Rating: 
Summary: Wait for the Director's Cut
Review: I've been waiting for a movie version of Tolkien's masterpiece ever since I first read The Lord of the Rings almost 25 years ago.My initial reaction was happy but a little unsatisfied, wanting to see a book that was truer to Tolkien's story, but repeated watchings have changed my view for the positive. There is too much about this movie that is excellent to list it all here. The soundtrack, the scenery, the actors, the special effects and Peter Jackson's vision for a movie. Its all just fantasic. But I'm going to force myself to wait for the Director's Cut which will be released sometime in October/November. With an extra 30 minutes plus extra DVD's it will represent a real seven course movie feast.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I've long been a fan of Tolkien's Middle Earth and an avid reader (scholar?) of his works, including those published in memorium by his son, Christopher. Let me say the following about this latest celluloid incarnation: This is, by far, a masterpiece. Other die-hards will no doubt lament the omission of tom Bombadil and select other minute details, but the seamless integration of computer animation, stellar acting, breath-taking scenery and pure genius of directing breathes life into Tolkien's world and doees justice to his long-standing classic. While best viewed on larger television/movie screens (the bigger the better, I assure you!) this movie will not fail to disappoint you. Case in point: my wife never enjoyed the book, finding it boring and disagreeable with her tastes in literature. After seeing this film in the theatres she is now hooked and reading my prized hard-cover edition voraciously. This movie gets two thumbs up. WAY up!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - Peter Jackson has done it!
Review: I've loved these books from the time I was a preteen and have read them many times since. I despaired of ever seeing them on the big screen because their scope is so immense and their layered meaning so profound. But Peter Jackon has done it! His love for the story must even be more than mine because he actually made the movie(s)and if The Fellowship of the Ring represents the next two, he made them with all the care and love and respect and understanding due this fantastic and wonderful tale. He has created the time and the places of Middle Earth just as if he had captured them from some magical place. And he has done so without their overwhelming the story - the power of the story remains. The actors are perfect - Strider/Aragorn/Viggo Mortensen is just the right mix of self-doubt and self-confidence - a self-examining man carrying the sorrowful legacy of his ancestors and an intense man with tremendous courage who is completely unconscious of his power and greatness - all characteristics which will serve him well when the time comes for him to be king. Frodo/Elijah Wood is the happy intelligent hobbit who is in complete touch with his fears but can draw on inner strengths only Gandolf knows he probably has. And Gandolf/Ian McKellan is perfect. He is the humble man/brilliant immortal wizard - human enough to covet the ring when it is offered, humble enough to fear the ring nevertheless and not take it, and wizard enough to trust his heart and use his tremendous powers for the greater good. His humble wisdom enables him to see and understand the power of the "simple" hobbits. And when he commands the Balrog "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" one becomes aware of his own tremendous power and that he is, indeed, a great wizard. I could go on and on with the actors. Liv Tyler is wonderful as the courageous, insightful, gentle, loyal Arwen - Cate Blanchett is wonderful as the dangerous, powerful, understanding Galadriel. All of the actors have conveyed the characters just as I imagined them to be. And the music is divine. Just as the books include songs and poems, the musical score surrounds the characters and action with the songs and poetic feeling of the books. The lament for Gandalf is beautiful. Any negatives? Oh, I suppose. I missed Tom Bombadil and the giving of the gifts by Galadriel (although I understand they include the giving of the gifts in the extended version coming out in November) but you know what? If they included everything I wanted, this movie would be 6 hours long! And being familiar with the books, I feel they picked exactly the right parts needed to tell the whole story without shirking any of the layers of meaning. This DVD is wonderful. And I CANNOT WAIT for The Two Towers. Or for The Return of the King for that matter. I have watched the DVD at least six times since I received it a week ago - and will watch it even more.
Rating:
Summary: Intense, spectacular movie
Review: I've never been a big Tolkien fan. I read the Fellowship of the Ring -- or part of it -- years ago and wasn't all that impressed. I wasn't inspired to read the other books in the trilogy.
All that being said, this was a fabulous movie. To be sure, it dragged a bit in places. The beginning was slow and Hobbittville -- whatever it's called -- bored me. But the action scenes were intense and frightening. I could feel my skin crawl when the ringwraiths were on the screen The settings -- especially the various castles and underground cities -- were incredible. There are visions of heaven and hell, and they're as convincing as any I've ever seen. This is no movie for children. The violence was graphic and frightening. Somehow it was all very believable and serious. The heroes were really heroes and the villians were really evil and it seemed important that the good guys won.
This is one of the best action flics I've ever seen. Right up there with Crouching Tiger and Terminator and Last of the Mohicans. I'm surprised that an eccentric fantasy like LOTR could be turned into such a good movie. Or maybe it's a great movie. Let's see how it holds up when I see it a second and third time.
Rating: 
Summary: Way too long
Review: I've never been a fan of fantasy so I'm a little bias. I thought 3 hours way too long.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest DVD release EVER.
Review: I've never met him, but Peter Jackson must love his fans more than any director in the world. He certainly loves his subject matter. With this 4 DVD set Jackson and Co. have given us what could very well be the most comprehensive DVD release ever made. Like the movie itself, it is a labor of love, and it comes through. I bought the first DVD release, and at the time I was whining about the studio targeting weak willed fans (like myself) who would buy both versions like helpless crack-heads, or more accurately, like ring craving Gollums. Watching them both side by side, you can tell that one is a studio release while the other is a director's release. While Jackson may be avoiding the term "director's cut" like the plague, I can't think of a more accurate description. Jackson put a ton of work into the extended version amassed a plethora of special features then wrapped it in a beautiful package and released it at a modest price. The extended version of the movie is very nice. It's hard to say it makes the movie better, because it was already one of the greatest movies ever made, but it does give you more of the same. More greatness can't be a bad thing. I know a lot of chowder heads that actually didn't like Fellowship because it was too long. Doubtless these individuals would be better served watching Adam Sandler movies or taking a little nappy. If they didn't like it before they will probably loathe it now. The additional footage does slow the pace down some what, but anyone who ever read the books knows that the pace was never as frantic as portrayed in the film. I think fans of the books will be best served by the extended cut. There are details now included that many crybaby purists can now wipe their eyes and stop sniveling about. I thought the movie was fantastic as it was. I actually know someone that complained about Bill the Pony not being featured more. BILL THE PONY!! I kid you not. Frankly if Bill and Tom Bombadil have to be sacrificed to make room for what IS included it was not in vain. I'll admit that I haven't completely explored all the features on this disk, but anyone claiming to have done so this soon after the release is either lying to you or fooling themselves. It is an incredible amount of information. I've watched quite a few of the documentaries and they are excellent. Some of the more technical ones, like the one on digital grading are very interesting, but it's the ones with the cast and crew telling stories that I found most interesting and down right entertaining. One of the things that everyone in the cast talks about is how there was as much Fellowship off the screen as on, and you can really tell. Some of the stories and behind the scenes stuff is laugh out loud funny. You can tell everyone had a good time making the movies and usually when people are having a good time; it comes through in their work. I'm usually not interested in the off screen hijinks of movie stars, but the cool thing about this cast is that many of them aren't really stars and some are actually new to film making. They lack a pretentiousness and snootiness that they hopefully will never pick up with their inevitable fame and fortune. The history of the books and the author was also pretty interesting even if it's been better told elsewhere. The huge gift set comes with the National geographic special on the Lord of the Rings and it's pretty comprehensive. I've only seen snippets of it, but I have every intention of owning it. The documentaries do go into the themes of the book and Tolkien's dislike of allegory. The books are meant to be timeless belonging to no particular age or social situation. Undoubtedly this is their greatest strength and one that Jackson has gone to great lengths to translate. It's wonderful to think we have TWO MORE movies to go. There is so much information and entertainment wrapped up in this first Expanded Edition set that I can't fathom having all three on my shelf. While I'm not surprised that the first film was snubbed at the Oscars, nor will I be surprised when the other two are snubbed for best picture, I think time will show these movies to be the greatest single cinematic piece ever created. We are watching history in the making.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific adventure.
Review: I've never read the book before, but fantasy/adventures always appeal to me (unless it's, shudder, Dungeons and Dragons) so I was rather looking forward to enjoying this film. The story, as it goes, isn't too different from what we usually see in most films of the genre. You see, thousands of years ago on Middle-Earth, an evil wizard named Sauron wanted to control the land with the power of a ring forged from the fires of Mount Doom. Sauron was destroyed, but Isuldur, the king of men, was enticed by the power of ring, and rather than casting it back into the fires, he kept it for himself. The ring passes on after Isuldur's death until it ends in the hands of Bilbo Baggins. The plot gets a bit heavy from there, as there's now a quest and fellowship formed to destroy the ring before Saruman and the evil armies of Mordor can regain their full strength. It will probably anger a lot of Tolkein fans for me to say this, but while I do think The Fellowship of the Ring is great entertainment, it's not without its flaws. As an introductory tale, set-ups can get confusing, and character development, for me at least, was a bit awkward. Sudden flashbacks don't help matters much. Take, for instance, the scene where we see Gandalf held captive by Saruman, then the next time we see him he's talking to Frodo (then they have to do a flashback to how he escaped, kind of jarring, I thought). It wasn't until the halfway mark of this three-hour adventure the film finally hit its mark and never looked back. The first half of this movie is fairly enjoyable, though a bit slow and confusing. The second half, however, is grand adventure, delivering awesome battle scenes and even powerful drama. It's in this hour-and-a-half we see what epic filmmaking can accomplish at its pinnacle. Accompanied by Howard Shore's magnificent score, the fellowship's quest is among the most thrilling and engaging odysseys I've seen on film to date. Perhaps the film's highlight setpiece is through The Mines of Moria, a tense sequence packed with exciting battle scenes and fast-paced chases as the foundation of the Mines begins to crumble around our heroes (is that not just a standard for all adventure films?). Admittedly, the Mines of Moria battle scene does use CGI stuntwork, which has always bugged me (Blade II, anyone?) and it's done no better here, though, thankfully, it's limited to a few very short moments. The performances are confident and assured, with Elijah Wood doing a fine job as Frodo Baggins. Even his British accent sounds genuine. The rest of the cast is all very good, though the standout for me was Orlando Bloom as Legolas, the elf archer who really kicks a lot of Orc ass. Even making a good impression is Liv Tyler, who's usually flat and inexpressive. Okay, so she doesn't show a lot of emotion here, but she's convincing and even quite pretty to look at. Director Peter Jackson was a good choice to helm the picture. His work here is stylish, beautiful, and even quite evocative. Anybody else find it amazing this is the same man who gave us Dead Alive, the goriest film ever made? LOTR's cliffhanger ending probably won't go well with everybody (though the thrilling battle scene before it will certainly leave viewers with an adrenaline rush before the movie's over), but it makes a nice segue for the soon to be The Two Towers, which I now have even higher expectations of. Hopefully, it won't disappoint.
**** 1/2 out of *****
Rating:
Summary: A Review From Someone who Didn't Read the Books
Review: I've never read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I must confess, I've tried a couple of times to read The Fellowship of the Ring, but I just couldn't get into it. Going into the movie, I was worried that I'd be confused and unsure of the plot. This worry grew when the theatre did a trivia game before the movie--and everyone in the audience seemed to know EVERYTHING about the books. My worries were completely unfounded. The film opens with an outstanding introduction, a kind of prologue. (A friend told me that this discusses the details of "The Hobbit," the book that comes before The Fellowship of the Ring.) The prologue was wonderful--it told me everything I needed to know, but also took my breath away. In three minutes, I understood everything I needed to know to get into the story. The rest of the movie was unbelievably beautiful, sad, suspenseful, and action-packed. I couldn't believe how easily the film switched tones--one minute exciting, the next sad, and the next introspective. In fact, one aspect of the film that I wasn't expecting was the amount of suspense. I actually jumped a couple of times in my seat. The acting was awesome, something somewhat rare for a fantasy film. ("Willow", anyone?) And the special effects were seamless--it was hard to tell what was computer generated and what was real. The ending left me wanting more, even after 3 hours, and I can't wait for the next film. The last five minutes seemed so simple, yet they almost brought me to tears. I must congratulate Peter Jackson for creating such a vivid world in my mind. The scenery, the characters, the story, they have all come to life for me much more than they could on paper. NOT the best movie of all time, and possibly not even the best movie of the year, but still a 10 out of 10. Highly recommended (for ages 13 and up due to the frightening scenes).
Rating:
Summary: The unexpected war movie
Review: I've never read The Lord of the Rings. My wife and I read its prequel, The Hobbit, a few years ago, so I imagined the film of the first book of the Rings trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring) would be something like that -- a kids' adventure story, full of strange places and creatures, bold deeds, and maybe a few somewhat scary monsters. But Rings is not, at heart, an adventure story, nor a kids' story, nor an "action" story, nor a fantasy of the sort those of us who have grown up only on its reputation have come to expect. It is a war story, and a tale of horror. It is full of fear and violence and death, hacking and stabbing, soot and muck and cauterizing fire, destruction, monsters, and bleakness. Major characters die unexpectedly and terribly. While interspersed with green oases of peace and tranquillity, it is tale of a relentless march into deep dismay. And at the end, the worst is yet to come. My wife hated it, and it's hard to say I enjoyed it. Can you enjoy a war movie like Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, or Full Metal Jacket? (Or even Aliens?) That's the kind of film Lord of the Rings is. Sure, there is bravery and goodness, but under a constant barrage of sickness and evil. The war fought by the Fellowship is necessary, but far from noble. It is desperate, tragic, and soaked in blood as the world turns into a desolate wasteland. That makes sense, since J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the books during wartime. There are obvious parallels between the enemies of the Rings tales and the Nazis, and between the dark power of the Ring and the corrupting lures of fascism and communism in Tolkien's time. But of course, the story resonates now too, as it did for those in the time of the Vietnam War thirty years ago. The film is a spectacular technical and storytelling achievement. It includes some of the most frightening monsters ever filmed, battle scenes of both shocking immediacy and massive scale, and interludes of lushness and greenery as bucolic as anything in Babe (which had the same cinematographer). There's a lot going on at many levels -- not least the idea that the small and the meek may be the strongest in times of great trial. Light and darkness represent good and evil, but sometimes the tables are turned -- darkness may be a safe hiding place, while a distant light could be the worst thing in the world. Don't take your young kids: they'll have nightmares. If you're looking for a good-time escape at the movies, well, try Harry Potter (with the kids) or Ocean's Eleven (without). I think that's what we'll see next time we get a babysitter. I am certainly glad I saw The Fellowship of the Ring, exhausting as it was, and I'll see its two sequels when they arrive. I'll need the twelve-month break before the next one, though.
Rating: 
Summary: never read the books...
Review: I've never read Tolkien so this review is based purely on the movie. Although a very solid storyline, the plot was nothing-special going by today's standards. There were a number of holes in the storyline but overall it's a solid movie and easy to understand. Most of the fight scenes were ridiculous though...a few heroes killing hundreds of bad guys. When one of the heroes was killed towards the end of the movie, I was actually surprised and even then it took him a real long time die. The special effects were fantastic but somewhat less dramatic on the TV screen. There were a lot of wide-angle shots making the characters look like ants on the TV. Overall I'm sure Tolkien fans will love the adaptation due to it's high production values. For people who have not read the books and just wanted to see the movie, the movie is really long and the end really stinks because there isn't one in this movie. It was sort of like turning off your DVD player in the middle of a movie. Unless your a hardcore fan of the series, rent this one.
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