Rating: 
Summary: Earthshaking fantasy movie-making at the apex!
Review: (This review of mines is just on the movie) My fantasy film taste would be changed forever when I first saw the first installment in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, entitled "The Fellowship Of The Ring". I was completely blown away by the out-of-this-world directing from none other than Peter Jackson. The directing and the landscapes of Rivendell, the mines of Moria, and the mountains, and The Tower Of Orthanc are breathtaking. It's also mind boggling how they manage to make the Hobbits shorter than the actors that portray as the actors are at least a foot taller than the characters they play while others are shorter than the characters they play. All of these things make this entire story come to life. This could as well be the ultimate movie trilogy off all time. The power of the Ring is not to be reckoned with as others have fallen to its power with disastrous results. Many have tried to use it but terrible things happened to them, whether it was being killed or still being alive but being tormented, or tortured by its deceitful power. It's was now up to a young Hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins to destroy the ring by casting it into the fires of Mt. Doom where it can be unmade. Many dangerous obstacles lay ahead as numerous enemies hunt them down and the power of the ring gradually grows heavier showing how evil tries to all of it's might to continue to endure the heroic efforts of good and it almost runs parallel to the real life battle between good and evil and how evil is a threat to all life on earth and how greed and desire for power can corrupt even the highest ranking leaders of society. Also it even tells of how any ordinary person can be able to change the course of history. This epic movie is outstanding on all fronts! I'm not sure how Tolkien would've reacted to the screen adaptation if he were still alive, but I think that no fantasy movie has worked so well in being adapted to the silver screen like LOTR has. The excellent Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone is more like a children's horror cartoon by comparison and even the most recent Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones doesn't top "Fellowship" although the stunning special effects, and futuristic cityscapes do give Fellowship some competition. Enough of the film comparisons. I don't think that the cast could've been better. Ian McKellan was perfect for playing Gandalf. Gandalf has some hilarious lines during the beginning and shows unbelievable bravery and boldness. But then all of the major characters show these traits. No one in my opinion could've done a better job portraying the evil wizard Saruman than actor Christopher Lee. The four Hobbits by the name of Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrine Took, and Merry Pippin are great too. Over time, new characters would come into the picture. Overall, from my perspective, "Fellowship" is more of like an introduction to the individual characters and them interacting and with alliances forming and missions being laid out and this film is more of a warm-up to the cataclysmic events that would take place in it's follow up "The Two Towers" and what'll become even more cataclysmic with the epic finale "The Return Of The King". Legolas is astounding with his eye popping archery skills and I'll bet that he'll make girls everywhere fall head over heels. John Rhys Davies was perfect for Gimli's part. While I thought that Gimli in "Fellowship" was somewhat annoying and somewhat pompous in this film, he would go through vast improvements in the second LOTR movie, becoming much more entertaining, and become one of my favorite characters. More than likely there are other characters who aren't showcased in the movie and that probably disappointed some but the ones that were though were superbly portrayed. Peter Jackson did a fantastic job of directing the scenes.. All of these things make this entire story come to life. Bilbo Baggins is wonderfully played by Ian Holm. What I find great about this movie is that while parts of the film are extremely violent in the battle scenes with countless villain Orcs being killed in battle, there is little blood and there is no splashes of blood that'll make one feel queasy and that really makes this movie even more astounding. This is the perfect example of making seemingly realistic battle scenes without much blood. Boy I tell you, seeing this at the big screen was a hell of a visual assault to the imagination in a positive sense with incredible special effects, intense battle scenes, spellbinding scenery, both the landscape, the caves, The Shire, etcetera etcetera. I am so grateful that I did not miss out on seeing this one the big screen as when it came out on the small screen, the small screen robbed this epic fantasy film of much of it's power but that does not mean that it's no longer intense, quite the opposite. It's just that the big screen is like the events are almost actually happening before ones eyes and that, my friend, is epic fantasy filmmaking. No one alive today will ever see epic fantasy movies that are so astounding like the Lord of the Rings trilogy or surpass it. Things only would get better with the successor installment "The Two Towers" and I cannot wait for "Return of the King". Although Fellowship isn't as strong as its follow-up, this movie has already become one of my favorite fantasy films of all-time and should be in every movie lover's collection. Believe me, this was three hours well spent! I look forward to the day when I can spend over 9 hours watching all three LOTR movies straight through. I'm now finally exhausted of words to say now.
Rating:
Summary: Extended edition--essential to understanding Two Towers
Review: The extended edition of the Fellowship of the Rings is not only packed with fascinating behind the scenes extras--and witty commentary by the cast, but it contains a boatload of extra scenes that are necessary to understand the plot in the Two Towers. For die-hard Tolkien fans, the only problem is that it just isn't humanly possible to pack any more of Tolkien's masterpiece into a single film.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantasy Film Trilogy that will Redefine the Genre.
Review: Magnificent, is the word that best comes to mind. With Hollywood's history of bungled fantasy genre films, with very few standing out as above-mediocre, this film will redefine the genre as "Star Wars" did to sci-fi back in the 70's. As for general effect (filming, CG, musical score) this movie is exceptional. The blend of sets and the professional, even-handed use of CG in this movie puts the new Star Wars movies and Lucas' famed ILM to shame. The new Star Wars films should be this good. The cast of great actors: Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, John Rhys-Davies, Cate Blanchett, et-al... also lends itself to making this movie great. The actors are allowed to be very dramatic and really flesh out the charaters, rather than reading lines. Also, the use of Tolkien's fictional languages by the non-human characters is impressive and provides the depth that Tolkien created by inventing the languages in the first place. Story-wise: THIS IS A MOVIE, it has a SCREENPLAY, BASED on the books by the esteemed J.R.R. Tolkien. As far as screenplay adaptations of a novel, this is one of the best by far, especially in the Extended-Edition DVD. Tolkien purists will point out that the film adaptations do not go exactly by the book or trash some of the lines found in the movie, true there are no Uru-kai in the books but some lines like Aragorn: "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." in the new Two Towers movie, come straight from the book. It is the best mix I've yet seen of movie and novel and pays respect to the feel, story, ideals, and morals in the original novel(s). I urge viewers to remember that the books and movies are two different beasts. If you think that a screenplay that IS NOT a slavish, unyeilding devotion to each word in the books will offend you then I strongly suggest you avoid the film altogether and re-read the novels. For I have experienced both and find them equally a grand experience. The extended edititon DVD is, itself exceptional as well, the menus are well done and not crazy. They are tasteful and easy to navigate. That is good because of the dizzying depth of background and production material to slosh through. It will take you as long to watch the movie as to delve into the bonus features. This is by far the most well done and polished DVD I've seen. Of course the film itself is excellent and presented in wide-screen letterbox. One of my most favorite films and DVD's. The next two installments will, I'm sure be just as great.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest moive ever!
Review: I found the movie quiet enjoyable. The cast did a great job playing Gandalf and Frodo, I was really impressed. If you have already seen the movie then you would definitely enjoy all the extra scenes, I know I did!
Rating:
Summary: One DVD to Rule Them All
Review: One of the most comprehensive DVD's I've ever seen! An amazing digital tranfer makes for pure movie magic in the astounding DVD Special Edition. The extra scenes add to the story, instead of distracting you from it. I've read the book, and these extra scenes give you a little more background on the specific scenes. If you enjoyed the movie, spend the extra [$$$] and get the Special Edition before they're all gone! The 4 Disc set comes in a great cover that makes it look like an old leather-bound book. Looks more like a book on your shelf than a DVD. I'm sure the next 2 films will be done the same way for the Special Edition. The extras are unbelievable. Over 6 hours I think. I still haven't seen them all! The only thing I wish that would not have been done, is putting a break in the middle of the film. Probably to preserve the great digital transfer, they had to put the film on Disc 1 & Disc 2. But it's only a minor issue. Creates a great time to run to the bathroom before finishing the film :) One DVD to rule them all!
Rating: 
Summary: Good DVD set, decent movie
Review: Besides the movie, this DVD set packs in lots of goodies that Tolkein fans are going to love. The interviews with the director and actors along with historians and literary scholars shed lots of light on the story and the mind of the author behind the story. The goodies are incredibly rich and they make owning this DVD set worthwhile. The movie itself is standard teenage fantasy fare, though. Judging the movie as someone who has not read the books, I can't say that I thought the movie was particularly special. The special effects and beautiful scenery indeed make up for the thin story, but the story's weaknesses show through the splendid cinematography. First on the list of gripes is the soundtrack. A little subtlety goes a long way, but apparently really loud symphonic movements make scenes easier to understand. The music shoved every emotion and every atmosphere right down the viewers throat. If the scene was happy, we get loud happy music. If it's sad, we get loud sad music. And if it's a fight scene, well, the music is just unbearably overwhelming. Yes, it's supposed to be an epic story, but the director just needs to tell the story not jerk the viewer around with the music. My second gripe is the story of Golem. Rather, the lack thereof. We are introduced to this character early on in the movie and then get little glimpses of him here and there. We get to see the main characters fret over the fact that Golem is following them, and we know that Golem is interested in getting the ring back. And...? Where is the director going with this story? If there is a story here, why isn't it explained? If there is no story, why is it in the movie? The Golem storyline gets a big 0 stars for being completely superfluous to the main storyline and not having its own resolution. One other big problem I had with the movie was with the bad guys. These guys are worse than Star Wars Storm Troopers when it comes to battle. The director spends far too much time dwelling on these repetitive battle scenes where the heroes don't get a scratch but entire armies of baddies are wiped out in a matter of minutes. Even in the final battle scene where (SPOILER) Boromir gets three arrows to the chest, he manages to take out an entire legion of super-orcs before finally succumbing to his wounds. It's just unbelievable that the heroes would continue getting into these fights without getting hurt. When Boromir dies and the elf archer appears with a big scrape on his forehead, it was laughable that the director who just spent 10 minutes showing how invincible these heroes are is now trying to convince the audience that they in fact do get hurt too. The last big gripe I had was the lack of character development. The characters that we are introduced to in the beginning of the story are the same characters that we see as the story ends. No one learns anything, no one grows spiritually. The only change we see is in Frodo who goes from being happy and carefree to fretful, but this change happens about 2 minutes after he becomes the ring bearer and does not get any deeper as the movie goes on. Every time the chance to develop the characters came close, the movie decided that instead of doing that it would be better to introduce new characters. So the audience is left with a thousand and one characters (996 of which are completely peripheral to the main story line) and a very shallow understanding of the main characters. Is it a terrible movie? No, but it is mostly saved by the cinematography which is simply magical. Tolkein created a masterpiece in his creation of Middle Earth, but the Lord of the Rings story is one dimensional and is hardly lives up to the huge potential that the Middle Earth world provides.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look inside filmmaking at its finest!
Review: Normally I review music but I just had to add my voice, for what it's worth, to the over-three-thousand reviewers(!!) who have weighed in on this 4-DVD-set so far. The movie itself, whether extended version or original, is a wonderful interpretation of a truly seminal work of literature. But everybody knows that already, and it's not why I'm writing this review. What truly blew me away here was the incredible plethora of bonus features--I'd give them TEN stars if I could. It took me an evening to watch the film, but several months to watch the rest of the content! Not only do you get the extended version of the film, but five (count 'em, FIVE) variations of it, four of which contain full-length commentary by key people from the production team and cast, giving a blow-by-blow account (sometimes literally!) of how each shot was achieved, how the special effects were accomplished, and what was actually going on behind the scenes. The result is utterly engrossing--like actually being there. Some of the revelations are sobering, some hilarious, and some just mind-boggling. As if that weren't enough, also included are 2 extra CDs containing the following: 17 original documentaries covering all aspects of the filmmaking process, an interactive map, examples of the computer wizardry used for the special effects, and galleries of photos, storyboards and artwork. The talent, effort and professionalism that went into the making of this film are staggering, and I hope all of these fine people receive the recognition they deserve. Thank you, Peter Jackson and friends, for allowing the rest of us into your world of magic-making. Not only is this set of DVDs an excellent value for the money, but it's an absolute must for anyone interested in the craft and art of film-making. I can hardly wait for the sequels!
Rating:
Summary: LOTR: FOTR Special Extended VHS Edition
Review: This movie is just plain brilliant! The Special Extended VHS Edition of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" has thirty extra minutes of wonderful parts from the book trilogy not seen in the theatrical version. In fact the VHS version, which I own, of "The Fellowship of the Ring" has a bonus feature called 'A Day in the Life of a Hobbit' and a preview of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (its amazing sequel). "The Fellowship of the Ring" is a very enjoyable fantasy movie to watch! It has spectacular acting, a great plot, and wonderful visual effects. And it also has action/adventure, drama, and romance combined. It goes by the author J.R.R. Tolkiens "The Lord of the Rings" book trilogy, which I have read, very well. Fans of the book trilogy will really enjoy watching "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Special Extended VHS (or DVD) Edition because it is a wonderful adaptation of the book trilogy. [Product]: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Rating:
Summary: BEST, MOVIE,...EVER!
Review: This movie is just an awsome action packed adventure! The first time I saw it in theatures i didn't know what to expect but when I walked out I was Surprised at how great it was. Its got Orcs, Monsters, and those cool Nightrider guys! The movie never gets boring, its got a great story and is Exploding with action! I never read the book or anyting but I know the movie rocks! The Two Tower is also good exept its got like 10 times more action, so see that one after seeing this. If you havn't seen this movie already rent it or buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: THE epic of our generation
Review: I've read tons of scathing reviews regarding this movie and the special extended edition, and I've noticed the phrase "longest, most boring movie ever made" pop up, in variations, many times. This is aggressively annoying to me -- not just because I love this film (and "The Two Towers"), but because it glaringly proves that the attention spans of our youth and/or moviegoers today have narrowed to the point where, if a character isn't being mutilated in the first ten minutes or a massive "Speed"-style car chase isn't staged before the opening credits roll, audience members bolt for the nearest exit. This is an EPIC, folks! Look the word up in your Webster's -- it means LONG, SPRAWLING. Dear God, could you see these same people trying to sit through 4 hours of Gone with the Wind or Ben-Hur -- they'd be foaming at the mouth! Matter-of-fact, LoTR is on a scale with those films; it's a classic epic, with actual characters and story and lavish production and special effects that are present to serve the story, not the other way around. And, I have to say, if given the choice to watch Gone with the Wind or Ben-Hur or LoTR, I'd watch LoTR anytime, anywhere. And I'm not some fly-by-night moviegoer -- I'm a fanatic. I've seen thousands of films and own five hundred on DVD -- and I'd still watch LoTR right here, right now.
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