Rating: 
Summary: An epic for our times
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was considered unfilmable for a very long time -- the story was too big, too fantastical. But in the late 1990s, New Zealand director Peter Jackson got the green light to shoot the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy. The rest is film history."The Fellowship of the Ring" introduces us to the hobbits. Eccentric old Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) leaves the peaceful Shire at his 111st birthday, leaving all he has to his young nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) -- including a golden Ring that makes the wearer invisible. But the grey wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) reveals that it's actually the One Ring, which is the source of power for the demonic Dark Lord Sauron. Horrified, Frodo and his best pals leave the Shire and join a band of elves, men, and dwarves to take the Ring to the only place where it can be destroyed. "The Two Towers" picks up immediately after "Fellowship" ends. Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) are lost on the path to Mordor. Worse, they're being stalked by Gollum (Andy Serkis), who owned the Ring for centuries and is enslaved to it. But because he knows safe ways into Mordor, Frodo lets Gollum come along. Elsewhere, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) make a desperate stand against the orc armies with the kingdom of Rohan.... "Return of the King" brings the trilogy to a head. Frodo and Sam's friendship is threatened by Gollum's trickery -- and Frodo is led into a deadly trap. Elsewhere, Gandalf rides with Pippin (Billy Boyd) to Gondor, the kingdom that Aragorn is heir to. Aragorn summons an army of ghosts and attacks the heart of Mordor -- as Frodo and Sam arrive at the volcanic Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged. But can Frodo bring himself to destroy the Ring? A lot of people were nervous when first hearing that "Lord of the Rings" was being translated onto the big screen. There were just too many things (goofy scripting, bad special effects, mutilated characters) that could go wrong. Those fears turned out to be pretty much unfounded. Some characters are different from what they are in the book (Faramir and Arwen, for example, are altered and added to), and a handful are gone altogether. Jackson and Co. outdid themselves with nearly every aspect of the films. The scripting is impeccable, a good balance of dark and light, humor and horror. The sets and New Zealand landscapes are breathtaking. The battle scenes are bloody and exciting. All the trappings -- clothes, jewelry, even beer mugs -- are realistic. And the special effects are almost entirely convincing-looking, especially the gruesome Gollum. He's the first fully convincing CGI character, and after awhile you'll forget he is made digitally. Elijah Wood is outstanding as Frodo Baggins. He runs the emotional gamut: fear, pain, horror, happiness, resignation, rage, love, lust and emptiness. Sean Astin is equally good as the steadfast Sam, Frodo's best friend. Supporting hobbits Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd get to grow up into mature hobbits, and Ian McKellen is excellent as the grandfatherly wizard Gandalf. Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean are only part of the amazing supporting cast, all of whom give excellent performances. The movie adaptation of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy has been accepted by most fans and critics alike. Why? Because the trilogy is among the best movies ever put to film. A stunning achievement.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movies, bad combo
Review: (...)One can buy all three of the movies in one box, and actually save a few bucks if he/she'd buy them individually. However, this box, in my opinion, does not contribute anything extra except for maybe a cardboard wrapper. A cardboard box is hardly worth anything extra, and there are no added extras or anything. Having bought the collector's editions, I can highly recommend those over the 'cinematic releases'. They include tons of extras and behind-the-scenes clips, interviews, techniques used to create the movies etc. True Lord of the Rings fans would prefer those anyway. Those who just want the regular versions might find this combo still useful though.
Rating: 
Summary: Wait for the extended version--and hope it's better!
Review: The extended version of The Return of the King, due out at the end of 2004, includes a reported extra 50 minutes (!!!) of material. Good stuff, by all reports. If you've never seen the movie or read the book, the extra material will probably help you understand the story better, just as it does for newbies to the first two installments of the trilogy. It seems waiting would be the thing to do. And yet, in spite of getting almost an extra hour of story with the extended version, you might very well be sorry you waited, for disappointment lurks.... Before I go on, I'll temper the coming diatribe with the admission that I'm a huge Tolkein fan. I enjoyed and admired The Fellowship of the Ring--a very fine film indeed, and I'm one of those rabid fans who watched all three of the films, back-to-back, in the movie theater. There, I marvelled anew at The Fellowship and The Two Towers--but then I sat fuming as the ROTK's credits rolled. Where is the Scouring of the Shire? I can tell you where it's not. Reportedly, Peter Jackson says he never liked that chapter when he read the book, so he decided not to film it. Like, at all! Zippo. Gone. Never mind that the vast majority of readers view the Scouring as the culmination of the entire point of the entire trilogy: that the small and good can overcome the mighty and evil. Aided by the Wise, the Hobbits get on quite well for thousands of miles of peril. But when they go home to their beloved Shire, they drive off the ensconced evil riff-raff with no help at all. And the Wise knew the Hobbits were capable of it, else the Wise wouldn't have sent them on to the Shire alone. In the book, when the hobbits first arrive home, so much have they changed inside that none of the Shire-folk recognize them. In the movie, however, there's scant reaction from the Shire-folk--a few looks of surprise that quickly give way to bemused sneering, that's it. Yup, Mr. Jackson, you missed the boat. And what did you supstitute for the measly 20 minutes the Scouring of the Shire should have had devoted to it? Instead of the Scouring, we get seems like hours (though it was probably "only" 45 minutes or so) of battle scenes. Now, I know the battles were important, and I'm glad they were included, of course. But Jackson could have left about half of what made it into the movie on the cutting room floor. He ~should~ have left it on the cutting room floor. The battles are absolutely thrilling--for a few minutes. But there are only so many times can one can watch an Orc get skewered, decapitated, or crushed before it gets boring. Jackson was too in love with his battles to do the right thing, alas. His brilliant FX notwithstanding, the extra time devoted to the battles would have been better spent on the story, i.e., the Scouring of the Shire. I would have loved the movie but for that one, terrible omission which, ultimately, leaves the trilogy unfinished. And speaking of love...where is Faramir/Eowyn's story? Not here in the theatrical version! Instead, we get extended--and Jackson & Co. fabricated--Aragorn/Arwen mush. Fortunately, I'm a lover of mush--I'm a multi-published romance novelist!--so I don't find this Arwen stuff all that offensive--even though it wasn't in the original story. Still, it's unnecessary, pure and simple--whereas the Scouring of the Shire was essential. And it didn't hurt anything to add it--whereas the entire trilogy was hurt by taking out the Scouring. Someone drag me away from the keyboard, please! Reportedly, the extended version will also include an extended scene of the battle before the Black Gate, a scene where Frodo and Sam join the line of marching Orcs for a time, a scene where Gandalf confronts the "Witch King" (I guess "witch king" sounds more exciting than "leader of the Nine"), a scene at the Houses of Healing where Faramir and Eowyn meet and fall in love and Merry is healed, a scene depicting Saruman (Yesss!), a scene where Aragorn looks into the palantir to confront Sauron, a scene where Merry takes his oath to Theoden--all great characterization scenes that clarify the plot. And--oh, yeah--no pesky Saruman death scenes to distract our focus on the lucious gore of the much more important, action-laden battle scenes! Say what? Yup. Apparently, Saruman doesn't meet his end at the hands of Wormtongue in the extended scenes as he does in the book. In fact, it's reported that he doesn't die at all. Jackson must have thought he needed that five minutes of screen time to show the lopping off of a few more orc's heads. "Sorry, Mr. Tolkein, your work is deeply flawed. Too much characterization, not enough action! We'll have to cut somewhere. Call in the extras, and spray on some more fake blood over there!" Okay, my diatribe's over. Bottom line: wait for the extended version that's coming out at the end of 2004. I own the extended versions of the other two movies, and I consider the extra material in those movies as not just a nice extra, but as an essential. The extended version of The Return of the King will 25% or so longer than its theatrical version. That's a lot of film time, and it's well worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: The most mesmerizing 9 hours of your life
Review: These movies find a way to take you to another place. A place with Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and Wizards. This is not a peaceful place through most of the trilogy, but a place filled with war. This is not like wars in our world, usually fought for money or power. This war is fought for mankind. If you enjoy special effects, then you could buy this trilogy just for those, because every movie is jam packed with them. If you are into great story lines or great characters, this movie has both. There are few problems with this film. One is the evident invincibility of some of its lead characters, always walking into battles with thousands of enemies, and coming out alive. The other would be the sheer length of the trilogy. This may be more a problem of convenience than a problem of attention. You may find yourself up at 5 o'clock in the morning watching the final moments of The Return of the King when you have to work in an hour. This is also not a movie for the squeamish. Heads roll, thousands are killed and children take up arms. If you prefer realistic stories, then this wouldn't be for you either. Fanciful tales aren't for everyone I suppose. If you like a good love story, then this actually does have one in it. It's a very long love story and it doesn't take up all that much of the movie, even though it's very important. If you are looking for nothing more than a love story, steer clear of this, because most of it isn't there to pull at your heart-strings. Overall though, this is an excellent trilogy which I would recommend to most anyone. BUT!!! These are not the extended versions of the movies. You may want to wait for those. They tie together loose ends and make it more like 12 mesmerizing hours.
Rating:
Summary: 'The Lord of the Rings' Movie Trilogy
Review: All three movies in 'The Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy are equally phenomenal! The special effects, acting, cinematography, and music (score) are all very well-done. The only flaw in 'The Lord of the Rings' movie-trilogy is that each movie is quite long. But that's O.K. To be honest I don't really find that as being much of a flaw. 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers', and 'The Return of the King' all have a lot of fantasy, adventure, action, and excitement to offer. I highly recommend that you buy 'The Lord of the Rings'-The Motion Picture Trilogy (Widescreen Edition)! This Oscar-winning movie trilogy is worth owning.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst movie of all time, overpriced DVD set
Review: The new LOTR trilogy is simply the worse movie ever made. Why? Because it's all about computer effects. Absolutely nothing original in this. Even most of the effects have been tried for many years by Japanese filmmakers. Why waste your money, people???
Rating:
Summary: LOTR Trilogy is the Greatest Epic adventure ever told! A+++
Review: This set is comprised of the 3 LOTR films but presented in their standard theatrical release form (meaning no Extended or newly added scenes). While the movies are undeniably, and unarguable as being classics, this trilogy package is probably best suited for newer viewers of the films who haven't bought any of the 3 LOTR films. But if you want to get all 3 films, I strongly suggest getting all 3 individually on the Extended Version. You won't be wasting the extra money, because each film contains a generous amount of extended or newly added scenes that add not only depth, but characters and more story to the films. I do not recommend this package to LOTR fanatics or completists, only to those who want to get all 3 standard LOTR films in one shot at sort of a discount price.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Essential DVD Trilogy Of The Year!
Review: I don't think there has been a movie trilogy that has fascinated the world so much than "The Lord Of The Rings." Director Peter Jackson set about making the three films in the trilogy more than five years ago now, and here we are in the present day, with three of the most epic action adventure fantasy movies in history. The three films have grossed a combined total of $3 billion worldwide and breathed new life in J.R.R. Tolkien's ground-breaking and gargantuan novels. Before these films were unleashed on the world, I had heard very little of the books, but in 2000 my Science teacher told me, "Watch out for The Lord Of The Rings in a year or so. It's gonna blow you away." Boy, was she right! So after all the films have been released on DVD comes this brilliant bargain triple-box set, which features the original DVD's of all three films, clocking in at over 9 hours of magnificent viewing, and hours more of special features! First in the series was THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001). This film was released around the world in December 2001, to massive critical acclaim. People flocked in their millions to see it, and they were not disappointed! What we see here is the introduction of Middle Earth, The Shire and its inhabitants. Then Frodo (Elijah Wood) is handed the One Ring and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) says he must destroy it, take it as far away from The Shire as he possibly can. Accompanied by his good friend Sam (Sean Astin) and later on, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), the foursome set off on a journey to hide the ring. Along the way however, things go a little but further than they had expected. Cue fire-breathing dragons, mountain-treks, battles with Orcs and much more. They travel through Weathertop, Moria and Rivendale. The film never lets up and has the perfect contrast of action and drama. A must see. The special features include: - Theatrical trailer(s)
- Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of The Two Towers
- Three in-depth documentaries that reveal the secrets behind the production of this epic adventure, including:
-"Welcome to Middle-earth" (in-store special as shown by Houghton Mifflin)
-"The Quest for the Ring" (as debuted on the FBC Network)
-"A Passage to Middle-earth" (as premiered on the SCI-FI Channel)
- 15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and others
- Enya "May It Be" music video
- An inside look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Preview of Electronic Arts' video game, The Two Towers
- DVD-ROM features: Exclusive online content
- Widescreen anamorphic format
- Number of discs: 2 Second in the series was THE TWO TOWERS (2002). This second instalment in the magnificent trilogy was unleashed at cinemas worldwide in December 2002. The film was dubbed even better than the first, and grossed in a lot more around the world. After the life-changing events of the previous film, what we witness in this film is the battle for Helm's Deep and a lot more. The final battle is awesome and one of the biggest action events ever seen on film. The addition of new characters and maintaining old ones from the previous film is brilliant and the beauty of the scenery makes this film another must see. Probably the worst of the three films, but still a masterpiece in its genre. The special features include: - Theatrical trailer(s), TV spot(s)
- Documentary "On the Set: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (Starz/Encore special)
- Documentary "Return to Middle-earth" (WB special)
- Eight featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net: "Forces of Darkness," "Sounds of Middle-earth," "Edoras & Rohan Culture," "Creatures," "Gandalf the White," "Arms & Armor," "Helm's Deep," and "Gollum: Andy Serkis, Bay Raitt"
- Emiliana Torrini "Gollum Song" music video
- Short film by Sean Astin "The Long and Short of It"
- Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
- Preview of video game, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
- An inside look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
- DVD ROM Features: Exclusive online content
- Widescreen anamorphic format
- Number of discs: 2 The final film in the instalment was THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003). This was the last instalment, and the buzz around this film was nothing short of meteoric. The film was unleashed at cinemas in December 2003, and was absolutely epic. Cinema seats had to be booked in advance of its release, and it became the only film in the series to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film in history next to Titanic (1997). In this film we see the ultimate battle for Middle Earth take place. The battlegrounds at Minas Tirith are the most openly vast and grand-scale fights ever witness on film as hundreds of thousands of Orcs line up and set on destroying a city. The Nazkuls, the elephants, the ghosts, Gollum, the One Ring, the Eye, Mount Doom. Everything in this film is amazing! The greatest film ever! The special features include: - Three in-depth documentaries:
"The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision"
"A Filmmaker's Journey: Making The Return of The King"
"National Geographic Special: Beyond the Movie"
- Six featurettes
- Aragorn's Destiny
- Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor
- The Battle of Pelennor Fields
- Samwise the Brave
- Eowyn: White Lady of Rohan
- Digital Horse Doubles
- The Battle For Middle Earth Continues--Video Games from EA (3:00)
- "The Lord of The Rings" Trilogy Supertrailer (6:45)
- 3D Animated Menus
- DVD-ROM: Weblinks to exclusive content - Widescreen anamorphic format
- Number of discs: 2
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie Trilogy Ever Made!
Review: 'The Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy is incredible! All three films in the trilogy go by author J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' book trilogy fairly well. But, in my opinion, they could have gone by the books a little bit better than they already do. The special effects, cinematography, and acting are truly spectacular! And the music (score) is phenomenal! Though they are not perfect, each film in the trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers', and 'The Return of the King', are equally wonderful in almost every way! I highly recommend that you buy 'The Lord of the Rings'-The Motion Picture Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) [Boxed Set]! All three DVDs are great and have excellent special features. Thank you Peter Jackson and crew for these three woderful Oscar-winning movies!
Rating:
Summary: Nearly $3 billion in ticket sales worldwide: Yours for $58.
Review: I was in Hollywood at a Tolkien fan gathering (Hall of Fire, and Into the West) watching the Oscars on a large-screen TV when RETURN OF THE KING deservedly earned 11 Oscars: a historic moment in motion picture history, not only because it's the only time any film has made a clean sweep, but also because it's the first time a fantasy film has been so lauded. With this six-disc set, you get the THEATRICAL version of the film trilogy--the original films, and NOT the extended versions which were subsequently packaged individually for DVD in four-disc sets. If you want the EXTENDED version of all three films in a boxed set, you'll have to wait. For the price ($58), this theatrical version is perfect for gift-giving for anyone who saw and enjoyed the films and want a copy for his/her collection. The film is magnificent, helmed by Peter Jackson, whose attention to detail, to every aspect of this film, made it a remarkable filmic achievement in its own right: the real challenge, though, was to take Tolkien's epic story and keep the narrative going at full speed without losing its fidelity. The result: three films that will stand the test of time. We will not soon see three films of such grandeur and magnificence, since stories like THE LORD OF THE RINGS come along once a century. This set comes with bonus discs with supplementary material -- useful especially to new Tolkien fans who want to know the story behind the story, so to speak. While hard-core Tolkien fans and film purists will hold out for the extended DVD set that will likely be released in November of this year, the rest of the world will be happy with this affordable, complete film trilogy that Peter Jackson terms an "interpretation" of Tolkien's epic story. It is a film trilogy of extraordinary power and resonance, with beautiful cinematography, a musical score that perfectly complements the film -- from the harsh music in the Mines of Moria, to the soaring music in scenes of great triumph, and almost inexpressible sadness in the final scenes that resonate emotionally -- and first-rate acting from a cast that includes (I think) 23 main characters: a remarkable achievement by anyone's standards, and, taken as a whole, a film trilogy that tells a story that has resonated with readers since its publication in 1954. The film trilogy stands in a league of its own: nothing else has ever come close, nor will we see in our lifetime anything comparable in terms of its epic scope, imagination, characterization, and sheer complexity. Film director Peter Jackson's interpretation will stand the test of time: No question. Bottom-line: Buy this if you want the theatrical release or want an affordable, memorable gift for any Tolkien fan (new or old); and if you want to give a Tolkien fan the very best, buy the EXTENDED set of all three films when released in November.
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