Rating: 
Summary: Get the extended edition instead
Review: The extended addition is what they should have shipped in the first place. This DVD was rushed out without the usual deleted scenes, etc.The movie itself is excellent. Just don't buy this version of it.
Rating: 
Summary: well it is about time!
Review: When I say Lord of the Rings, what do you think? Is it a masterpiece or an over described journey? Well I don't care because it has been at least a quarter of a century untill a real version of lotr came out. I thought it would be as [bad] as the cartoon, but I was dead wrong. This man Peter Jackson, is bent on trying to put every little detail in to this trilogy. I say he did an austonding job at it with a few little complaits like... Tom Bombadil,the elves that met them on there way to Buckleberry Ferry, and it wasn't supposed to be Arwen who fetched Frodo at the ford. Other than that he did an exceptioal job. I can't wait to see the Two Towers and The Return of the King. Oh if only Tolkien were alive today (1920?-1973) I belive he would be both impressed and disappointed that some of his characters were cut out. But you know what they say in the movie business, "No matter how hard you try you cannot put everthing from a book into a movie. It would simply cost too much" Well I would recceommend this to Fantasy fans and sci-fi fans. This is a great movie SO BUY IT!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, A little frustrated
Review: Okay let me explain myself. The movie is masterful, I have loved the trilogy since I was 13 years old, but the problem with this particular DVD is the fact that you have to buy this one to really find out what is in the special extended DVD release, that will be coming out in November. So what's my beef? Well if I had known what was on the special extended DVD. I would have waited. So now I have spent sixteen bucks on the regular version and now will have to spend another forty bucks to buy the special extended version in November. It would have been nice for the two versions to release at the same time. I want to believe that there is a logical explanation for the delayed release, but unfortunatley I have to believe that the reason for the two different release dates is to make a couple of extra bucks. On the current DVD release they have a great explanation of what will be on the special extended release/director's cut. So all those who are interested in seeing the incredible film uncut and in it's entirety will be forced to fork out around sixty bucks. The movie is great, this attempt (which will succeed) to make an extra buck on a franchise that is growing as rapidly as Star Wars, is not!
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Peter Jackson
Review: Peter Jackson deserves the heartfelt thanks of those who revere JRR Tolkien's trilogy. Upon learning that LOTR was being filmed, I feared the worst, because of the realization of the magnitude of such a project. Peter Jackson's adaptation of LOTR exceeded my expectations in all aspects of film-making. The extra features on the DVD version demonstrate the painstaking detail with which Jackson and his crew approached this project. The movie is not above criticism, but it is the best screen adaptation of a serious novel since the Godfather. Thank you, Peter Jackson, cast, crew and New Line.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant
Review: They said it couldn't be done. It would be too dangerous, too difficult, too long....they were wrong. Thanks to the passion and dedication of director Peter Jackson and his amazing cast and crew, this epic tale of good versus evil has finally been brought to life. And to discover how they did it will blow your mind.
The Fellowship of the Ring -the first part of the three part trilogy of the Lord of the Rings is truly only a taste of what is to come, but for anyone who missed it, you really need to see it to believe it.
My suggestion - read the books, including the Hobbit and then you will appreciate it better.
Middle-earth exists!
Rating:
Summary: Appealing even for non-fans
Review: A fantastic movie which hooks even "mundane" non-fans of the genre, LotR-FotR will be going down with the greats; Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, Ben Hur, et. al. The only two caveats one can give this top notch piece of cinema are: the Special Edition (due in November) will in all likelihood be even better, and that this is but one third of the epic. It stands alone well, but definitely leaves you wanting the sequels.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE
Review: LORD OF THE RINGS IS THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE TWO TOWERS COMES OUT. NO ONE COULD PLAY THE PART OF FRODO BETTER THAN ELIJAH WOOD. THE BOOKS ARE TERRIFFIC, AND THE MOVIE REALLY CAPTURES THE DRAMA OF LORD OF THE RINGS. THE SHIRE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE WHAT I PICTURED IN MY MIND WHEN I READ THE BOOK. WHEN YOU ARE WATCHING THIS MOVIE EVERYTHING REALLY COMES TO LIFE. IAN IS PERFECT FOR THE ROLE OF GANDALF. ALL OF THE ARMOR AND WEAPONS FOR THE ORCS ARE SO PERFECTLY DETAILED. THE SPECIAL EFECTS ARE AWESOME! THE CAST SHOULD BE SO HAPPY THAT THE MOVIE CAME OUT AS GREAT AS IT DID. I AM SO AMAZED AT ALL OF THE HOURS OF WORK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE PUT INTO MAKING THIS MOVIE. ALL OF THE ACTORS AND ACTRESES DID SUCH A GREAT JOB. THERE IS NO COMPARISON TO THIS MOVIE. I THINK THAT EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT, BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST A MOVIE. IT IS AN ENTIRE EXPERIENCE.
Rating:
Summary: The Movie is Great, the Extras are Lame
Review: Fans may want to wait until the Extended Version comes out before buying this. Don't get me wrong the film is great and if that's all you want, this disc is fantastic. However, if you are itching for extras, Disc 2 is an utter disappointment. Most of the features come across as adverts for other Rings merchandise (they even advertise the Extended DVD which you will wish you had bought). Much of the same material is re-edited into the 3 documentaries -- you'll grow quickly bored with hearing Cate Blanchett say she's always wanted pointy ears -- and they offer no real insight into the specifics of creating the film beyond your basic "this guy made the costumes" and "this guy drew concept drawings."
Rating: 
Summary: Liked the elves, hated the rest. Stupid.
Review: Bored. Bored by the books, too, but the movie got such great reviews I thought the visuals would be worth it. I like fantasy and adventure epics generally so I can only speculate as to why I'm in the severe minority on this one. Briefly, it may be a guy thing. The redundant battle scenes particularly. How many times am I expected to see Frodo almost killed and Our Heroes fight off a zillion attackers in one movie? Particularly, the death scene at the end was like watching some kind of bad soldier porn. As a female I appreciate Hollywood's attempt to put some attractive males in here. At least my attention is not expected to be held by ugly, short, kind of slow, nasty hobbits like in the novels in which they seem to do nothing but eat elf crackers at regular intervals for 1500 pgs. Classic. Masterpiece. With so many long positive review there has to be a point. All I can say is : Whatever.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, weak "special features"
Review: After having been disappointed many times over the years by blockbuster movies, I was extremely skeptical about LOTR. Doubly so because I so enjoyed the books. I am thoroughly impressed by this movie! I am stunned by the amount of time and money spent on the production. The richness of the details is incredible, and makes the film credible. A lesser director would have used a lot of cheesy, overly ornate weapons and artifacts that bore no resemblance to anything ever used in the real world. The fact that everything looks right, and real, adds to the feeling that we are looking over the shoulders of people on a quest, not watching a fantasy. The acting is top notch. Star Wars II suffers horribly from good-looking actors that couldn't act a lick. Not so here. The LOTR story is gripping and rich, a classic tale of good and evil with fully realized characters, each with their own faults and weaknesses. I read a few of the negative reviews here. Some people just didn't like the movie. OK, fair enough. I guess that is why they make both chocolate and vanilla ice cream. No movie was ever liked by everybody, and if you don't like this one it is purely a mater of your taste, not the quality of the movie. The one legitimate knock on this DVD is the "special features." To tell the truth, I doubt anybody bought this DVD for the "special features." But somehow, given the quality of the movie, and the fact that a second disk was included just for the special features, there are certain expectations raised. In fact, all the "special features" amount to is multiple "making of" type shows from various sources, and trailers/teasers. I wouldn't mind the "making of" stuff so much if any of it was a quality documentary on the filmmaking. But all the versions are essentially the same pre-release hype shows. And of the couple of hours of shows, most of it is the same. The same clips, and the exact same interviews. I am guessing the producers shot the interviews and provided them and the clips to all interested parties as a kit. Kind of disappointing, but not a show stopper. I agree it is a bit mercenary to sell this DVD now, and have a 2nd version on sale in a few months. But given the years (literally) spent on this production, and the amount of money invested long in advance of any possible return, I really don't blame them for doing what they can now that it is finally payday. If you only want one version, just buy that version. As others have pointed out, even if you buy both versions the price for a 6 disk set is still very reasonable.
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