Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Movie
Review: This is an amazingly well done movie. I saw it in theaters and then bought the DVD when I was able. I've seen it many times and still do not tire of it. The music is great, the acting is great, the effects are amazing. I highly reccomend this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Edition To Your DVD Collection
Review: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS - Deluxe 4 DVD Collectors Set is a great addition to the film collector who like the information on the behind the scenes of making a movie. The Four DVD set has over 20 hours of screen information to watch - this includes - the three commentaries, which are excellent. The commentaries include the director and producer, the cast and the special effects people - all very enlightening and especially entertaining when listening to the cast version.My review of the movie itself can be read on the regular DVD release. So for story and contact of the film itself - see that review. Here, I will focus on the extra's this one has. The art and graphics; there are literally thousands of images on these DVD's. From the original drawings from the various novel artists to pre conception, pre production, design and development as well as all the art departments including costume, make-up, set and visual design departments. The concept art and design; there are documentaries on the process of one word in Tolkeins books being take from interpreting, design, construction and filming. Very interesting and detailed information contained on these DVD's. Behind the scenes documentaries; each of these details every aspect of the films production. From scouting locations, to finding props, doing forced perspectives, dueling, sword play, special effects, stunts, visual effects, computer generation and even the casting process. An extremely well done production on these DVD's. The quality of the DVD and DVD Rom; The DVD itself is very well put together. The guiding menus are graphic and detailed and there are even introductions and explanations on how to use the DVD menus. This is a great collection to anyone who is a filmmaker or aspires to be one. Also - if you are just into the process of film making, this is definitely an educational tool. (12-10-02)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I finally saw this movie, a week after the second installment was released. I haven't read the books, so I was a bit reluctant to see the film without doing so first. I have to say I was stunned; I couldn't believe the epic scale of the film. The special effects and action sequences are amazing. However, many of the characters are very well-developed, particularly that of Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood. Frodo's inner turmoil and the burden the title of ring-bearer places on him becomes more and more apparent as the film progresses. I personally became very attatched to the character of Frodo...I'm almost scared to see what becomes of him at the end of the final installment! But overall, highly reccomended!
Rating: 
Summary: Tolkien ruined
Review: I must be the only person who has seen this movie that thinks it is awful. It proves the point that not all books should be made into movies. It also proves the point that audiences today only want good photography and action, and that plot and characters are of no value. New Zealand was the star of this movie, not Tolkien. I love the LOTR and have read it 30 or more times. This movie is the barest shell of the book. Not only have the heart and soul been gutted, there is nothing left but a microscopic layer of skin. All the poetry, tension, grace, majesty, and fun are missing. The actors sleepwalk through the roles, important plot points are removed. The council meeting at which the Fellowship was formed looked like a boy scout meeting. The fear of what could come now that the ring of power had been found was not present, all the bickering and anger over who should have the ring was shortened to a two minute yelling match. Aragorn lacked presence, which he certainly didn't in the book; Merry and Pippen are not the buffons they are made out to be in this film; Sam is a conflicted soul, again not shown; the Fellowship were almost not allowed into Lothlorien because of Gimli's presence; Lothlorien was a huge disappointment; Legolas and Gimli might as well not be in the movie for all they are given to do. Save your money and buy a nice set of the books. Spend time with them and enjoy the magic that JRR Tolkien created. A magic that this piece of drival sorely lacks.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant piece of work, great edition of additions
Review: A phenomenal story that will engage the imagination into belief. Hours later the story and images are still turning over and over in my mind -- the quest is so compelling and destined, it is impossible to let go. I may have to run out to a theater an watch the Twin Towers this evening. Other reviewers have likened it to the Star Wars epics, and I agree along with the caveat that this has far more moral thread and emotional resonance. Add to this a wonderous sense of mystery, dread, true magic and transformation and there is the stuff of myth is these 3 short hours of movie. This DVD edition is worth it. Just the other day I was debating the merits of the extras found on most DVD's with a friend. His argument, which is true sometimes, is that the extra scenes and bits end up on the cutting room floor for a reason. If the piece of art can't stand up on its own, then that's a problem in the first place. The edition has scenes that enrich the story, fills in a few gaps, and adds to the richness of the thing. After watching, you're either going to watch the whole thing again or dive into the commentary. It's not like you really have a choice.
Rating:
Summary: A masterful presentation
Review: If you are even slightly interested in this set, then I assume that you have already seen this movie. So, we have an extended version of the film with four commentaries, and a 6 hours long pile of documentaries. Wow. First - the film. The extended version of the film. It's quite good. The new bits are nice - not essential, but nice. The gifting of the fellowship is perhaps the most significant scene here, quite nice. The commentaries are very good - this is a well-spoken group of people, and the producers of the commentary did a lot of judicious editing to keep the commentary from being just another rambling bunch of people telling each other things that only mildly interest the audience. I figure I'll finish watching the film with each commentary by the time the next deluxe set come out. The documentaries - wow. These are very well done, very interesting, not repetative as might be expected. Once again, they are quite good, and really worth your time to watch. The documentary on scale was particularly good. Once again, there is not much fluff here, the interviews are well edited and thoughtfully put together. The image quality is nice and charp throughout the whole set, and the sound quality is, of course, fantastic. My only complaint, and I will always complain about this, is the still picture galleries. Unless you have a giant tv with fantastic resolution, you just can't see the details of these pictures. You can't zoom in or pan around the pictures, you just have to look at them and wonder what kind of detail would be available to see if you could just zoom in. It's not a big problem, but it's a pet peeve of mine in many dvds out there. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Get this for the DTS track and the extra 30 minutes
Review: The only thing I can really add besides the kewl extra 30 mins is the included DTS ES 6.1 track.
Rating:
Summary: BEST MOVIE EVER!
Review: If you love battle scenes and fantasy, this mocie is for you. Peter Jackson is an awesome director and didnt an excellent Job wit JRR Tolkiens book! The two towers is evn better. I cant wait for return of the kings.
Rating:
Summary: Pure excellancy
Review: Fellowship of the ring takes the cake. Drama! Action! Romance! F.O.T.R. is all that in the plot of a fanasy world inspired by Tolkien. The characters were well thought out in great detail. this movie prestigiously deserves 5 complete stars. I can clearly see why The lord of the rings is the movie of the year. The scenery itself is specacular and the cave troll is so graphical. When Harry Potter came out I thought it would wipe out all movies but when the lord of the rings came out it left Harry Potter in the dust. Luxemburgh ratings reccomends this movie to practically anyone for it's simply a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Truly one of a kind
Review: "The Fellowship of the Ring" is a movie in a million: It has outstanding acting, directing, special effects, plotting, has romance and action and deep messages that still resonate today, decades after the books were published. It lives up to every ounce of the hype, and has deservedly made a huge mound of money. Now New Line has released it as it should be: Uncut, with plenty of extras for the raving geeks among us. Frodo Baggins is an innocent young hobbit living in the idyllic Shire. But when his uncle Bilbo vanishes suddenly and leaves him all he owns to his nephew -- including a golden ring that makes the wearer invisible -- Frodo is told by the wizard Gandalf that his ring is the One Ring, the tiny indestructable token that contains the power of the demonic Dark Lord Sauron. The only way the Ring can be destroyed is to throw it into the volcano where it was forged, in the middle of the land of Mordor. Frodo volunteers for a perilous quest across Middle-Earth to destroy the Ring, even though he is small, weak, and not a warrior or a wizard. But he has no idea of the hideous powers that are chasing him, with the Ring threatening to turn the Fellowship of the Ring into a battleground. "Lord of the Rings" is one of those books that you think could never be made into a good movie. If this had been made only for the money, that would have been true. But Peter Jackson, the cast and crew obviously love the story and wanted to make it as good and as real as possible, and for that I am deeply, deeply grateful. Elijah Wood is outstanding as the tiny, unlikely hero Frodo Baggins, who is a wide-eyed innocent whose strength is all on the inside. Wood does an outstanding job of showing Frodo's childlike trust, joy and innocence being chipped away, and his growing desperation as things start to fall apart around him. Sean Astin is loyal and loveable as the extremely difficult-to-play Sam Gamgee, Frodo's best friend. Dominic Monoghan and Billy Boyd play Frodo's somewhat ditzy but well-meaning cousins. Orlando Bloom has a macho-ethereal air as the elf archer Legolas, and John Rhys-Davies is wonderful as the everything-big-but-height dwarf Gimli. Ian McKellen is the quintessential gray wizard, crabby and kindly at the same time. (Like Dumbledore? You ain't seen nothin' yet!) The movie is extended, including a lot of material from the books that never made it to theaters, such as the Sackville-Bagginses, greater insight into the Arwen/Aragorn relationship, the awful Midgewater Marshes, more about Gollum, Frodo and his cousins dancing and singing at the pub, Aragorn's past, Gimli and Legolas's budding friendship, greater insights into Frodo and Sam's friendship, more of Sam's shy interest in Rosie Cotton, Bilbo and Frodo's sweet father-son relationship, and a "gift" scene where we see Galadriel's softer side. The movie stretches over two of the four DVDs, which also include audio commentaries that you can turn on. (Plenty of entertaining anecdotes with the actor commentaries, such as the year-long prank that the other hobbits played on the unsuspecting Elijah Wood) The third and fourth DVDs are also treats. The third DVD focuses on Tolkien and the background of "Lord of the Rings." And the fourth DVD is also great fun: It focuses on behind-the-scenes of the movie. There is "Fellowship of the Cast," which outlines the main actors, serious and silly stuff (Dominic Monoghan can't stand pain, Elijah Wood can sleep anywhere, Sean Astin is a worrier, Liv Tyler made Orlando Bloom drive her around in New Zealand), as well as things about the supporting actors, and the scale doubles used for Gimli and the hobbits. There is "Day in the Life of a Hobbit," which shows the makeup-feet-ears that were done for the hobbit actors, how they filmed, and what they did in their time off. (It involves a lot of bleeped-out cursing) There is then a careful run-through of how they shot the different locations, followed by studies of the "big-atures" (enormous scale models), special effects, and computer-generated creatures. After a slightly monotonous section on editing the film to how it showed in the theaters, we get a glimpse of how the movie was received across the world. Hypothetically this movie should be for Tolkien geeks -- the in-depth studies of Tolkien and a fair amount of the extra movie material center on things that won't make sense to those who haven't read the books. But if you don't mind not knowing, for example, who Morgoth is or where Valinor is, then it won't bother you at all. "Fellowship of the Ring" and its extras are funny, touching, cute, intense, smoother and richer than before. A must-buy, for geek and non-geek alike.
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