Rating: 
Summary: One in a Million
Review: I am not the biggest Tolkien fan. I'm only about halfway through the first book in the trilogy, which I read in anticipation for the movie. But, as little of it that I'd read by the time the film came out, I can at least say that anyone can easily love this film.The camerawork is great. The scenery is breathtaking. The characters are believable and well-acted. Even the special effects don't really look like special effects! This is the kind of movie that people dream of being in or making. When you get a chance that big, you don't blow it, and you can tell that by watching how well everything is done. However, the movie is not without its flaws. I realize that if they had included everything in the movie, it would have been 5 hours long instead of just three. Still, as a result, the finished product has very little to do with the book. You can't go see the movie and say that you've read the first book, because there's a lot of differences. One of the most important characters in the book is not in the film. I hear that that character is even more important in the second book. One cannot help wondering how the second film will be able to pull that off. But in any case, truthful or not, this is still a darned good film that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. Director Terry Gilliam once said that movies now can either be a fun escape or a serious example of art, and that it's very rare when a film can reflect both of these. Lord of the Rings is one of those rare films.
Rating:
Summary: I think I've found my all-time favourite film......
Review: I am not the type of person that enjoys watching films with a "dungeon and dragons" feel to them, but after an awful lot of hype and seeing the advertisement on TV enough times to know each scene in order, I decided to watch The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring earlier today. I rented it with some mates and sat down for almost three hours and by the end had just witnessed the greatest film my 15-year-old eyes have ever seen. Nominated for 13 Academy Awards and walking away with only 4 earlier in the year, I was left dazzled, gripped and entranced by this epic film. At $300 million, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring overtook Titanic as the most expensive film to produce of all time. They made their money's worth though, as the film has grossed almost $1 billion in less than a year! It rocketed straight to No.1 on the UK VHS/DVD chart on Sunday 11th August 2002, shifting more than 1.3 million copies in its first week to become the fastest selling film of all-time in the UK - outselling the previous record set by Titanic for 1.25 million in September 1998. Director Peter Jackson surpasses himself with the sheer size of Middle-Earth. J.R.R. Tolkein's classic novel of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy always represented me with the challenge of imagining just how big Middle-Earth is, but Jackson seems to have got the size just right; it's just how I, and I'm sure the majority of other fans, imagined it would be.
An ancient Ring, thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it. However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign. Elijah Wood plays a convincing Frodo Baggins, but spends most of his screen time frowning, looking confused, yet determined to return the ring and destroy it. Ian McKellen makes the most of his role as Gandalf as does Cate Blanchett. She doesn't have much screen time but is pure and fresh in her role as Galadriel. Liv Tyler as Arwen Undomiel, Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins, and Christopher Lee as Saruman the White are all exceptional in their roles. There really isn't an actor on this film that isn't superb and spot-on. The whole film is so action packed, gripping, suspenseful and tense. There are shocks and twists a plenty that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final scene. The sheer size and volume of Middle-Earth is breathtaking and spectacular - and the fight scenes are fantastically choreographed with superb, amazingly life-like special effects. OVERALL GRADE: 10/10 All in all, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is the greatest film of all-time. I am not the biggest fan of fantasy films (Star Wars are, in my opinion, junk), but The Fellowship Of The Ring has gone straight to No.1 in my list of all-time favourite films, knocking back films with the horror, comedy and drama theme along the way. I can't wait until The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers in December 2002 and the third enstallment, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, but I think it will be an extremely difficult task to follow up on the first one. If you haven't seen The Fellowship Of The Ring, you HAVE to. Buy it, rent it, borrow it...heck, [...] it for crying out loud! Whatever method takes your fancy, this is the must-see film of the 21st Century so far! Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone is inferior and mediocre in comparison to LOTR and everyone I know who has seen it liked this one better that [...] Potter! The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is truly a classic and epic film is cinema history that will stand out as the greatest film ever made - buy it from Amazon now!
Rating:
Summary: A REAL JEWEL
Review: I am not usually a fan of expanded, so-called Director's Cuts of popular movies; usually, they are nothing more than inserted scenes designed to differentiate the film sufficiently enough to garner additional sales from loyal fans. THE LORD OF THE RINGS - THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (PLATINUM SERIES EXTENDED EDITION) is a worthy exception in that the additional 30 or so minutes of footage truly augments and enhances the story. While I have been a long-time devoted fan of LOTR, I found that the theatrical version, despite some omissions and deviations from the book, was an absolutely marvelous work. The extended edition is, in my opinion, even better, particularly in the beginning. The new "shire" opening provides a deeper glimpse into the magical world of the Hobbits and gives the viewer, particularly those who have not read the books, a better understanding of the characters as they develop throughout the movie. While other scenes are brief, they provide just the extra touch needed to clarify a plot twist or character later in the story. A pleasant surprise is the addition of poetry and song snippets which were such a nice part of the books. They are not just inserted gratuitously, but rather bring just a touch of additional insight as to the various characters and their unique charms. The quality of the four disc set is very good, although the length and additional features require that the movie be contained on two discs. The first disc ends rather abruptly (as if someone just turned off the switch rather than a more graceful scene ending fade), however the separation was unavoidable given the limited capacity of the DVD discs, especially with the addition of the various commentaries which can be accessed along with the movie. I have not had the time to fully view the various appendices on discs three and four, however what I have watched to date has been most enjoyable. The packaging is very nice and this extended version is a real jewel.
Rating:
Summary: How do I love thee...let me count the ways
Review: I am not what I would consider to be a movie person. All of my friends and family know that if they want to talk about the latest movies, I am not the person to bring into that conversation. I did not get to go to the movie theatre to see this movie. I did, however, do the dutiful thing that all mothers do, I bought the movie for my son (He is 17) to make sure that he would have something to watch on a long trip down to see family. From the opening music which carries the movie beautifully to the wonderfully conceived costumes, this movie was eye candy and ear candy. I had read the J.R.R. Tolkien books when I was a pre-adolescent, and I was determined to find every flaw that I could between the book and the movie. The transfer between written word and filmed interpretation was impeccable. As you make your journey through this movie, you began to lose yourself and become part of the movie experience. The movie lingers with you. Long after you have seen it, you will think about it, bits and pieces coming to you in snippets and snatches. You will want to watch it again to see certain scenes. You will want to hear certain speeches and dialogues again. I heartily do tell all of you to rent it first if you are skeptical, but then, by all means, by this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Go see it while you still can!
Review: I am off to see this masterpiece for the third time ... As I simply cannot wait [for it to be released on DVD] ... I am quite pleased that New Line is making buckets of money because they deserve it for taking a HUGE gamble on making all three movies at once; as it should be! Probably THE best fantasy film of all time. It's even in my top 10 Movies of all time. Can't wait to some day buy the DVD box set...but until then I will happily forego all the new ... MOVIES out this week and return to another round in Middle Earth.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Literature of the 20th Century & Now Best Movie
Review: I am one of those people who has read "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy at least once a year for more than thirty years. I consider it the greatest work of literature of the twentieth century. The writing shows an complicated world and makes you believe it is so real it could be history. The movie series is incredibly good. It is completely true to the central themes of the book trilogy, and can be completely enjoyed by someone who has not read the books. The special effects and capture of scale for the 4 foot and under hobbits with tall men, elves, and dwarves are visually stunning. Some liberties were taken with the book, and some of the characters are changed considerably (Arwen), but the story is very true to the central themes. The trilogy of movies will become the standard of comparison for future entertainment. The richness of middle earth is captured in the movie. The effects come close to what you see with the mind's eye -- and that is high praise This was a set of movies made by someone -- Peter Jackson -- who loved the books and wanted to bring them to the screen in a way that was worthy of J.R.R. Tolkien. If you like a good story with good special effects, get all three of these as soon as they are available. Get the EXPANDED edition and see the story as envisioned, not shortened for theatrical release. A 4 hour movie makes sense on DVD where it would not in a theatre. The "how we did this effect" sections are quite entertaining as well.
Rating:
Summary: A Remarkable Interpretation Of The Masterpiece
Review: I am quite surprised to discover how efficiently Director Peter Jackson interpreted Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings on film. As a film, it is visually stunning, lush cinema, embellished with a symphonic musical score, chorus, and actors who perfectly portray the characters. On DVD, the theatrical experience is unsurpassed. What Jackson has done is resurrect the trilogy on film, bringing it to the public audience, ringing bells of familiarity to those who have read the novels and taking up a challenge which directors have desired to produce for years,among them Disney and Stanley Kubrick. The Fellowship of The Ring is the first film in the trilogy.
The story begins soon after Bilbo Baggins, from "The Hobbit", returns to the Shire and announces his retirement. But there is a problem. The ring of power, which once belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron, is in his possession and he is to destroy it. Because he is too old for adventure, the responsibility goes to his younger cousin, Frodo (Elijah Wood). With the aid of his Hobbit friends, Merry, Pippin and Sam, and the princely Aragon, as well as other warriors, composing a fellowship of nine. The evil forces of Sauron, and the Ring Riders, are all after the ring, bent on destroying the nine heroes. The most striking performance in the film is of course, Ian MckKellen's Gandalf, the benevolent sage wizard who meets an untimely death in the chasm at Moria. With a soundtrack full of gorgeous music and haunting chorus and a song by Enya, the Lord of the Rings is a great way to get young people into literature. Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece of fiction and I for one am glad that it is available on DVD with remarkable embellishments. Look for the Special Edition with bonus footage.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but it dragged on a little.
Review: I am reading these reviews and I am very surprised because it's saying that eleven and twelve year old reviewers are giving this movie five stars! I don't know about anyone else, but I really think that the first hour was great, but then two more hours to go, it kind of got boring. I saw Harry Potter around the same time, and that seemed to pass really quickly, and it kept you entertained but this movie is too long and boring. The special effects were great though, but I think I'll skip seeing the other six sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: I am really not quite sure what to say or how to start it. I have never been interested in this legendary story, and this movie hasn't converted me. It is very easy to look at, but it's hard to to follow and hard to keep your attention to it. Director Peter Jackson has, without a doubt, delivered a magnificent looking film. He has created an unbelieveable world thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien, and brought to life some pretty good characters. Still, it wasn't enough for me. Everything about this film is marvelously done and made and acted, but I wasn't swept up by it. Here's the story - A magical ring falls into the hands of a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins(Elijah Wood), who sets out on a journey to Mordor, to destroy the ring. He is aided and guided by a magical wizard named Gandolf(Superbly done by Sir Ian McKellen). He is also supported by three other hobbit friends, led by Sam(Sean Astin). Along the way they meet up with Aragorn(Viggo Mortensen), an elf(Liv Tyler), and assorted other characters(Played by John Rhys Davies, Orlando Bloom, and Sean Bean from "Goldeneye"). Also on hand is horror and film legend Christopher Lee, who gives a fantastic performance that will no doubt make his legion of fans smile proudly. The old master still has it. The storytelling is rich and deep, without question, but I could just never get involved with it. The landscape and cinematography is wonderful and, at times, extremely beautiful. The movie might of floundered if it were held together by a lesser cast. That's the best thing this film has going for it. The cast. Sir Ian is the very best of the bunch. You watch every single frame he's in. Listen to every word he utters. It's hard to say that about the others, but they are all still good. Clocking in at a near 3 hours, the film runs pretty long and certainly drags in a few places, but it usually picks up with some kind of heart pounding scene that grabs your attention. The loyalists and fans will no doubt be pleased and satisfied, but newbies to the story might not be as swept away by the film itself. The effects and all that, sure, but I doubt they will be as excited for the next chapter as the fans. As for the upcoming sequel, I'll wait for cable. Maybe not even for that.
Rating:
Summary: Buying the 2 disc is your faulf not New Lines
Review: I am sick of people complaining that they bought the two disc DVD only to find out later about the 4-disc. You should research a product before you buy it. If you had done that you would have known about the 4 disc version that has better picture and sound a long cut of the film and better supplements. The extended edition was annouced in March long before the 2 disc was released. If you bought the 2 disc and think you should have bought the 4 disc you have no one to blame but yourself.
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