Rating: 
Summary: The Lord of the Rings-Fellowship a Triumph!
Review: I have never read the books in the trilogy. This movie is long in length but one would never know it. It is very entertaining! My family & I have seen it a dozen times. It is a very well made movie. We can't wait for the release of 'The Two Towers.'
Rating:
Summary: Only the best DVD ever...
Review: From the minute I received my FotR Extended DVD Collector's Edition from the UPS man (Go Brown!!), I knew this DVD was awesome. The pictures of the DVD packaging on the web don't do the DVD justice. It's awesome. The movie itself is totally different, not justice a new scene here or there, but almost every scene has some new line or shot in it. And of course, totally new scenes are their as well, mainly the new intro, more of the Council of Elrond, and the Gift-Giving in Lothlorien.
The Special Features are what set this DVD apart, I'm still wading through them. This DVD is fantastic, it's great. Buy it at all costs. And if you're deciding wheither to buy the Star Wars: AOTC DVD or this, buy this. You'll thank my later.
Rating:
Summary: The best film I've ever seen
Review: That's a pretty outrageous statement to make, but that's how I felt after first watching Lord of the Rings on film. When I walked into the theatre all I expected was another long, boring "by-the-numbers" blockbuster film with tons of special effects and no emphasis on a strong plot or characters. Oh boy, was I wrong. What I got instead was the single most deeply-emotional joyful film experience that I have ever had in my entire life. In fact, I would go further than most critics and say that Peter Jackson's film is better than Tolkien's novel. For instance, in the novel it seemed like an eternity before Frodo and Sam finally left the Shire - in fact it's only 79 pages. In Peter Jackson's film, it seems to take much less time. I actually enjoyed seeing the Shire and its eccentric inhabitants, whereas in the novel I found them very much an annoyance. Another aspect that Peter Jackson brings to life with incredible visceral impact are the fight scenes in this film, which are absolutely fantastic and hands down beat the action scenes in the current Star Wars films by a country mile. My favourite battle scenes are the battle with Sauron, Gandalf's battle with the Balrog, and the battle at Amon Hen. The battle with Sauron, which we see at the beginning of the film, is actually based on The Silmarillion, not the original novels. For sheer size and scale, I love this scene a trillion times more than the Stadium fight in Attack of the Clones. You get a real sense of size and scale, not to mention the sense that the very existence of the entire world may be at stake. And as for Sauron? Hands down, Sauron is now officially the most scary onscreen villain I have ever seen. When I saw Darth Vader in Star Wars, I thought he was a joke. Not so with Sauron - he is genuinely frightening. When we see him kill dozens of soldiers in one blow, we get a real sense of how truly terrifying Sauron is. I remember reading about the Mines of Moria in the novel, and I was actually rather underwhelmed. Perhaps this is the reason why watching the same sequence on film was so incredibly exciting. Seeing the Balrog for the first time on film, I fully understood why Gandalf the Grey feared this demon so much. The team at WETA have done an excellent job at bringing Tolkien's creation to life...so much so, I totally forgot that it was a special effect and spent much of the time gripping my armrests in fear and anticipation. During the battle at Amon Hen, I finally began to appreciate just how dangerous the members of the Fellowship really could be when they are backed into a corner. There are so many vivid images from Amon Hen that I will never forget...Aragorn saluting the orcs with his sword before he proceeds to slice and dice them, Legolas skill with the bow and dagger (how can any normal being shoot arrows that fast!?!!), and I will NEVER underestimate the fighting skill of a Dwarf ever again! Amon Hen also has the biggest payoff - Boromir's death scene. I remember reading the same scene in the novel and thinking "Well...Boromir's dead. Can we move on, now?". But in the skillful hands of Peter Jackson, this scene was so emotionally devastating it was actually BETTER than the one in the books. It actually brought tears to my eyes, and that hasn't happened since I watched ET twenty years ago. And what makes these (and other scenes in the film) so deeply affecting? The actors! Thank goodness, we finally have a director and a crew who understand that the best special effect in any film are the actors! The scenes with the Balrog or at Amon Hen would never have been even a tenth as good as they were, unless the actors were allowed to breathe and bring their characters to life. Everyone points to Ian McKellen as Gandalf as being the star of this movie. I would 100% agree with this sentiment, but my favourite actor/character in this film always will be Aragorn. In the novels he was my favourite character, and this remains so in the film as well. I suspect that the reason why Viggo Mortensen gets such short shrift from critics, is because his character is so quiet and subdued for this first instalment. For the first film, there's really very little chance there for Viggo Mortensen to chew the scenery, because that's not what the character of Aragorn does. It's a quiet, subtle and heroic performance that I really enjoyed watching. But boy oh boy, when they get to Return of the King... I was surprised, angry and shocked that Fellowship of the Ring didn't win a Best Picture Oscar in 2001. I have watched a Beautiful Mind on DVD, and I cannot understand why anyone would want to ignore Fellowship, as it has a visceral emotional impact a thousand times more effective than A Beautiful Mind could ever have. I'm glad to see that Howard Shore won a richly deserved Academy Award for Best original Music for his brilliant filmscore, but I cannot understand why Ian McKellen didn't win Best Supporting Actor for his role in this film. Will wonders never cease. In the end, Fellowship of the Rings isn't just the Best Film of 2001. I believe that it is the best film I have ever watched, and I am confident that time will prove me right. Ten years from now, I will still be able to watch this film and be deeply moved by it. This is a classic film, made in an age when classic filmmaking is all but over. Well done Peter Jackson, very well done indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite!
Review: I was reluctant to see this film only because I couldn't get into the books. But at the urging of a number of people whose judgment I trust, I finally saw it. And what an extraordinary accomplishment this is! That it didn't win an Academy Award for Best Picture is beyond shocking--losing as it did to the very flawed A Beautiful Mind. Here is a film that is rich in every aspect, from the superb casting and lovely performances, to fearsomely exhilarating special effects, to a narrative that is made entirely believable by fine directing, fine editing, beautiful costuming and exceptional cinematography. It's a rivetting movie that succeeds in every way and one needn't be a fan of fantasy to enjoy it--this is one of the rare efforts that transcends its genre and is, simply, a great movie. Not to be missed.
Most highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: Unlike the animated Lord of the Rings, this film is a true work art. While it may not have stuck strickly to the novel, it stayed faithful to the story. Every character is potrayed brilliantly by an amazing group of actors. The potrayals of Gandalf and Samwise were particularly amazing. The thing that amazed me most about this film, is how real it looks. The CGI is amazing and seamless, the props and costumes look as though they were pulled straight from medievel times, and the landscape made it truely seem like a time lost to history. Like other reviewers have said, the special effects are only used to enhance the film and nver to dominate it (unlike the Star Wars Prequels) theyre never over used. Peter jackson relied more on the actors abilities and the stting to drive the film. I applaud him for thatAnother high point is the score. So often in films such as this, the score is loud and thuderous and drowns out and dominates actionsene, but the score for LOTR:FOTR is subtle and beautiful. It enhances and and movies the movie along fluidly without ever being the main focal point.If you haven't seen this film yet, please do. I don't see how anyone could be disappointed with it. It's got everything. Action, romance, drama, comedy, etc... It's a masterpiece
Rating:
Summary: awsome version of the LOTR
Review: This is an awsome version of the Lord of the Rings-the Fellowship of the Ring. I encourage everyone who sees this to buy the platinum special edition DVD edition of the Fellowship of the Ring NOW! It is a 4 Disc set! They include stuff like how they made the film, and special effects and things like that... it comes with an adult ticket to go see The Lord of the Rings-the Two Towers in December from the 18th to 31st. How awsome is that? No need to answer-it RULES! With Amazon.com, you cannot go wrong! $ is a GREAT price.
Rating: 
Summary: Lord of the Rings?
Review: The Lord of the Rings is a very long movie, while most people found this movie interesting or enganging, I was turned off by it's length and low points. There are several action scenes that make this film fun to watch, but there are also several scenes that scared my 5 and 8 year olds out of the room. Why 4 stars? Cinematically speaking this film is well planned and executed, great sound track, excellent shots of the actors, great story line, and it leaves you wondering or wanting more. Definitely a collectors edition if sci-fi is your interest or are a follower of the the ring bearer. -Raymon Q.
Rating:
Summary: Extended Edition Flows Better
Review: My wife and I won tickets to see this on the Big Screen via a contest, so we got to see it a week before the DVD release. The added scenes really help flesh out the story. By and large, there are few really extended scenes, more like seconds or tops minutes are added to scenes already in the film. Granted there are enough of these to tally up to an extra half hour. Things that helped flesh out the story are a better background on Hobbits, more depth for Borimir, and a better understanding of Aragorn and his relationships. The only downside of seeing this on the big screen is that my wife and I noticed some of the "new" special effects stuck out pretty bad. Granted we saw it on a 54 foot tall by 96 food wide screen, which is a tad bigger than even the biggest home theater display. (If you have larger, drop me a line, because we're coming over to watch movies at your place.) We were a little closer to the screen than we usually sit in the theaters and it was also Digitally Projected, so those could have also helped highlight any imperfections that are normally hidden by film and our normal seating distance. The added features will put this over the top in regards of value.
Rating:
Summary: There's no other words to descibe it!
Review: AWESOME...from beginning to end!!! It's so hard to make a decent movie from an incredible novel...these guys made it look easy. True to JRRT's adventure classic with eye-popping effects, wonderful editing and spectacular cinematography make this movie a treasure that is sure to become a classic of its own!
Rating:
Summary: If you like LotR, you'll love this.
Review: Lord of the Rings perfectly brings Tolkein's world to cinema. My friends and I were thorougly impressed, most of us having read the books. Visuals are perfect, score is perfect. But enough about the movie, what about the DVD? Honestly, it equals the power of the movie. The special features include every network special that aired prior to the movie's release, every commercial, every trailer, every preview that ever aired. You get actor interviews, and special insight into all aspects of filmmaking from every side of the issue: the director to the visal people to the actors. The only thing it doesn't have are the minigames included with most DVD's these days. While the 2-year-olds might miss this sort of feature, the rest of uss will be too busy enjoying the movie and features to notice. One last note: Yes, this DVD set includes previews into The two Towers and the Special Extended set, both of which are narrated and/or commented on by Peter Jackson (the director) himself. If you can afford the Special Extended, I reccomend going after it instead. Even so, this set by itself is easily worth twice the price you pay. A must have.
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