Rating: 
Summary: Should have been extended NOW
Review: Although I have been a Lord of the Rings addict for the past 32 years, and believe that this film is an admirable attempt, too many of the elements that Tolkien included that made his book a masterpiece were sacrificed in favor of action in this film. I was totally outraged after puchasing this DVD to find in the special features section, Peter Jackson touting the extended version of the film to be released in November on DVD. If the clips shown for this are a true indication of what has been put back in, the extended version will include many of the elements that should have been there in the theatrical version to satisfy those of us that love the more ethereal, intangible qualities in the book.
This extended version seems to be an ... attempt by New Line Cinema to bilk avid fans out of yet more cash, simply to obtain what they should have received from the start. I have already returned the DVD I purchased on the release date of August 6, and will purchase the extended version in November. Something to think about before you purchase this DVD or next years release of The Two Towers.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: Although I have never read Professor Tolkien's books, I can only hope that he is looking down, smiling proudly at the films that Mr. Jackson and his band of mates have made. The cinematography is beautiful and I can't imagine anyone else playing these characters now. Truly a benchmark in epic filmaking!
Rating:
Summary: Quality Fantasy Film
Review: Although I have read science fiction classics, I don't read fantasy, and I have not read any of the books written by
Tolkien. So I watched the movie knowing extremely very little about the story. So I cannot vouch for how faithful the movie was to the novel.
Concerning the elements of the movie, the special effects and set designs were very good; the plot was straight forward; the acting was very good--a very fine ensemble cast. I was pleased to find out that it was story about courage, faith, friedship, about how Frodo, basically a regular fellow type, gets assistance from different beings in different ways in the quest to destroy the evil ring.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY DISAPPOINTING !!!!!!!
Review: Although I've never read the books, as a moviegoer this is how I rate this OVER-HYPED movie:1) IT WAS WAAAAAAY TOOOOOOOO LONG!!! People complained about other good movies out there today that are too long. THIS was TOO LONG!!! 2) People today ONLY care about action & special effects. With that said, LOTR is ONLY about special effects!! 3) All I saw on the screen was a bunch of guys travelling to somewhere which they never get there and they do the same thing over and over again. What I mean by this is that every place they get to there's always an "evil" that they have to battle and for every "evil" they were up against, they always get away. This is what I saw during the 3 hours of my life I lost. 4) A lot of books don't translate very will into film. I'm sure this didn't because as long as each book was, there is just no way a movie will do it justice. Three hours? I'm sure it would've been better if LOTR was a 10part mini-series. 5) The three hours really did NOT reveal the story very well!! 6) The other thing I HATED was that I have to wait a whole year to find out what's next. If this was to be a "serial" movie, we shouldn't have to wait that long. 7) I think someone paid a bunch of critics too much money to say that this is a good movie. All in all, go see another movie that has more depth and story to it. That's all folks!!! GO SEE SOMETHING ELSE.!!!
Rating:
Summary: !!!Warning!!! Problems for some PC's, too!
Review: Although Interactual is not stating specifically why it's happening, they acknowledge compatibility problems with this release and certain DVD-ROM's. Why would these same players have no trouble with other DVD's??? Why, that's a riddle for Gollum or Bilbo, but apparently not Interactual's tech support!!! Currently, they're laying the blame on hardware/technology that is less than one year old!... Quite frustrating for those whose computer serves as DVD!!! playback!
Rating:
Summary: lord of the rings
Review: although long this movie proves itself to be an extremly good and well filmed movie.
the sceenes and costumes are well made and creates the idea that the Shire is a real place. the charicters are well choosen and actors/actresses play their roles well.
the comedy is well balaced with the tradgedy and sorrow, but the language does prove to be more for older teens and adults rather than young children and they will proberly get tierd and bored very soon although the effect will intrest them. this is a deinate must see and words cannot decribe the talant and wonder in this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie - fantastic DVD
Review: Although not quite as successful as the "Star Wars" films, "The Fellowship of the Ring" is a very good motion picture that puts the recent entries into the fantasy genre such as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". A young hobbit, Frodo (Elijah Wood), reluctantly inherits the task of bearing a beautiful golden ring that has a dark mind of its own. There, he, his friend Sam (Sean Astin), wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and two other hobbits, Merry (Billy Boyd) and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan) embark on a long and perilous journey to destroy the evil ring in the fires of Mount Doom. First - let me state that I have never been a fan of the Tolkien books myself, they were overlong and never seemed to gather any momentum (plus the fact that I have only read 'The Hobbit' and only half of 'Fellowship' before I abandoned the books altogether). Nevertheless, the movie adaptation is more stirring, more exciting, and indefinitely more enchanting than what the books conjured up. Never has a movie been so perfectly cast. Elijah Wood does an exceptionally good job as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen effortlessly captures the rugged toughness of Aragorn, and the other actors do a fine job as well. The person who outstrips everyone in the movie (including Cate Blanchett) is the mind-blowing performance of Ian McKellan who immerses himself effectively in the role of the wise, wizened Gandalf the Gray - earning himself a deserved Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. "The Lord of the Rings" boasts strong directing by Peter Jackson, stunning cinematography and astounding visual effects that makes us believe that we're actually in Middle-earth. Never had I had been so breathlessly entranced. The writers - Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson - effortlessly condense the 365-page book into a smooth, intelligent script. Some of the liberalties that they have taken with the movie are not as obvious in the book (such as the fireworks display at Bilbo's birthday celebration), they're more like something Tolkien would have added. Alas, despite all the lavish praise, "The Lord of the Rings" loses steam and momentum during the final 30 minutes and character threads are left open - not to mention that the sudden dropoff is especially anticlimatic. Nevertheless, "The Lord of the Rings" is a breathless, enrapturous piece of modern cinema and holds up extremely well after repeated viewings. The special edition 4-disc DVD collection is truly a special edition of the film, it is packaged in a special box and there is a lavishly illustrated booklet telling where you want to go. On the first two discs there is a special extended version of the film (30 minutes longer from the theatrical version), with missing/extended scenes seamlessly integrated into the whole, which breathes more life and understanding of the picture. This version gives a whole new meaning to the picture, but it's no less entrancing or diminished. In the special features section, there are three audio commentaries that you can listen to over the film. One has the commentary track of the cast, the next a commentary from the visual effects department and the final commentary from Peter Jackson and fellow screenwriters. The other two discs contain documentaries on how the movie was made and how long it took. Also included are documentaries on the actors during their filming duration in New Zealand... all of them are worth watching, just to see how the trilogy of films were made and the labor of love it took while getting there. Buy it - it is worth the money to pay for this lavish 4 disc DVD set of this film. Never since the release of "Beauty and the Beast" on DVD came out, have DVDs been so grand and lavish before. Good movie - fantasic DVD. Either way, you will be pleased.
Rating:
Summary: THE DVD to own
Review: Although people often say "That was the best movie I've ever seen," regardless of the film, I can honestly say, this is the best DVD I've ever seen! While I'm not an intense home theatre enthusiast, I do have a few hundred DVD's and this is the best one in my collection. The picture is stunning, the audio is top-notch. On top of that, the four audio commentaries are extremely insightful and interesting. (I thought I'd be bored with the design team's commentary, but it was just as interesting as the other three.) On discs three and four, titled the appendicies, you get several hours of documentaries and featurettes. Take note: don't be fooled by the term "featurette". All too often on DVD's today, a featurette is a five minute promo for a studio or other fluff piece. However, the featurettes on this set are usually 15 minutes to an hour long and really are about the making of the movie. By the time you're done with this set, you will know everything there is to know about this film. If you like the movie and you haven't bought this yet, you're really missing out. If you're saying to yourself, "I don't care about extras and I already own the two-disc set," then you still need to think about getting this version. The "special extended" edition of the film is better than the original in every way. 99 times out of 100, deleted scenes are deleted for a reason. Not so with this version - the extra scenes are blended seamlessly and add a depth I didn't think was possible. Now, when I think of these scenes, I don't think of additional scenes, I think the film would be incomplete without them. I try not to be one given to exaggeration or hyperbole, but I just don't think there's any other way to say it: This is the finest DVD release in the history of the format.
Rating:
Summary: Never Bored of the Rings
Review: Although some adamant fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's seminole works may balk at the changes made to the story for film adaptation, let me assure you that the differences are minimal. Nothing has been lost that might affect one's journey to Middle Earth and the long awaited adaptation by Peter Jackson and company will not disappoint; when you see it, you know you have arrived. The nearly three hours it takes to pass through to the third age seems but a trifle, and when it's over you are left breathless. Visually stunning, the New Zealand scenerey alone would merit this film, and the Sfx are used as an artform rather than merely as gimmicks. The beauty and the terror are preserved through out, as is Tolkien's biblical based ethos he had so subtley woven through out his story. All the words that have been used in reference to lesser works to the point of banality, saga, epic, masterpiece, have been restored to their former luster throughout this film. While no film is perfect, and no work made by human hands can remain without flaw because of our own inherent inequities, this film,this thing of wonder and awe comes very close to the emaculate.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: Although the BK ads on TV may seem cheesy, this is no way to judge probably the best movie of December, or maybe even the year. The movie has humor, "epicness", and sheer terror at times (those ringwraiths might give some people nightmares). And to add to it all, Peter Jackson brought in a master composer, whom I had never heard of before, Howard Shore. Just the trailer for this movie might make you want to buy the soundtrack. This movie puts shame to the other "most anticipated movie ever" this year, Harry Potter. While Harry Potter stays too faithful to the books, and rushes too much, this movie is not only the perfect time, but also stays just the right amount away from the book, so that people who have never read them before don't get confused (the book requires some major knoledge of Middle Earth). Anyways I think this movie outperforms many of the big-budget films these days in many ways. One of the ways that things like the "mummy" francise, and the updated "planet of the apes" failed in was ACTING. Not only does Ian McKellin do a great job (we knew he could act) but Elijah Wood, child star of such films as "The Good Son" and "Oliver" convinces us that he is not a human, but a full-fledged hobbit. A job well done, lets just hope that the next two will live up to the Fellowship.
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