Rating: 
Summary: Don't Be Fooled By The Hype Machine
Review: The worst film I've seen in years. A dumbed down version of Tolkien's magnificent work made to appeal to a mass audience. In other words a typical Hollywood film. Don't be fooled. There isn't an ounce of Tolkien's spirit in this film. The compositions and editing are at best pedestrian. In this film Mordor looks more like Mortal Combat. The musical score is derivative. The performances, with the exceptions of Sir Ian McKellen and Ian Holm, are wooden. The usually wonderful Cate Blanchett is completely miscast as Galadriel. Wait until you see her turn into a screaming blue meany. Blanchett honestly seems stoned. Elijah Wood whines more than Luke Skywalker. If this film were true to Tolkien's spirit, Director Peter Jackson wouldn't have allowed Elijah Wood to be carried across the Ford of Bruinen by Liv Tyler. In the book Frodo crosses the Ford of Bruinen alone and turns to face the Black Riders by himself. This is a key sequence in the book because Frodo is allowed to show his courage. He defines why he will be the ring bearer. This moment is pure Tolkien. "The average fellow turning to face terrifying odds in the face of great adversity." Having Frodo carried across the Ford of Bruinen by Liv Tyler reduces Frodo to a weakling. It destroys rather than enhances Tolkien's ideas. It is a given in adapting a novel to film changes must be made for the over all improvement of the film. However, if Peter Jackson gave Liv Tyler this scene for no reason other than he wanted to insert a romantic angle into the story, (The character she plays is barely in the book and not even in the Ford of Bruinen sequence) he certainly wasn't making changes for the better of the film or for that matter being true to the spirit of Tolkien. I'd rather watch a Gamera film. At least Gamera will be entertaining and not pretend to be anymore than it is.
Rating: 
Summary: Way too long
Review: I've never been a fan of fantasy so I'm a little bias. I thought 3 hours way too long.
Rating: 
Summary: The best DVD ever made
Review: I recently recieved this LOTR gift pack as an actual gift, and let me tell you, it was probably the best gift I ever recieved.First and foremost in the pack is the movie itself, which has over half an hour of extra scenes that, due to time constraints, never made it to the movie. The original version was a great movie, but this extended edition is fantastic, with the extra scenes giving so much more insight into the story and characters. One scene that I particularly liked was the one where Aragorn and Boromir were arguing on the night before the breaking of the Fellowship. Not only do we get a better insight into Boromir's character, but we also see the Fellowship 'breaking' somewhat already, and it also makes Boromir's valiant departure more meaningful. The extra scenes also help prepare the viewer for 'The Two Towers' more, especially with regards to the gifts that Galadriel gave to ALL the Fellowship in Lorien. The next best thing about this DVD pack are the 'behind the scenes' sections, which take up 2 whole discs and are probably longer than the movie itself. These segments explain virtually every detail behind the movie, everything including the set construction, props, costumes, music, as well as extensive interviews with the actors and development team. The only disappointment I had with this section is that it does not feature interviews with either Hugo Weaving (Elrond) or Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), and I must assume it is becuase those two fine actors simply weren't available at the time. The DVD also features four extensive film commentary sections, with the actors, the writers, the set/prop designers, and the post production digital teams. While I found the last two a little repititive after having seen the 'behind the scenes' things, the first two commentaries (with the actors and then with the writers), are extremely interesting. Peter and his writing team do an excellent job explaining why some things were different from the book, why they did other things, what they wanted aimed to do with certain scenes. After listening to the commentary, it is obvious to me that Peter Jackson is a film-making genius with an electric imagination. I also liked the way that Peter was so blatantly obvious about everything, if he changed something from the book, he goes right out and says it, and then explains his reasons for doing so. He doesn't do it arrogantly, he simply presents his reasons for doing so and lets the audience make their decision, once again showing his great humility. The actors featured in the DVD commentary are also very interesting, and explain some of the features very well. Ian McKellan is a standout with his gentle tone and shrewd statements concering the various scenes he comments on. The Hobbit actors are also very amusing, and it's obvious that those guys had a lot of fun making these movies. Sean Bean (Boromir) is great to listen to, and he really made me appreciate the character of Boromir more. John Rhys Davies also speaks very well, and he really opened my eyes up to what he had to go through in order to act in the movie (his facial makeup was horrendous). Hearing John speak outside the movie helped to reinforce my belief that we should have seen more of Gimli (and the Dwarves in general for that matter) in the movie itself. But even so, having seen Gimli played by such a magnificent and dedicated actor such as John is a real treat. The actual packaging itself is also wonderful. The outside box is simply too beautiful to throw away, as it shows drawings of the Fellowship's journey down the Great River. The DVD pack itself is beautifully made, and includes a map of where the Fellowship travelled throughout Middle-Earth, which I found very interesting. The pack also includes two remarkably detailed statues of the Argonath from the movie, designed to be used as book ends. These books ends are almost as terrific as the movie itself, and I'm sure that many proud LOTR fans will have them in their bookshelves for years to come. Technically speaking, the DVD is perfect. There are no errors whatsoever, which simply adds to the excellence of this theatrical masterpiece. Whether you are a an avid LOTR fan or simply a casual fan who enjoyed the theatrical release of the movie (such as myself) this is the DVD pack to buy. It may be expensive, but it is worth every cent, and I would gladly had paid twice as much for such a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A great edition, but...
Review: The extra scenes really shed light on the whole movie, but, I still haven't watched all 4 discs. See, I liked the movie, and I wanted the latest & greatest version, so I bought the 'Platinum' version. Not really necessary. If you're like me, get the basic version instead.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie!!!!!(I'm korean)
Review: Hi~ I'm a 22years old, and a university student in Korea. I knew this site by my professor's recommend. So I looked about this site and then I knew that this site has many categories. Especially I interested in the video categoty of them. So I found my favorite movie by chance. The movie title is "The Lord of the Rings." I
like this movis very much. Although I don't read the original book of this movie, I am
extermely impressed only movie. I think we can feel this movie's impression by just
seeing this movie. Because I like this movie that the reason is full of interest of story
and a large scale.I am fascinated by this movie's unimaginable unfolding, superising
visual effects. So I though after I watching this movie, "Hm..How wait for next year?"
But I will look forward to "The Lordof the Rings 3" Because I'm sure that this movie
will be the best!!
If you don't see this movie yet, I recommend to you!! Everybody, let's go a
adventurous itinerary with Frodoand his friends!! Nevertheless I'm not good at english, thank you for my review.^^
Lastly, The Lord of Rings is the best movie!!!!
Rating:
Summary: THE dvd
Review: What an excellent film! If you haven't seen it, do so immediately. Although purists will say it robbed the book, I thought the film was a lot better adaptation than the old cartoon. This is in my top 5 favorite action films ever. That said, this is the best dvd I have ever seen. Alhough you have to swith the disc between the first and second half, it is not a problem (this film is 208 mins., so I had to watch it in 2 sittings anyway). Although the original was loved, and nominated for Best picture, this is an even better cut, with a lot more humor. The best parts on the dvd is (get this), you see the original image, and then the "digitally graded" image used in the final cut side to side, and you also see an editing example. There are six rectangles which show each camera's shots, and the seventh is the final cut, from one of the six. Even better, you get to click on each of the angles, and watch the full thirty seconds on each of them. This lets you appreciate editing. Although the original dvd was thrown together with a shorter cut, and cable spots as it's special features, this dvd was well-crafted, and so was the directors cut. Instead of Peter Jackson just inserting deleted scenes, he "graded" the image, he re-recorded sounds, he got his compsoser to write songs for those scenes, and he got the actors back into the studio to dub over some sounds. This is better crafted than any directors cut I've ever seen, even the one's re-released in theaters. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and feel free to leave me a helpful/not helpful feedback. God Bless America!
Rating:
Summary: Astounding
Review: Each time I watch an additional 'extra feature' on the DVD, I am astounded by the level of craft that went into the making of this film. Definitely a DVD to own and watch repeatedly.
Rating:
Summary: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
Review: "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring" is a brilliant movie by director Peter Jackson! The special effects, art direction, and music(score) were all fantastic! This movie is filled with action, adventure, drama, a little romance, fantasy, and fun. Even though this movie did not perfectly follow the author J.R.R. Tolkiens "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy books, which I have read, that does not mean that this is a bad movie. I, for one, can actually understand why Peter Jackson, and his crew, cut, added, and changed some parts to it. The actors and actresses did a wonderful job on acting in this movie. They also did a wonderful job on acting like the characters from the books. There are a lot of fantasy characters brought to life, from the books, on this movie such as: the ring-wraiths, the watcher in the water, many orcs, a cave troll, the balrog demon, elves, dwarves, wizards, and hobbits. Peter Jackson chose to direct this movie in New Zealand, which was the perfect country to direct "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy movies. This movie is the winner of four Oscars(Academy Awards)! Congratulations to director Peter Jackson and his crew! I highly recommend you buy "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring" movie on VHS or DVD because it is a perfect five star and two thumbs up movie! And this movie is filled of true amazement!
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: The extras alone are worth buying this DVD set! The extra scenes are wonderful! I love the gift-giving scene! The movie is excellent, the commentaries are funny, the artwork is beautiful...etc.
Rating:
Summary: Every detail of Tolkien's world has been recreated perfectly
Review: Peter Jackson's movie of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring," first part of a three-film adaptation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is amazing.
Right away you will know what's going on with a quick and efficient introduction outlining the forging of the rings of power, the creation of the One Ring, battle for Middle Earth, Isilidor defeats Sauron and inherits the ring. The ring is lost and thousands of years later found by the creature Golum and then Bilbo.
We view the Shire full of green and goodness, the evil flames of Mordor and the Orks, The awesome ringwraths clothed in layers of black, Rivendel the Elvish Paradise, the deep caves of Moria, and the woods of Lothlorian. Every location has been recreated perfectly giving us a completely believable world straight from Tolkien's books.
Everything about this movie is amazing and full of detail. The music of Howard Shore complements every scene bringing it to perfection. Watch this movie and take a look at Tolkien's world, through the eyes of Peter Jackson for a simply remarkable viewing experience.
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