Rating: 
Summary: Too biased towards action
Review: I love TOlkien & think he is one of the GREAT 20th century writers. that said this movie is an uneven tribute to his genius and too much to put towards the action equation & not enough towards the adventure. Still probably the best out there.Legolas
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie but lack behind the scene material
Review: If all you want is to see the movie then this will do just fine. But if you are looking for how the movie was made or deleted scenes wait for the extended version. The second CD that came with this version includes 3-4 networks coverage of the film before The Fellowship of the Ring hits the theater. Its like a trailer with a couple behind the scenes. It didn't even have the trailer to The Two Towers.
Rating: 
Summary: They finally did it up right
Review: For once, I'm very pleased at what filmmakers have done in translating a book to movie, especially one that is beloved by so many people. We have a situation here where several things come together in a positive synergy: the state of special effects, the desire to finally bring it to the screen in the epic proportions it deserves, and the money to bring it all together. It was also a brilliant move to shoot all three episodes at once so we don't have to endure as long a wait as the Star Wars endeavors. Practically everyone who is a huge fan of the books will probably be miffed that some of their favorite parts are missing. While understandable, these folks should appreciate that just the first installment is just about three hours, with two more equal installments coming. By the time this thing is done, there will be about nine hours of first-class filmmaking to enjoy. For myself, who read it twenty-five years ago in college, I choose to look at this as a special treat that one should be appreciative of. I'm very impressed that they could tell the basic story as well as they did. Sure, there are a lot of subleties that would make a truly complete filming run over twenty hours, but basically it's about a shrimpy guy that has to drag a ring accross a magical land and throw it in a pit. To create all the different types of creatures, good and bad, who are involved was a monumental effort. Most of my past movies reviews here ride high on cynicism in the way they tend to pull cheap shots just to get your dollars. This time there is no such cynicism. Sure it's gonna make a lot of money, but here is the rare example where the makers of the movie truly seem to love making the story they are telling, and wanted to deliver the best possible product possible. I congratulate them for doing just that.
Rating:
Summary: Best Fantasy Movie Ever
Review: Jackson and new line Cinema give Tolkien's work the justice it deserves. The first volume in the trilogy really gets the juices flowing and I eagerly await the next. I do not consider mysel a real tolkein fanatic. In fact I found the books a bit heavy, particularly Tolkien's penchant for describing the geneology of his fictional characters. But there is no doubt that Tolkien created such a believable world, that I almost treat this work as an piece of historical fiction. Jackson's movie has a faster pace than the book while still remaining true not just to the spirt, but to the letter of the books too. True Tolkien grognards will find flaws, but I enjoyed the attention to detail that Jackson lavishes. This is where the DVD excells as you can go back and look for fresh stuff in each viewing. My only compaint is the blatant merchandising. They are releasing two versions of the DVD, one with 30 minutes of cut scenes. I found this a bit much. One DVD with all the extra material would have been much more logical.
Rating:
Summary: A tad too long
Review: I had no idea how long this movie was. I started the DVD at 12:30am when there was nothing else on TV. I figured it would be the standard two hours. Boy was I wrong. The movie just went on and on. The song at the end of it should have been Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On and on ... and on some more. I'm not saying I was bored by the movie. I actually thought it was excellent. I haven't read the books so it was completely new to me. The characters, story, setting was all beautiful. Perhaps I enjoyed this movie so much because it's the first and only fantasy movie that was done well. I'm a fan of the "Final Fantasy" games and this movie is how I would expect one of those games to be made into a movie. Not like the horrible "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" movie. Anyway, I think this first movie gives out a little too much information. Being new to the story I had to get used to the odd names of towns and characters and then I had to pay close attention to the story and what was going on. The ending is really disappointing because you're left hanging without knowing what will happen next. I understand this will be in the second movie but still it's a bit of a downer. I look forward to the next Lord Of The Rings movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Heart of Middle Earth
Review: While this is not true to every word of the book, Peter Jackson's vision of Middle Earth seems to have the heart and soul of the story without being a fifty part miniseries. There simply is no way to do the books in movie format without cutting some things. That being said, what is here is almost all fantastic. The movie never got its fair shake from the over weight and overpaid critics, however, to those who grew up on the books, this is like coming home and being on a holiday. My only real complaint would have to be that it was too short. But then we have the extended version coming out in November, and with a little luck, Jackson will catch Lucas' mania and give us the ten hour version in a couple of years. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the "Rings" cult: this movie is a timeless classic
Review: This movie will still be astounding viewers decades from now. Since I had the great advantage of never being patient enough to finish reading the books, my appreciation of this amazing movie was not ruined by any pre-conceived notions. "The Lord of the Rings", (the book), was a fantasy classic long before there were any computers or computer geeks. so of course there is no way any mere mortal's movie will ever measure up to the "official cult interpretation" dictated by the superior imaginations of these "Ring Nerds". Well I say, just ignore the detractors and judge this movie on it's own merits. You will find it hard not to list it as one of your favorite movies of all time.
And if anyone wants to carp about the DVD version, wait until November and get the 4-disk version.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing movie!
Review: I have never read the books, but even without them I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole movie. The DVD has added another fan to the Rings trilogy. I especially enjoyed the ten minute preview of The Twin Towers, which was wonderful. I can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull Film adaptation of Tolkin's book!
Review: Although hard-core Tolkin fans will be able to notice a few simi-major events skiped or abrivated beyond their liking, this is by far the BEST book to film adaptation I have ever watched, or heard about. Be on the look-out for the directors edition with 30 minutes of more footage, including the giving of gifts by the 'Lady of the Woods' compleatly remastered with new music for the aditional footage. I have this DVD, and will msot certainly be gettign the directors edition! Get the sound-track also, great music!
Rating:
Summary: Business as Usual
Review: The over-all quality of this DVD is very good. If you don't know it already, Peter Jackson's version of LORD of the RINGS - THE FELLOWSHIP of the RING is very good. The pictorial grandeur and operatic scoring of the wide-release version of LOTR-FOTR is well served by the letterbox format and excellent sound on this double-disc set. The bonus DVD contains moderately interesting interview and on-location documentary footage, though much of the best material here is from the LOTR website featurettes. As others have observed here on Amazon's public review board, this DVD's 'problem' (if it can be called that)is the revelation of a new, extended version of the film, due out in mid-November and tantalizingly previewed on the bonus materials disc. From a business perspective, New Line is wise to release the 178 minute version of the film several months before the longer, more detailed version. Such a stategy will certainly move more discs than releasing both versions of the film at once, which would likely confuse public opinion regarding the better version. Make no mistake, if J.R.R. Tolkien could approve a film adaptation of FOTR, he would prefer a version longer than 178 minutes. I can just imagine some of the comments from test audiences when the earliest cut of FOTR, a 4 1/2 hour version, was screened: "Difficult to digest," "Too many names," "Unwieldy." Negative comments like these would have had a special weight, considering the monumental investment/gamble of the film's backers.
With so much riding on the success of the trilogy's first film, New Line must have been concerned about marketing. Even at just under 3 hours, this version of the film pushes the acceptable length for a wide-release feature. Remember, if you can, the public reception of Lean's LAWRENCE of ARABIA, and the subsequent attempts to improve its "viewability" by cutting it.
I have little doubt that the extra 30-40 minutes of material in the extended version of FOTR will improve the film. Tolkien used detail to flesh-out his characters and environs. Fantastic languages, loving descriptions of landscape, and cultural details all contribute to the depth and allure of Tolkien's vision. The extended film version of FOTR promises more footage of settings, and more use of foreign (fantastic?) language. Also, it will provide information that sets up later events and contributes to richer character exposition. For example, more footage of Lothlorien, including a long-shot, should lend a better sense of scale to the tree-city. The important gift-giving sequence has also been restored, giving viewers a source for the cloak clasps all the Fellowship members are wearing in FOTR's final scenes, a detail that will continue to pay off in The TWO TOWERS.
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