a perfect movie. The casting could not have been better. Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood appear on the screen and we don't see actors, we see an ageless wizard and a brave yet simple hobbit. The locations were exactly as they should be according to the book, from the beauty of the Shire, to the majesty of Rivendell and Lothlorien, to the dark wasteland of Mordor. The script was perfectly adapted from the original story. Some changes were made, which is expected, but it is still the story we have known and cherished our entire lives. The score fits the movie just as it should. The music makes the locations come to life, the heroes and villians more powerful, and the deaths of certain characters more heartfelt. The special effects were phenomenal without being overdone. We see sweeping shots of huge armies in battle and larger-than-life villians, but it all seems completely real and believable. But most important of all, the movie had true emotion and feeling. Fans left the theaters as satisfied as a hobbit after his sixth meal. As for the DVD, the quality is the best I have seen. The colors are crisp and vivid, and the sound is just the way it should be. However, the extras are nothing much, just trailers and documentaries that you saw on TV last year. The reason behind this is that a Special Edition DVD and VHS will be out November 12, 2002. This edition will give the movie an extra half-hour, and contains four discs. All of the good extras, including an audio commentary, will be there. If you love this movie, buy it now and get the Special Edition later. If you get just one, pay the extra ten or fifteen dollars and really get your money's worth this November. (Besides, Charter Members of the official Fan Club get their name in the credits, so every Member will want this one anyway. Watch for my name!)
Once you have seen the movie, Decmember and "The Two Towers" will seem so much farther away. Anyone who has read the books knows that the saga will continue to get better as the story progresses, the War of the Ring deepens, and the peril greatens, eventually leading us to the heart of Mordor and the greatest finale ever conceived. Peter Jackson shot the entire trilogy at one time. They have all been filmed. We can be assured that the movies will continue to be this good. We can also be assured that this trilogy will not meet expectations, it will exceed them, as we have already seen in "Fellowship". The trilogy will end up being a classic for all time, like the original "Star Wars". The world will never grow tired of "The Lord of the Rings". And that is exactly how it should be.
Rating: 
Summary: Good visuals, but misses the mark
Review: Peter Jackson has directed a visually stunning, but empty movie. The scenery and costumes are worthy of the book, but the script is lame and the characters have no depth. Choppy editing takes viewers on a roller coaster ride, hurrying from action scene to action scene, depriving audiences of the opportunity to gradually immerse themselves into what should have been a rich fantasy. The actors are competent but seem shallow, disposable, not unlike what has happened in recent Star Wars films. The lone exception being Sir Ian McKellen, who imbues the Gandalf character with lived-in warmth and wit. All in all, this film is a must-see for Tolkien fans, since the story is brought to life here with lavish attention to detail. However, it is a triumph of form over substance. Let's hope that the sequels offer better character development, stronger scripts, and less frantic editing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent adaptation
Review: Peter Jackson has done an excellent job on the first chapter of the Lord of the Rings, it's amazing how he managed to condense a epic book like this in the first movie of a trilogy that I'm sure will be seen as a clasic for years to come. I can't prise this masterpiece enough. Two Tumbs and Two Toes UP!!
Rating:
Summary: Adventure Never Felt So Good...
Review: Peter Jackson Has Done The Impossible. He's Returned To The Days Of David Lean And Cecil B. DeMille And Even Topped Them To Boot. A Sheer Delight Of A Film And One Of The Greatest Ever Made. Is It The Best Of All Time? That's Up To You To Decide. Even If You Haven't Read Any Of The Books Or Don't Even Know What A Hobbit Is, You'll Still Fall In Love With This First Part Of Arguably The Greatest Story Ever Told This Side Of The Bible...All The Performances Are Pitch-Perfect, The Actors All Slide Easily Into Their Respective Parts And Own Them As If They Were Actually Existing In Middle Earth As Real People. Absolutely Amazing. It Is One Of Those Films You Can Watch Over And Over Again And Never Tire Of It, And That Is Truly What Makes A Movie Great. The Level Of Detail And Scope Put Into This Film Is Astonishing, As Well As The Effortless Pacing, Making A Three Hour Film Seem Almost Too Short To Bear. There Is No Reason Anyone Should Not See This Film At Least Once; It's Definitely Required Viewing And To Be Certain, A Cinema Landmark...
Rating:
Summary: The best that could be done.
Review: Peter Jackson has found the right mix of being true to the book and being watchable for those who haven't yet read the book. Yes, he could have made it line-for-line from the text (I would have loved it). But the "average" viewer would be bored to sleep. A book and a movie are two different media and cannot be compared directly. I loved every second of it. I have read the book four times and am currently reading it again. Say what you will, but to me it is worth it simply to see some (most) of the scenes I know so well in my mind come to "life" on the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: An Almost Flawless Interpretation
Review: Peter Jackson has himself said that any movie would only be an interpretation of this book, and he has made a grand interpretation. I didn't always agree with *his* interpretation but I did enjoy it and it was an extraordinary movie.
First of all, it was not boring, which is a plus for any movie. When people had to leave the theater to go to the bathroom, they dashed out and ran back in, so they wouldn't miss anything.
I was, like almost every other Tolkien fan, apprehensive about the movie but from the moment it began, I was caught up in the flow. The seventeen year gap between Frodo's leaving the Shire and the Birthday Party was cut out, but I can understand that. There were some clever references from both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit there, which I thought was excellently done.
I had qualms about Arwen's part in the movie, but she was well-done. Sure, she did wield a sword, but she didn't use it. Her romance with Aragorn was enlarged, and that was one improvement on the book.
The actors were wonderful. Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Elijah Wood (Frodo) both deserve Oscars for their performances; Viggo Mortensen (Strider/Aragorn) and Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) also impressed me. All of the actors acted with more than their lines; they used their whole bodies to convey things.
The sets were magnificent also. They began working on them in the early 90's or so and it shows. The Rivendell and Hobbiton sets awed me. They looked real and the New Zealand landscape *was* Middle-earth.
I thought Lothlorien was good, but I would have preferred it to be lighter and seen the elanor and niphredil flowers. That would have been my interpretation, but I was amaazed by the detail and beauty of everything--Galadriel's swan boat was gorgeous.
I did have a few gripes, however, but they did not impact my enjoyment of the film and these are the only things I wish had been included:
Gimli and Galadriel's conversations and her gift to him.
The gift-giving in Lothlorien and her showing Frodo Nenya, the Ring of Adamant. I didn't like Gimli's portrayal overmuch, but I hope that it will improve in the next film--which I will be going to see! Over all, I enjoyed the movie wholeheartedly. It is an excellent cinematic experience...and I plan to see it again a couple times as well as buy the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie Ever
Review: Peter Jackson has picked the best actors for this movie. They all fit there roles perfectly. The plot was awesome and true to the book and the special effects were amazing. Both of these movies (Fellowship and Two Towers) are wonderful and exciting. They bring you into the world of Middle-Earth.
Rating: 
Summary: Bored of the Rings is more like it.
Review: Peter Jackson has successfully tapped into the spirit of Tolkien's books. This movie was every bit as tedious, pretentious and unimaginative as the books. I for one can't understand why the assorted elves, ogres or whatever would go to such great lengths to take over a dreary, soulless place like Middle Earth, where nobody has a sense of humor. There is no drama or suspense. The action is lame and there is not a single interesting character anywhere to be found. They are like chess pieces. For example, the wizard Saruman turns evil because... well he just does. The other villains and monsters are a joke. The Black Riders are supposed to be scary because... they wear black hoods and they scared a hobbit's dog very badly. OOOOOOH! Was I frightened or what? They stab another hobbit and run over an annoying old codger who probably deserved it. They are supposed to be powerful minions of evil, yet they move so slowly anyone can easily outrun them. They can't fight very well (one man with a torch routs them) and hobbits can escape them by hopping on a raft three feet from the riverbank! These are the awe-inspiring angels of death, but they are about as menacing as Team Rocket from the Pokemon Movie! The heroes range from bland to annoying. The score is as one-note as the actors' performances. And Peter Jackson's style of directing consists of using as much skycam as humanly possible and more slow-motion in this one film than Sam Peckinpah used in his entire career. Apparently, Jackson realized just how inept and unintentionally funny his "dramatic" scenes were. He shot them in slow motion. This of course makes it a VERY DRAMATIC SCENE! Actually, it makes it embarassing. This series will have an important place in movie history. The most overrated films ever. The fact that so many people have gone ga-ga over such a bad movie says more about New Line's marketing department than Peter Jackson's skills as a filmmaker.
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