Rating: 
Summary: This was a bit of a disappointment.
Review: I did enjoy parts of this DVD, but not all of it.I was expecting much more from National Geographic. The first part is quite interesting and informative, but it truly deals little with the actual movie, other than with limited actor interviews. It is more the story of JRR Tolkien's original work. Maybe that's what they mean by beyond the movie, but if that was the case I would have preferred that the movie not be mentioned in the title. Historically the information on the time period and how it may have affected the Lord of the Rings series was useful. The parts dealing with the verbal traditions of Finland were enjoyable. What really hurt this DVD was the stretch from the adventures in Middle Earth to the trek across Africa by J. Michael Faye, which really struck me as self promotion. I understand The National Geographic Society had an important part in the "Megatransect" and featured it many times in various media. But they failed convince me that there was a strong connection between that and LOTR. Overall, I did not feel that this DVD offered appropriate value in return for my money. It fell short of the high quality I had come to expect from National Geographic and would have been better served as an extra on a future LOTR DVD without the footage of the Mr. Faye's journey.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Another attempt to capitalize on the renewed popularity of The Lord of the Rings. The writers of this DVD/TV special may have forgotten to read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting!
Review: I think that this item was very interesting. I learned a lot about Tolkien and how he was influenced to write the triligy. (of course... Legolas spiced it up a bit!).
Rating: 
Summary: Really pretty tedious.
Review: NG manages to make even Beowulf and Sutton Hoo tiresome, and that takes some doing. The WWI battle scenes are endless; by halfway through, unless you have a serious fetish for old newsreel clips, you'll be shouting "Yes, okay, WWI, I get it already!" at the TV screen. Hardly anything about any of Tolkien's actual influences, and not enough footage from the movie to make it worthwhile. Not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven - good in places
Review: Of course this DVD is cashing in on the success of the movie "The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring", and why should that be a bad thing? It is interesting to learn about Tolkien's life and experiences, which do seem to have influenced his writing. The Shire as the idealised rural England of his boyhood, the Hobbits representing the worthy people among whom he grew up, his attempt to "give the English back their mythology", and the effect of his experiences in the First World War, these are not really open to dispute. The DVD does a good job of looking particularly at Anglo-Saxon and Finnish roots for Tolkien'' vision, even if these are not covered in great depth. In fact the material generally is on the simple side, but it isn't simplistic. The attempt to link in the Second World War is a bit annoying - the voice-over admits that Tolkien, while he was writing during that war, denied any parallels or allegories with it, but at the same time shows lots of Hitler/Sauron, Germans/Orcs, British/good guys imagery. And the ending section, with someone trekkiung ("questing") across Africa is one of the most obvious pieces of filler I've seen. But the interviews are good enough, and the chance to hear and see more about this incomparable movie about a marvellous book makes it a DVD worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: National Geographic own interpretation, not accurate
Review: I do believe that NG has a great deal of experience in producing background information for our social-political-ecological problems, but the video ignores totally the fact that a world can be created out of sheer imagination.
Anyone who is familiarized with J.R.R. Tolkien's life should know that his intention was to create a world of fantasy for children and adults as well. He specifically denied any relationship with actual real conflicts or characters of our history. Surely he is influenced by the nordic myths, traditions, legends and landscapes but if you get to read his own introduction to "The Lord of the Rings" you will find an aversion to the specific line of thinking used in the production by National Geografic.
I do not recomend this product. It is educational but has nothing to do with the real background of J.R.R.T. and his idea of creating the longest story ever written.
Rating:
Summary: how disappointing : - (
Review: Thanks for this DVD. Now we all know at least that the background of "The Lord of the Rings" is the world war and no longer just a fantasy story. Endless scenes of fighting, bombing, Hitler (Sauron), factories, soldiers and all this between Germany (Mordor) and the rest of the world (Shire) is never ending.
J.R.R. Tolkien made clear that he had the idea with the ring, the fight, between good and evil in his head before the war even started. The whole story is strongly linked to the hobbit.All I can say "what a waste of money!!!" If your a real fan of the movie please don't buy it !!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: cultural background for epic fantasy
Review: When I saw this tape, I wondered how National Geographic could review what essentially was an epic fantasy stressing good v evil and friendship. They have done an excellent job.
The video explores three points. First, how the degradation of industrial England destroyed the environment of small village life. (a typical Geographic theme: Ecology).
Second, the effect of World War I on the fantasy, mainly in the battle scenes. Readers of LOTR know that one of the major themes is that the heroes do not seek glory on the battlefield, but when it is required, they do indeed heroically fight. It also points out how the war democratized Tolkein's view of the then stratified British society.
Third, it points out the roots of the fantasy in Finnish poetry.
For those who dismiss LOTR as a childish fantasy, this exploration on the cutural and intellectual basis explores why this epic tale has such a hold on so many people of different backgrounds.
Rating:
Summary: GOOD, BUT NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. (Orland Bloom has a mohawk?!)
Review: This documentary was interesting, but definitely not what I expected. It's not of the movie or books, but rather about how the imaginary world of Middle Earth reflects our own world. If you are expecting a documentary with behind the scenes footage, the making of the films, or snippets of the next two movies and stuff to that extent you may be disappointed. However if your a Tolkien fan you'll love this documentary. It explores how Tolkien created the mythical characters and world and how they compare to our world (Read the back cover to learn more of what it's about). So the bottom line is: I suggest renting or borrowing it from the library, but if you are a Tolkien fan this is a perfect treasure to add to your bookshelf. Oh and by the way, if you thought Ian Mckellen did a good job in the movie visit -cool website.
Rating:
Summary: Shameless Marketing
Review: The marketer should be ashamed at the attempt to lure people to buy this DVD under the guise that it is the actual movie. I came very close to purchasing this film before I realized that this was not the movie but some commentary. I'm sure others fell for the poorly worded advertisement.
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