Rating: Summary: The Lord of The Rings Review: First of all I thought it was an awsome movie! I had never read the book before but after watching the movie I just had to read the book! It's 400 pages but i finnished in only 4 days!!!( I'm going back to see the movie a second time to compare it more closely) For the first few chapters of the lord of the rings, you might as well be reading the script for the movie,they folowed it so closely, but from then on things are Quite different. The director did leave a few things out and twisted things around but I think the minor ajustments were perfect! For small children this movie is very scary! It's very intense! (The little girl beside me was crying) So use your own judgment about weather or not your children are mature enough or not! For being based on a book I think the writers did a very good job but keep in mind that no movie can completly match your own ideas or views of this book. Don't go to this movie if you're going to be that critical of the movie, go to enjoy it for what it is!!! In conclusion my only complaint is that this movie was way too short! I cant wait for the next one to come out!!!!! GOD BLESS THE USA
Rating: Summary: decent, no more no less Review: First of all the characters are all portrayed adequately, except Elrond, Hugo Weaving sucks many people even laughed at his overacting, he ruined the role. The fights were awesome and quite exciting but like all modern hack and slash scenes they go way to quickly and the action is blurred. Legolas steals the show his battle scenes are absolutely incredible. the director made the mistake of adding some ridiculous comedy relief (merry and pippin) which is poor at best. Even Gimli is is humbled by wasted attempts at humour. The special effects are great but some are over done. Christor Lee does a great job as Saruman. The Uruk-Hai leader Lurtz is the epitome of macho bravado (in a bad way) Huge scenes are left out completely (Tom Bombadil). the dialogue was good but the animated versions script was far better. And Finally the character is so awful that it made me queasy. She replaces Glorfindel completely (even the animated version cut him out:-( ). The intro sequence battle was fantastic, but the rest sucked, again the animated version was much better. There are also inconsitencies due to they way it was filmed. Overall the film was decent and far from a masterpiece. Look for a cameo by the director in Bree (eating a turnip and burping). And don't believe the bad press about the animated adaption it is a great film and vastly underappreciated.
Rating: Summary: Good Review: First of all, as amazing as this was, it was not even CLOSE to the Star Wars trilogy...some who say it was just like Lucas..."playing with his toys" are wrong because the Star Wars trilogy appeals to people of all ages...from grandchildren to grandparents. The LOTR trilogy is not for all audiences.
Rating: Summary: The Greatest Fantasy Film I've Ever Seen Review: First of all, before I start blabbing on in technical talk, this is the greatest film I have ever seen; period. And, yes I have read the book, so I'm probably the first guy to give it the BIG FIVE (After reading the book). I don't care who you are, even Adolf Hitler, you will understand something in this movie. Many will say either that it is lacking special effects or does not seem interesting. They are wrong. While it may have fewer special effects than other of 2001's cheesy films, it still has many, and what it lacks in that, Tolkien's imagination makes it up. People who say it is not iteresting are ones who doe not understand the wonderful stroyline or fantasy attributs. It is about freindship and fellowship, as you'll find in the end. Here are the rating... Six Stars means perfect. Sound/Music-***** It is colorful and majestic, adventurous, and lively. Story-***** Although it greatly differs from the book, it is unique and understandable. Acting-****** Eijah Wood and Ian McKellen made a great team, thanks to the director. Backround/Effects-***** The beautiful backrounds are beleivable and the special effects are magnificent, when used. Overall-******************************************************** Lol, you could'nt ask for a better movie this Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa
Rating: Summary: The Easter Eggs on this DVD Review: First of all, GREATEST DVD EVER!!!! That being said, I wanted to share what I had found out. I had heard that there were two hidden "Easter Eggs" on this DVD--and it took me ages to find them! I just hope that this review will help save time for people. Easter Egg #1: The MTV Parody on The Council of Elrond. On Disc One, you go to Scene Selection. Right after the real Council of Elrond (Chapter 27), you press down on your DVD remote--you should see a Ring. Select it and be ready to laugh :-) Easter Egg #2: The Two Towers Trailer. Okay, I know its coming out on DVD in like a week, but I still like watching trailers. Anyway, on Disc Two, go to Scene Seletion. To the very right of the screen, there is the separated chapters (you know like 43-47). Anyway, go to Chapter 48 (The Fan Club). Instead of selecting it, press down, and you should see The Two Towers. Select that. I hope this helped some people:-) Enjoy!!!!!
Rating: Summary: I admired it more than I liked it Review: First of all, I did my best to separate the film from the book. As seemingly inexorable as J.R.R. Tolkien may be from this story, the book and the film are not one and the same, and so there's no sense in juxtaposing the two. Therefore, how true the storyline of the film is to the book is irrelevant. (Although I wondered throughout if Tolkien's Frodo was as much a sniveling, ineffectual wimp and the Frodo on the screen.) I have a deep admiration for Peter Jackson's work and commitment to this film. It certainly is gorgeous to look at, it moves at a brisk pace (178 minutes didn't seem so long after all), the fight scenes are dizzying and dazzling, and the New Zealand landscapes shimmer. But I think I admire the film a lot more than I actually like it. Take away the effects and the quaint medieval costumes and you have a pretty basic mix of a Western and a road movie - all the good guys ride the white horses, the bad guys wear black, the posse ambles west and meets with some adventures along the way. Tolkien didn't invent those plotlines (I think Homer may have beat him to it). If you take away all of the chases, the sets, and the battles, you're also left with a pretty thin script centered on a less-than compelling main character (see previous paragraph). And I'm not sure I'll ever fully accept this herky-jerky computer animation. It's hard to complain about something being unrealistic in a film so fantastic in nature, but those moments of the film dominated by animation look ridiculous. All that being said, LOTR is good fun, with a spirited cast and some nifty set pieces. It would have been easy for this story to spin wildly out of control, but Jackson shows his skills as a director time and time again, reining in the film long enough for the audience (and the actors) to catch our collective breath.
Rating: Summary: Well beyond expectation Review: First of all, I have been reading the trilogy every year for the last 20. I must say that while I am disapointed that some scenes were cut, it was necessary in order to "squeeze" it into 3 hours. Overall, this adaptation was far better than I had dared to hope when I heard it was being made a film. The acting, while maybe not of Oscar caliber, was strong enough no to get lost in the panorama of a land that can only be Middle Earth, and special effects that must be complimented as well. I must also apologize to Liv Tyler. When I heard that she was cast as Arwen, I thought, Oh no, another Armageddon type performance. I must say I was very pleasantly surprised by the gravitas which she brought to the role, and now look forward to seeing her in the upcoming films. Lastly, some of the nitpicking I noticed earlier... 1 - The hobbits and Aragorn being next to Old Man Willow (That is the name Tom Bombadil gives the tree that tries to eat the hobbits) - No. They are actually camped among the Trolls which were turned to stone in The Hobbit when the sun light struck them. 2 - The tear on Frodo's cheek - Who cares? In Gladiator, before he announces himself, Juba calls Maximus by his name during the "Battle of Carthage" re-enactment in the Coloseum. Continuity errors are a fact of life in the world of cinema. Those were the 2 major points I noticed. And if you found so many flaws, why did you rate the movie 5 stars? That's about it. Took too long anyway...
Rating: Summary: Wait for the Platinum series edition? Hmmm..... Review: First of all, I loved "The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring" and I am egarly anticipating the await of "The Two Towers" and "The Return Of The King". You all know the story: Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is a young Hobbit from the Shire in Middle-earth who is sought out to destroy the One Ring, created by Sauron, the Dark Lord, by tossing it into the cracks of Mount Doom. If the Ring is not destroyed, then Sauron will have complete power throughout Middle-earth, and destroy everything that is good and turn it to evil. And with the help of eight other companions (including Gandalf the wizard, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, two Men called Boromir and Strider, and three of Frodo's Hobbit friends), Frodo begins the quest of a lifetime to reach Mount Doom before it is too late. After finally just finishing "The Fellowship" book, I've realized that they left out a lot of it in the film. But that doesn't really hurt the film, because at least when people see the film who have already read the book, it will be more surprising to them. Peter Jackson did an incredible directing job...I don't think any other director could have pulled this off so well. The acting by the entire cast is truly outstanding, especially by the lead. Elijah Wood is finally getting the credit and recognization he deserves! The special effects just simply leave you in total awe...there's no other word to describe them. Now onto the DVD. I must say that this first edition DVD is lacking somewhat, so I'm very glad New Line Cinemas is already planning the release of a Platinum Series edition, which will surely be much better than this. This DVD includes an exclusive preview and behind-the-scenes look at "The Two Towers", featurettes, revealing of secrets behind the film, theatrical trailers, Enya's "May It Be" music video, and more. This DVD is available in both wide screen formats and full frame formats. I highly recommend "The Fellowship Of The Ring" DVD. Score(s): 100/100 A+ ^(For the film)^ 96/100 A ^(For the DVD)^
Rating: Summary: As good as we could expect Review: First of all, I'd like to say that I loved this movie. My generation missed out on seeing Star Wars for the first time in the theater, at a time when the special effects were still very impressive and the movie was still original, but in return, we get this. And you know what? If I had a choice between the two, I'd pick this in a second, and anyone who knew me between fourth and sixth grade will know from that just how much this movie impressed me. If you haven't seen this yet, I pity you, because you won't be able to see it in the theater anytime soon, and believe me, you want to. That said, the movie's excellence makes its flaws all the worse. If you paddle boats on one side only, they don't go in a straight line! There are also some continuity errors that become maddening once you notice them. One of the statues on the Great River, for instance, holds up its right arm when seen from the front but its left arm when seen from the back. (Or was it the other way around?) This is particularly annoying because the scene is one of the best in the movie, and the corresponding passage from the book is, in my opinion, one of the best in all of Tolkien. The changes made to Merry and Pippin were also questionable, since they weren't nearly so silly in the book, and the comic episodes detract from the movie rather than adding to it. (Why, oh why, did the scriptwriter have to add a comic line to the movie's most emotional scene? It didn't even involve Merry or Pippin.) As hard as it may be to believe after that, I mean everything that I said in the first paragraph. The casting is superlative. The only significant mistake, aside from the aforementioned ones, was Liv Tyler as Arwen; I didn't find her a convincing elf. The visuals are utterly beautiful or horrific, as the scene requires--I would go so far as to say that the art in this movie is the best I've ever seen in any movie. They also remembered to put in dirt, which is actually rather unusual. Clearly, Peter Jackson has some of the best artists in the industry working for him. The score is good too, although some part of it seem a little too Carmina Burana-ish. Of course, some things were changed, and some were omitted. For example, Glorfindel is gone; his part goes to Arwen instead. Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-downs are skipped. The movie does not go into as much detail about some characters' backstories as the book did. No doubt the alterations will offend some Tolkien fans, but I think they are mostly defensible. In a movie that is already three hours long, it is necessary to slim down the cast of characters and the plot. Some of these things, such as Tom Bombadil and most of the songs, would be very difficult to translate into film anyway. Those things seemed out of place even in the book, although they would have fit into The Hobbit seamlessly. Of course, some of the characters and places will not be as you pictured them. Personally, I found that Frodo, Legolas, and the Balrog were all significantly off, but when evaluated independently of my expectations, they stand up well enough. Anyone who has read the books doesn't need to be told that the movie is no substitute. It gives you an intense rush for a while, but in the end it lacks the power of the original. That aside, it is the best movie that we could have realistically expected, and the best I've seen in a long time.
Rating: Summary: Thank the Gods..... Review: First of all, id like to say that I had no hopes for this movie. Yes, I am a Tolkien Fan, and I'm only 16, but own all Tolkiens' books. But, really, think about the Dune movie. That was trash. Well, when the Fellowship of the Ring's review came out in Entertainment weekly, I became enthralled. An A! Best movie of the year. And after seeing it twice, I have to say, I'm not seeing any other movies this year. The charecters, the scenerey, the total feel for the movie was excellent. Though things were cut (No Tom Bombadil!) the movie establishes itself well, even from the first scene, with the introduction playing out the universe of Middle Earth. The director is setting out to tell everyone the story of the one ring of power, especially to those who have not read Tolkien's books, and it begins that story with excellence. Go see this movie, is the bottom line.
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