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Summary: why not full screen format
Review: Loved the extended version, but cant get DVD or VHS in full screen like we did with original release. Disappointing for those of us without widescreen TV.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb!
Review: The additional 'making of' documentaries along make it worth buying this extended version alone! Couple that most of the extended scenes are in Gladrial forest (which I felt was grossly underdeveloped in the original movie version) and this is far superior to the original movie versionMy only disappointment was of the additional 37 minutes footage, 19 minutes was a list of all official LOTR fan club members. I am sure there are quite a few people who could have thought of a much better way to use those extra 19 minutes! I don't object to the fans being listed, but I do object to them being marketed as over half of the 'extra 37 minutes worth of footage!'
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Summary: A True J.R.R. Tolkien Adaptation!
Review: As the legend foretells "Three rings for the eleven-kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, nine for mortal men doomed to die, one for the dark lord on his dark throne, in the land of Mordor where the shadows lie. One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in darkness bind them." The dark prophecy emerges when Frodo Baggins finds out that he has the ring and he has to keep it from falling into the hands of anyone who cannot withstand the evil luring within it. The Lord of the Rings is a true adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's book with the same name, and it provides an excellent cinematic experience with an truly talented cast.
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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.
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Summary: Marvelous!
Review: The extended edition is great! It makes you wonder why Peter Jackson did not bring this version to the screen in the first place. Plus there are loads and loads of extras! This is a great deal and every rabid Tolkien fan should snap this one up.
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Summary: Oh god Is more than i expected!!
Review: When i saw the extended edition of the Dvd, i was extreamly happy, and i felt that i was sawing a completely new movie.
Everything is better explain. Aragorn has much more dialogue, and you can see the beggining of the friendship between Gimli and Legolas. But the most incredible part was the gifts from the Elves in lothlorien: "you cant miss the gift that Galadriel gave to Gimli" But thats not all, you are going to fell like part of the cast with the other 2 cd's, it explains how did they do the movie, and behind the scenes stories.............Well Thats all, please dont miss the oportunity to buy it
Rating:
Summary: Get both versions
Review: The extended version of the movie brings new scenes that add to atmosphere and character development, while others were left out of the original release for the better of it. Two disks of extras contain overwhelming information about the production process without spoiling the watching of its result. The extended movie brings new Shire scenes, one playing in the Green Dragon at Bywater known from the book and a must for all fans. Also it is nice that Bilbo does not merely promise Gandalf to tell Frodo of his departure plans as in the original, but we get to watch him making an attempt at keeping his promise. In the book, Frodo and Sam meet wood elves right in the beginning of their quest, and here they at least witness their journey to the Grey Havens, which has become so mystical and intense a scene that one wonders why it wasn't included in the original. On the other hand, Steven P Brumby in his review from Nov. 13, 2002 rightly points at some some scenes that would have better remained dropped, like Merry and Pippin throwing stones at the Uruk-hai, or Sam getting the rope from Galadriel, and I also could have done without a rather artificial looking view of Caras Galadhon in Lothlorien. In his script, PJ deviated from two motivational strings in Tolkien's book: There it was Aragorn, not Gandalf, that did not want to go to Moria, which was obviously changed to create some sense of evil foreboding. In the book, Aragorn then was unresolved as where to turn to from Lothlorien, straight to Mordor or to Gondor first, and the main reason for the company to go by boat was to put off this decision until they reach Rauros. The movie has no such doubts on the side of Aragorn, and the extended version now explains that the reason for going by boat is to avoid attacks by orcs, Aragorn actually telling Boromir in a lengthy new scene during the trip he won't ever let the ring get near Minas Tirith. While accepting any right of PJ to change Tolkien's plot where appropriate, I did not find this invention too conclusive or necessary and the new scenes just make it less comprehensible. The production material on CDs 3&4 alone is worth the buy, and to watch Christopher Lee's, and the whole team's, reverence of Tolkien's work is just very touching. Also, the details about the colour "grading" process explained my fiddling with the TV during the film, always having too much green in the shire and too much yellow at Elrond's council ;-)
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Summary: Skip the theatrical version -- GET THE EXTENDED DVD!!!!!!!!!
Review: Okay, well don't skip the theatrical version. Buy that version of The Lord Of The Rings, too, just so you can add it to your Lord Of The Rings collection. I have the Lord Of The Rings theatrical version DVD that was released back in August of 2002, and that version was good...until I got the Extended DVD Collector's Gift Set. This version makes the theatrical version look like Ralph Bashki's version of The Lord Of The Rings. There is so much insight in the characters and in many of the scenes. As a brief spoiler, what I enjoyed was that they put the scene "Concerning Hobbits" in the movie. I thought that it was a good idea for them to put this scene in the movie, since it would give some insight about Hobbits for anyone who has never read The Hobbit. And for the most part, it does. I recommend you get both the original theatrical version DVD and the Extended Version DVD, because then you'll see the differences between the two and you'll probably ask yourself, "Why didn't they show THAT version in theaters?" The sound quality on the Extended Version DVD does not get any better than this. Clean, crisp, thunderous, and without a single flaw anywhere! It even outdoes that THX thing on the Star Wars Episode II DVD...well, actually, this movie alone outdoes Star Wars (my apologies if you're a Star Wars fan). Also, if they are planning gift sets for The Two Towers and The Return Of The King, you bet your bottom dollar that I will be purchasing them. I'll buy anything and everything with The Lord Of The Rings on it!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD For An Excellent Movie
Review: The movie itself is a masterpiece, and is one of my favorites. The DVD makes the movie much more of great experience. The only problem that I've had with this DVD is that you can't view the movie in its original, theatrical form, but its not too much of a problem because the added scenes really add to the movie, and I now think of the theatrical edition as the lesser edition. The movie itself had to be split up onto two DVDs because of all the commentaries that are now on the DVD. With many movies that I've seen, the commentaries will start off strong and interesting, but will soon be reduced into long gaps and the director saying, "I really love this shot here..." and then trailing off again. Not so with this DVD. All I have watched so far is the director and writer's commentary, and it is very interesting, and there are very few long gaps of silence. This DVD is huge, and it will take me a very long time to get through all the features on it. As an added bonus, on this DVD you can find the Two Towers trailer that was attached to Fellowship of the Ring while it was still in theaters, and you can also see MTV's spoof of the Council of Elrond scene. The second two discs have a treasure trove of stuff to go through, and I haven't seen much of it, but what I have seen is very interesting. This DVD is a must have for any LOTR fan, and is a welcome addition to my DVD collection. The sound quality seems to have been improved dramatically from the theatrical DVD release. All in all, this is a great DVD worth buying. The packaging is even interesting to look at.
Rating:
Summary: A great item for Tolkien fans and collectors
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring gift set is an excellent purchase for Tolkien fans and collectors. The set comes with 5 DVDs (2 contain the film, 2 are appendices - bonus materials/behind the scenes, and the final DVD is the National Geographic "Beyond the Movie"). Also included with the gift set are two bookends, a free ticket to see The Two Towers in theaters, and a copy of The Lord of the Rings fanclub magazine. The value of the materials included in this gift set is well worth the price, plus the artwork on the DVD case is beautiful.
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