Rating: 
Summary: Perfection Improved Upon!
Review: ... When Peter Jackson's movie came out I was instantly enthralled and so grateful that Tolkien had been filmed by directors, producers, and actors who loved him as much as I do. I didn't think it was possible to improve upon the theatrical release, but now I've seen the Extended Edition, and now I know that it is not only possible, it has been done!First the basics: The Platinum Series Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set comes with five DVDs and a set of bookends representing the Argonath. The bookends are lovely, but obviously meant for paperbacks. One of the DVDs is the National Geographic special on New Zealand and on the sources of Tolkien's literary creations in England and elsewhere, a treasure in itself. Then you have two DVDs with the movie, and two Appendices make up the remaining two DVDs. Ordinarily I don't care much about the extra material that comes with DVD releases, but here the material enhances the story immeasurably. The first Appendix covers the story itself, with a nice short biography of Tolkien and much material about how the film was structured and planned. There are a lot of nice shots and video clips showing story boards and early plans for the movie. The second Appendix covers the filming itself, with a lot of fun material about what the actors and technicians went through for a period of more than a year. It was interesting to see that the actors had generally the same personae as their film character: the hobbits were fun loving and rollciking, while Viggo Mortensen was a more serious, solitary fellow. Of course, all of this introductory material is as nothing compared to the main event: the extended version of the film itself. I think there are about 35 more minutes of film in this version. All of it is worthwhile and I don't want to spoil the magic for those of you who haven't seen the new stuff. Suffice it to say that the delight you felt when viewing the theatrical version will be intensified immeasurably. My particular favorite among the added scenes is a quick shot of some Elves traveling through the Shire on their way to the Grey Havens. Nothing so encapsulates the enormous depth behind the books, and now the film as well. You'll find the same enchantment through every scene, whether new, extended, or not.
Rating:
Summary: If you haven't read the books .........
Review: ........ don't let that keep you from watching the movie. I can say this
from experience, as i hadn't read the books. You might conceivably enjoy
it more if you've read the books, but then if you haven't, you don't
know what's coming, which makes for more fun too :-) I, for one, loved the movie, and i'm told that this is just the 'appetizer'
& the plot really unfolds in 'The two towers' - i can hardly wait !! The sets are magnificent, in fact they don't look like sets. The special
effects, the cinematography, script - all the technical aspects are
excellent. The performances are good, with Ian McKellen as Gandalf being
outstanding, for which he bagged an Oscar nomination. Some may crib about the story being 'compressed', but the film's already
three hours long(though those that enjoy it won't realise!) - come on,
give Peter Jackson a break here, the guy's done a great job of what
might've been a daunting task for any director. My interest in the trilogy's been aroused to such an extent that i'm
now reading the books and will greet 'The two towers' with the anticipation
of one waiting to see if his imagination agrees with that of the director. All in all, a big thumbs up - unless you dislike fantasy adventures,
you're likely to love this film !!
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie Ever Made.....Best DVD Ever Made.....
Review: .....what more could a movie buff ask for in life? THE FILM I have been a fantasy fan all my life, and "The Hobbit" is my favorite book ever (I haven't actually read "The Lord of the Rings" yet). I saw the 1977 animated film of "The Hobbit" (unfortuanately long before I read the book), and thought it was pretty good. But it's the worst movie ever made compared to...THIS. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" isn't only the best (by far) fantasy movie ever made, but also the GREATEST FILM OF ALL TIME. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. It really is perfect in every way. The cast is perhaps the best ever assembled for a film. All are excellent actors, and Ian McKellen should've won Best Actor. He isn't Ian McKellen anymore...He IS Gandalf the Grey. Christopher Lee is a delight to see as the sinister Sarumon the White. He is definitely the finest villain ever to hit the big screen. Viggo Mortenson is perfectly cast as Aragorn, John Rhys-Davies as Gimle. . .you name it. And who can forget Elijah Wood as the ringbearing Frodo Baggins? I CERTAINLY CAN'T. The musical score by Howard Shore is the best ever to fill your ears. It's so good, it'll send shivers up your spine! The special effest are phenominal, especially in decepting the ranges in size with the hobbits and the "Big Folk". The scenery is absolutely gorgeous...I have to go to New Zealand at least once in my lifetime. Yesssirreee, "LOTR" is what movies are meant to be. Since way back then in the late 1890s, when the first motion picture was made, movies have never been better, and never will be again (except for maybe the next two installments). THE SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION DVD I did not think it was possioble to improve perfection, but low and behold, it has been done! The newly added/extended scenes add a lot to the movie, and give the film an even greater sense of an "epic". The only problem, and I mean ONLY, is that the sound is pretty awful in the new scenes, and one must view them several times with subtitles before you understand what they're saying. The special features are the best ever put onto film. The best way to view them is to spend the whole day just going from Disc 3 to Disc 4, hitting the "Play All" button on each, and view all the documentaries in order, as one big feature. It's fascinating stuff; tne cast interviews are hillarious and very informative, as are all the other documentaries. Watching them makes you realize just how much work really went into bringing this masterpiece to life, and you end up admiring the film even more. BUY IT TODAY!...
Rating:
Summary: Guy from Calgary...
Review: .... Anyway, the trailer (espeically the second one) seems to capture the feel of the Lord of the Rings, especially the way Gandalf is portrayed (he seems very much like how I imagined him). The effects look stunning....The acting is good too, just hope they capture the feel of the Hobbit's carefree nature. I cannot wait for the release!
Rating: 
Summary: What a non-sense (of course if you have not read the book..)
Review: ... I have not read the book - and the movie did not make ANY sense to me. I keep a naive believe that a movie should live a life of its own, and indeed one should not read the libretto but understand the flick and enjoy it as it is. None of which happens with this monstrous production. This is a fantasy run amok, a movie full of special effects to the extent that you can't see the story behind them. And with all that noise and fury it is devoid of any sense so that nothing but a yawn results. After all it is supposed to be a tale - not an agressor jumping at you from the screen like a crocodile. I wonder what J.T would say....
Rating: 
Summary: Now I know
Review: ... I was disappointed in this film. I think it would have made a far better animated film in the tradition that Japan's Miyazaki Hayao works in. New Zealand all dolled up and blurred to look like the Shire didn't convince me, though things did get better with the landscape as they go under the mountain where all the dwarves perished. The depiction of the hybrid orcs--like the ones that shoot Boromir full of arrows--is particularly effective. It was a bit of a shock to see the guy who played the evil agent Smith in the Matrix show up as the Elf King, but he actually was quite good. As was Sean Bean as the mighty warrior, Boromir. The music of this film really got on my nerves after a while--it was like an uneven cross between Enya and Wagner. I felt like I was waking up at my own funeral only to find out I was in hell. I did watch this only on DVD, so I can't really say how it compares with the video. But it's obvious that you lose a lot with a film like this once you go from the big screen. So if you have got great home theatre equipment, I'd bet the DVD is the superior way to go. Perhaps this series will grow on me and the next installment will get higher ratings from me. Perhaps I really do need to see them at a local theatre first.
Rating:
Summary: I'm a Jaded, Jaded Man...
Review: ...A thirty-year-old cynic who is absolutely disillusioned with virtually every facet of our popular media today. Sensationalistic, disposable fluff seems to be so pervasive that I think we all got used to having our collective intelligence insulted. Before we knew it, movies like "American Beauty" were winning truckloads of academy awards, and Tom Cruise played an intellectual in a Stanley Kubrick film... Peter Jackson's "Fellowship of the Ring" made me feel like a kid again. It managed to open up that giddy excitement that I thought I no longer had access to...not by pandering to the lowest common denominator with nihilistic horror/sex/freak/shock tactics like most other current "good" films, but by EARNESTLY trying to present a beautifully imaginative story with as much intelligence and creativity as possible. I think they succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. I've seen "Fellowship" 5 times at the theatre, and after I've purchased one (if not both) of the DVD releases, I will gladly continue to revisit it for the rest of my life, alongside (knock on wood) the rest of the series! All hail Peter Jackson!!! All hail Tolkien!!!
Rating:
Summary: I'll never watch the theater version again...
Review: ...And I'm serious. If you're a true LOTR fanatic, this is a must-buy for your DVD collection. The expanded version of the movie (w/ 30 min. of extra footage) fills in a lot of gaps that the theater version left alone because of time constraints. Gives a fuller, more powerful view of the entire story...more of an epic quality, if you will. Excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, not good
Review: ...As for the good side - I liked the movie, it wasn't bad, although some effects could use more "effects", if you know what I mean :)) Say, the voice of elves could use more of that bell-ringing sound that is associated with them, then, if all of'em where so heroes, how come the scenes did not depict it fully? :) And the most upsetting thing for me was the ending - I was watching it, I got into it, I was watching the world the producer created, and then, suddenly, it just all went off... there was no conclusion at all... Or, at least, they could've made some sort of a conclusion, like, defeating and holding out the enemy.. It just ends up in the middle of a story.. Otherwise, it's great, as you watch it - it gets you and makes you watch more. The effects are good, with exception of some, and the music matches. They could've gotten a better Frodo, though. :)
Rating:
Summary: would be one of the best movies i have seen my age 66
Review: ...i rate this movie the best i have seen in my life i was sorry when it was finished after thinking about it best is not good enough it is a very special movie and should be seen by everybody in the world as the story being told is about good and evil something like last september 11 i will finish now and just hope i live to see the last two movies
best wishes all...
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