Rating: 
Summary: A Literary Masterpiece in Visual Splendor
Review: I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was about 10 years old. Since then I have been a devoted disciple of not only J.R.R. Tolkien, but of literature in general. Tolkien, who was a professor of Literature at Oxford University, incorporated features from such epic poems as Beowulf into The Hobbit and his Ring Trilogy, creating a link to other literary works which has always fascinated me and led me to explore other literature.
I must admit that when I first heard that Peter Jackson would be bringing the Ring to the big screen I immediately felt indignant, almost angry that someone would tamper with Tolkien's Masterpiece. After all, how often has the film industry completely rewritten pieces of literature or altered history to make a movie more palatable?
I am pleased to say that my misgivings were completely inaccurate. Mr. Jackson gave himself to reproducing Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth with an awesome exactness. The locales are fantastic, cinematography stunning, and casting wonderful, not to mention a delightful musical score. Tolkien's classic good versus evil storyline was adhered to almost to the letter. This movie will be as great a classic as the books are. It is a fantastic achievement for Mr. Jackson and the cast and crew, and undoubtedly will be a catalyst to introduce many children to the joys of reading.
Rating:
Summary: Best choice of the year!
Review: This is the best choice for anyone who loved and watched several times the movie at the theaters.Now, you can have a peek in Two Towers' production as well as watch interviews with Peter Jackson and most of the actors.
Rating: 
Summary: I aprove the film completely AFTER reading the book log ago.
Review: Two, just to call your atention. I read de book long before knowing there was going to be a movie and I gotta say I love this film. I know that when a book has to be put as a movie, you can't expect to see everything just the same as in the manuscrit because a film's gotta have visual impact. Its an insult to Tolkien to say the book is better than the movie or otherwise because you cna't compare them. Some people complain about the movie being too different from the book. Well, it would be kind of boring if it was, don't you think? And lets not say it would be like five hours long or so.
As for the changes...well, my favorite scenes from the movie are the fight between Gandalf and Saruman inside Orthanc. That scene is practicaly original and was not in the book. I love the shots of Barad-dûr, which were not even suggested in the entire Lord of The Rings Trilogy. As I read the book, I didn't really liked Tom Bombadil, so I didn't mind they did not include him in the film. Ah, THAT scene, the one everbody talks about. I like strong women who are still beautiful and feminine. Yes, I like that Arwen saved Frodo herself, rather than Glorfindel giving him that horse. What was his name? It's more exiting, it'll sure be great for people who haven't read de book and puts at least two women taling in the entire film. The Lord of the Rings is a great adaptation. As a novel, is terrific, as a movie, just the same. The visual effects really deserved that Oscar, the plot is easier, there's great action -and if you thoght the orcs fighting was too much for you, you just whait for Helm's Deep- and New Zealand its just...its just too beautiful to be true.
Rating:
Summary: The Ring is True
Review: The idea of the ring is somewhat real in my mind. It's historically noted that some objects may have power. Once I was reading about the legend of the Kohinoor diamond, written by Sri Chinmoy. "What interest could a spiritual master have in a diamond?" I thought as I sat in my little place in Eugene, Oregon. A place nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and a landscape similar to that seen in the movie Lord of the Rings. The question took over a part of my mind. I decided to take an unrelated trip to Africa just a few weeks after I read the story. On my way my flight was diverted due to bad weather, and I landed in London. The airline put me up in a nice hotel for the night, and in the morning I strolled past the Parliament building, and eventually wandered my way into a guarded castle. As I passed by a few objects inside, there - right in front of me was displayed the Kohinoor diamond! That's supposed to be a coincidence? Ironically, I was visiting the display of the crown jewels, the jewels of Kings. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship that the characters had, such as Sam and Frodo. This movie is as good as the book!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent rendering of a literary masterpiece
Review: I, who have seen many of the great, classic movies, felt that this one may well be the greatest film ever made. If it bores some, fine; this is merely a demonstration of their lack of taste and poor attention span. "The Lord of the Rings" turned out better than I expected. In spite of the discontent of some of the exceptionally devoted, who fussed over the minor instances of artistic and poetic license, I feel that it offers a wonderful rendition of the story. I advise all to purchase it; it is a newborn film classic.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and worthwhile
Review: I had wanted to see Lord of the Rings for about six months after it came out, and finally managed it a few weeks ago. I was impressed, to say the least. The cinematography is beautiful and amazingly lush, and the acting is overall excellent. Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Ian Holm as Bilbo in particular were fantastic. The movie was very faithful to the book, keeping Tolkien's original spirit and room for imagination intact. A very worthwhile experience.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Easily the best movie of 2002. It's destined to be a classic that will played over and over 20 years from now (Like Star Wars and the Godfather). Even if you didn't enjoy the books (I read the first 25% of the first one and had to put it down)you will love this film. Tight story, excellent special effects, and great casting make this film one of the best films ever made. One thing should be mentioned to all would-be buyers: Since this is part of a trilogy of films that were shot back to back this film sort of just "ends". Being part of a trilogy, there is no major resolution at the end...it leaves off at a certain part of the adventure. That being said, it's still a great film and better than 99.999975% of the stuff out there. Get this film!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie even if you have read and love the book!!
Review: I enjoyed this movie immensely. It was beautifully crafted with superb acting. They were able to bring parts of the book to life (i.e. the balrog) that they could not have done 10 years ago, in a satisfying fashion. The special effects get an A+. However, as a devoted Lord of the Ring/Tolkien fan I must admit that I was disappointed when something was left out, changed (i.e. Arwen being the horse rider), or made "darker" than it was intended. I especially was disappointed at not seeing the tender get together when they surprised Frodo with their intention to join him no matter what! I thought this was a critical part, as it expressed the deep friendship they had. Then, I missed not seeing the wonderful characters of Tom Bombadil and Goldberry with their adventure through the old forest. I thought they made Elrond's character a bit rough and stern. My harshest criticism would be how they portrayed Galadriel and Lothlorien. It was all so "dark". Noone contradicted Gimli when he said Galadriel was a witch. They made Galdriel out to be almost demonic. I was very uncomfortable with the scene when she had the ring. Also, my husband who has not read the book could not tell that the elves were singing a lament. He thought it was just part of the soundtrack. I sorely missed the emphasis on music, poetry, and singing that is such a crucial part of the book. Other than these two actors I thought everyone else was a great portrayal and looked like I thought they would. I understand that they can't put everything in, BUT they did spend precious movie minutes on stuff that wasn't even in the book, such as the fight between the two wizards. There was one scene, however that was a great addition: the scene of Aragorn and Arwen when they were pledging there love for each other. That was pure magic! Overall, despite the latter comments, I would recommend this movie even to Tolkien fans. I know I enjoyed seeing much of the book come to life. It is a "feast for the eyes and heart" with the superb visuals and acting.
Rating:
Summary: Over-rated
Review: After all the Oscar hype, and all the good reviews from "normal people," I am inclined to believe that perhaps my view is just jaded. I will give the movie credit... it does a good job of sticking to Tolkien's original book. However, the action scenes are not spectacular. There are sporadic impressive action scenes, but nothing on a grand scale like you would expect from a Tolkien based movie. ...P>I was NOT impressed.
Rating:
Summary: Long, but worth every minute.
Review: There have been a number of attempts to bring The Fellowship of the Ring to the big (and small) screen. All previous attempts included some form of cartoon/animation to tell the story. All wound up being dumbed down for children or couch potatoes. All were b-grade at best. Now comes a bold new attempt to bring Tolkien's legacy to the big screen. This time, thanks to technology and a director who wanted to be as true to novel as possible. The Fellowship of the Ring is a long but lush and vivid trip into Middle Earth. Peter Jackson succeeded where the others have miserably failed. This movie actually makes you believe that Middle Earth is a REAL place, filled with real hobbits, elves, and men. To be sure, the Fellowship of the Ring doesn't cover every aspect of the novel, but the changes are hard to spot, except by the most die-hard Tolkien fan. You can see that New Line Cinema didn't "ride" Peter and force him to dumb down the movie so that people with an 8th Grade reading level could grasp it. Things happen in this movie that aren't always "explained" by some character or narrator, which is truly refreshing. I look forward to this trend continuing through the rest of the trilogy. The Fellowship of the Ring is a movie much like Lawrence of Arabia, Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone, Frank Herbert's Dune, and Titanic in that it is a long but ultimately very satisfying film. A masterwork that is already on its way to becoming classic in the truest sense of the word.
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