Rating: Summary: Easily deserves 5 stars Review: I want to start by saying that I am a long-time Tolkien fan, but this review is not about the literary masterpiece, but the movie based on the masterpiece.I was perusing the myriad 1500+ reviews for this DVD, and noticed the few-and-far-between single star reviews. Many of the people who rated this movie as 1 star all but state that they have never read the books and don't understand the movie adaptation. It does help to have read the book prior to watching the film, but it is not necessary. For those people who thought they were going to see Harry Potter, they were sorely surprised. Harry Potter is rated PG because it is family friendly, but deals with mythical powers that some children may not be able to understand. LOTR, on the other hand is rated PG-13 for a good reason as well. It is violent. It isn't violent because "Hollywood" knows that violence sells, but because it is true to the basics original story. Tolkien didn't create a fun-filled romp through Never Never Land. He designed and built a mythology based on a world caught in the depths of an epic Good vs. Evil struggle and how that turmoil was overcome. "The Hobbit" was created as a children's bedtime story. The LOTR series is definitely darker and visually is not for the faint of heart. As for the special effects involved with this movie... Some have stated that this movie is all about the computer generated effects. Yes and no. There are tremendous effects involved, but only to bolster the story and keep it true to Tolkien's grand vision. This movie could not have been made without the top-of-the-line and newly invented CGI processes. In addition, it could not have lived up to the epic scope as it was intended if it had been created completely on a soundstage with painted backgrounds and Vern Troyer (Mini Me) running around carrying a ring trying to save the world. Basically what I'm saying is that the people who are distracted by the incredible special effects and use that as a basis to bash this film may simply have ADHD and they should really get that checked out.
Rating: Summary: Movie: GREAT! - DVD: Disappointing Review: Let me say that The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the BEST movies ever made and I am VERY happy to have it on DVD. But beyond the movie itself, the 2 DVD set I just bought was very disappointing. The "extra" features included are nothing but the same interviews and behind-the-scenes footage rehashed nearly a dozen times over the course of four TV features and a dozen or so web-featurettes. By the time I was finished with the nearly two-and-a-half hours of Extra features I was almost sick with boredom from seeing actors and the director make the SAME comments from the SAME interviews nearly half-a-dozen times in each of the different features and many of the featurettes. The Two Towers footage was the only real treat. What upsets me most is that I have to now wait THREE MONTHS in order to BUY THE MOVIE AGAIN! - just to see the additional 1/2 hour of footage not included in the theatrical release (among other extra features - rumored to be more in depth than the ones included here). Because this was such a great movie, I did not want to wait another three months to view it at home. If you can wait another three months to own the definitive version of this excellent movie, then I recommend it. ...
Rating: Summary: Great movie but don't buy it yet! Review: I was so excited about getting this DVD but after I bought it, I was very irritated. The movie is fabulous, but there will be a special collector's edition released in November 2002 that will include 30 minutes of extra footage in the movie. If I had known this, I would have rented the movie and waited until November to purchase the 4 disc collector's edition instead of the 2 disc set I bought today. The special features disc is very detailed and interesting, but again there will be even more features on the collector's edition. If you are a true Lord of the Rings fan, you may want to consider waiting until November to purchase the movie.
Rating: Summary: Magnificent! Review: I waited for two or three years for this film to come out. I have been a Tolkien fan since the age of eight, when I read The Hobbit. I waited and hoped that I would not be disappointed. I was not. Indeed, it transended all of my wildest dreams. I was especially impressed with Rivendale; it was exactly as I had pictured it in my mind. The special effects struck me as better than any other movie that I have seen in my life. It seamed more realistic because of the setting. It didn't have to incorporate any of our modern day junk into it. One of the things that made me the happiest was to find out who was playing Saruman. I have long been a fan of Christopher Lee, and feel that he doesn't usually get a part that befits him. I haven't seen him in anything for a long time and it was wonderful watching an old villian return in honor and glory. Especially since he is the last one alive of the great horror movie group of the '50's and '60's. This role seemed to fit him wonderfully. He brought more life to the role than I had ever imagined was possible. I can only hope that he does as well in the next installment. As in all films, this one is not perfect. The thing that bugged me the most was the way that Merry and Pippin were portrayed. They are more like blundering idiots than intelligent spy-like characters that they are. They don't pull their weight as they did in the books. There were things that were skipped that were desperately needed. The thing that pulls the whole going away together was not used. They needed to show more of how hobbit-like Frodo was, instead of making him seem more like a human, which might be easier for us to relate to, but that is what Aaragorn is there for. Also, the introducing of characters that are not supposed to be there was very annoying. On the whole, this was a magnificent effort. The actors were well chosen and the film was well researched. They looked beyond just the trilogy and looked at The Lost Tales for more information, which helped cinematic viewers that want to know all of the secrets without any hassle. A commendable film.
Rating: Summary: A new classic for the millienium. Review: This is it! This is the movie that will blow you away from your couch and into another world of wonder. This is based on the first of the trilogy, it's set in Middle-earth many eons ago when Man and Elf were friends and Rings were made for rulership, a Hobbit named " Frodo Baggins" has been hired by Gandolf the Wizard ( Ian Mckellen) on a dangerous quest along with the other hobbits " Pippin", " Mery" and " Samwise" to destroy the one and only powerful Ring of Sauron in the place that was once made. This is an incredibly, amazing and spectacular 3-hour feast of magic, imagination, Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Swordfights and everything so fanciful that makes it a new classic. Last year, the long-dead fantasy genre was saved thanks to " Harry Potter" and " Lord of the Rings", i am a fan of Fantasy :) and these became two of the best movies i have ever seen last year. A must own DVD and coming in November is the offical Director's cut with more footage and audio commentary by Peter Jackson. It will become a classic among the fantasy genre along with The Wizard of Oz, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, The Last Unicorn, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, Conan The Barbarian, Legend, Big Trouble in little China, The Neverending Story, Return to Oz, Highlander, Dragonheart, Ladyhawke, and others.
Rating: Summary: Lord of the Bores Review: This movie stunk! I even fell asleep during it. All they do is walk fight walk fight walk pre-pare to fight enemy runs away ends in a stupid way. What a boring day.
Rating: Summary: This movie is damn shoik one! Review: The Sticky had the privilege to see the first Lord of the Rings movie with his friend Ah Beng. Here's what he had to say about it; Wah liao! That movie was damn solid one! Though I prefer the bang bang movies, I make an exception with this one lor. There were lots of good things to looksee at. I like those small small people who come from that kampong village of theirs lah. However i feel sorry for them as they got arrow with the job of throwing that ring to that hot place lah. Those ah-mors just all eye power what! The movie was a bit long lor - got a bit sian at times lah. When they talk in that funny language lah, got a bit chim for me what. However the computa effects are very nice what and the action is very shoik one. My balls drop when those big scary creatures come on what! Could only just tahan it lah!
Rating: Summary: what's the deal with the sound? Review: This is very strange. The DVD sounds TERRIBLE through my stereo system. Lots of static and strange noises. Its a standard JVC stereo, but it works fine with every other DVD I've ever purchased. I tried switching the DVD sound settings between 5.1 and 2.0 stereo surround (via the movie's setup menu). In desperation, I rerouted the DVD sound output to my Sony widescreen TV (57" rear projection) and the sound is fine, clear and no static. My TV's spec's do not list any sort of decoder or special hardware, so I am mystified as to why my stereo output is so bad and the TV sound is fine. Go figure.
Rating: Summary: A masterpiece and filmmaking at it's best Review: Back in the 70s, viewers from around the world praised the epic journey known as Star Wars. It was a grand adventure and George Lucas changed the art of filmmaking forever, usually known for being the "creator of special effects". It had everything a brilliant film could have: Emotion, wit, imagination, fantastic characters, gripping storyline and genuine special and visual effects. Never since that trilogy has a film created so much of what I stated above. But that was before Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of probably the greatest novel of the 20th century. I'm talking about The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R Tolkien's beloved classic has finally been adapted to live-action films, which includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, which will all be released annually, with Fellowship released in theaters in December 2001. This movie had a lot to live up to. After the horrible failure of Ralph Bashki's animated Lord of the Rings movies, filmmakers did not bother to touch the epic classic. That until it was announced in 1998/1999 that filming would begin in 1999 for all three films, Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. So, I was there at the theater on that fateful day of December 18, 2001, eager to see if the movie lived up to Tolkien's beloved beauty. I was so relieved to see one of, if not my absolute, favorite book of all time faithfully reproduced on screen and more. Star Wars: Episodes 4-6 were the last movies to accomplish something this great. It has everything a great movie should have and more. The film features real emotion, terror, character and a great set of visual effects. And unlike Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Fellowship of the Ring can appeal to viewers who haven't read the book. If you haven't read the book, it's still a great movie. The story is THE story that started fantasy. The Dark Lord Sauron seeks to enslave the free peoples of the mythical realm of Middle-earth by recovering a mighty ring of power he forged in the fires beneath Mount Doom. After many generations, the ruling ring, cut from Sauron's hand by the human hero Isildur, has fallen by chance into the keeping of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). Guided by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and assisted by companions representing the free races of elves, dwarves, men, and hobbits, Bilbo's heir, Frodo (Elijah Wood), embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the ring before Sauron's minions can recapture it. The actors are terrific. The fantastic cast is why this movie is just so good. Elijah Wood plays the wide-eyed and innocent hero Frodo Baggins and his faithful partner Samwise Gamgee played by Sean Astin. Let's briefly run through the cast: Ian McKellan, however, does not appear in this film. He is transformed into the old wizard we know and love. Viggo Mortensen plays the part of Aragorn pretty well. Physically he's fit for the job and is a fantastic actor. Sean Bean is usually an actor for villains of many flicks. Here, he joins the Fellowship as Boromir of Gondor. He's perfect. I had not heard of Orlando Bloom before he was announced. Though he is fit for the job of the elf archer. How cool is this? John Rhys-Davies delivers some humor and plays our favorite dwarf well. There pretty well-done, Frodo and Sam. Pippin and Merry also provide high-spirits. Christopher Lee is famous for villains. He plays Saruman at just the right speed. Liv Tyler is a decent actress but her role as Arwen surprised me. It's her most realistic role yet. I was skeptical about this. However, Cate Blanchett delivers Galadriel. The set pieces are absolutely staggering. New Zealand is perfect for the role of the wondrous Middle-Earth. From the Shire to the Great River Anduin to the mines of Moria, Director Peter Jackson has given us an exact replica of Middle-Earth. Everything is lush and warm, from Hobbiton to Rivendell, with the help of a few computers. This makes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone look like it was filmed in a garden shed. The Visual Effects have won an Academy Award. Their very strong and very realistic and blend in with the environment perfectly. They put Harry Potter's CGI effects to shame. There's a cave troll, a demon Balrog, the slinky Gollum (who is only shown for a small while), forest trolls and the mixed orc breeds called the Uruk-Hai. This is filmmaking at it's best. Director Peter Jackson has created a classic and the upcoming films, The Two Towers and The Return of the King will collide with The Fellowship of the Ring to create a memorable trilogy that will be cherished for decades in the future. Folks, put this film with Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI and the Indiana Jones trilogy. It's a keeper. And now the DVD. The DVD is loaded with extras including three in-depth documentaries, "Welcome to Middle-Earth", "Quest for the Ring" and "Passage to Middle-Earth). There are 15 featurettes first made for lordoftherings.net that have interviews with Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and more. There's theatrical trailers, TV Spots, Enya's "May it Be" music video, 3-minute preview of EA's video game, "The Two Towers" and exclusive DVD-ROM features. Now we get to the good stuff. First is a 10-minute preview of the next installment, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". It hosts some new (and old) footage of the movie and goes behind-the-scenes. And last is the 3-minute preview for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended" DVD due out for a November 12 release, which will include 30 minutes of never-before-seen-footage incorporated into the film. This is the only way to see the Theatrical Version of the movie. It has fantastic special features and is a must-own.
Rating: Summary: This movie was the bomb! Review: I don't care what other people think, Lord of the Rings should have won best picture. Not A beautiful Mind. Beautiful what? The Lord of the Rings was an excellent movie in all aspects. It didn't fail in music,scenary, acting,script or plot. The movie was long and that made it better. I don't understand why directors think they can make a good action film in an hour and a half. It just won't work. I love adventure movies and movies that take place back in time. Before I saw this movie I haven't seen a really good adventure movie in a long time. So this was really enjoyable. I recommend it. It's a masterpiece.
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