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The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Full Screen Edition)

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $22.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply Wonderful!
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is a wonderful, timeless epic which will be enjoyed for years to come. The movie begins and you meet Frodo Baggins,a young Hobbit living in The Shire (Middle Earth). Frodo lives with his relative Bilbo Baggins, becuse his parents died when he was very young. Bilbo carries The One Ring, crafted by the dark lord Sauron many ages ago. Sauron created a series of rings: 3 for the Elven nobility, 7 for the Dwarf lords, and nine gifted to the race of men. Sauron created The master ring in hope to rule all of middle Earth. Sauron falls temporarily but his strength regains and his spirit becomes even more potent. After Sauron falls in battle (With Elves and Men) the ring passes to a line of creatures, from Isildur to Gollum to Bilbo and eventually Frodo. Watch this spectacular movie to watch what happens.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TOLKIEN'S TALES COME TO LIFE BEFORE YOUR EYES
Review: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING IS AN EXCELLENT VISUAL RENDITION OF THE FIRST BOOK OF TOLKIEN'S TRILOLGY. THE CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES. ONLY THREE MAJOR CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN OMITTED, BOMBADIL, GOLDBERRY AND GLORFINDEL, BUT THE STORY SURVIVES WELL WITHOUT THEM, AND THE EMBELLISHMENT OF ARWEN'S CHARACTER IS WELL DONE. THE SPIRIT OF THE MOVIE IS TRUE TO THE BOOK. THE SPECIAL EFFECTS ARE IMPRESSIVE, MAKING YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU ARE THERE IN MIDDLE EARTH.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fellowship of the Ring
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is an outstanding movie. It portrays Middle-Earth superbly and the special effects are fantastic. Peter Jackson has succeeded in making 'The Fellowship' very realistic and he has followed the book rather closely. New Zealand was an excellent choice for the filming of ' The Lord of the Rings' the countryside is beautiful. My favourite characters are Legolas, Arwen, Frodo, Merry and Pippin, who look how I imagined them to be. I can't wait for 'The Two Towers' to be released . I recommend this movie to anyone especially fans of Fantasy and Tolkien.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AS GOOD AS IT GETS
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is as close as anyone will get to moving Tolkiens Ring saga from the written page onto the screen. The cinematography was lavish, the cast was excellent, and the film stayed very close to the original work, which is an unspeakable relief. After watching Frank Herberts "Dune" get butchered twice by idiotic directors who insisted on doing their own "interpretation" of Herberts book, it's nice to see that the director of this film (Jackson) actually read Tolkiens works, which is more than can probably be said about David Lynch and his alleged "version" of Dune. This film might not be everyones cup of tea, but be that as it may, watching it makes you understand why The Lord of the Rings was voted the most influential work of he 20th century.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The ultimate fantasy film, but extended version even better
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is by far a five-star film and has set the pace (I hope) for all future fantasy films. In the past fantasy films fell into one of two categories:

Category 1-Good, but too light (not serious enough):
Examples being movies like "Willow," "The Princess Bride" and "The Never-Ending Story." While these are very enjoyable films, they are more adventure-like fantasy than they are epic dramas. And others (such as "Labyrinth" or "Legend")-although still enjoyable-made the genre even less respectable by using silly costuming and childish humor.

Category 2-Flat out stupid:
Three words: "Dungeons & Dragons"

The Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy movie done the way fantasy movies were supposed to be. Gone is the notion that the fantasy genre is for kids, or that comic relief and cheesy characters are needed to make the movie bearable. The Fellowship of the Ring is an epic drama. It has the majesty and dramatic tone of "Braveheart" or "Gladiator," only set in the context of Tolkein's masterful tale of Middle Earth. Let us hope that Hollywood studios and film execs have learned their lesson-you CAN make a big-budget, high-quality, dramatic fantasy film and still make a lot of money. Let us give credit to New Line Cinema for going out on a limb to make this (and the other two) LOTR movies. And let us all hail Peter Jackson, cast, and crew for pulling off the film accomplishment of a lifetime. I only hope that future fantasy films can at least try to come close to the extravagant perfection of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Having said all this, the Extended Version is EVEN BETTER! Usually when watching the "deleted scenes" on various DVDs I say to myself, "well I can see why they deleted that scene." Scenes are usually deleted for a good reason-either they cause the movie to drag on, or do nothing to develop the plot. This is not the case with the new scenes on the extended version of the LOTR. These scenes not only help add more clarity to the plot, but they go a long way in further developing the characters-the lack of which was a common criticism of the theatrical release of the LOTR. The only character that does not receive anymore character development is Legolas.

Add to this how well done these extra and lengthened scenes have been done. Each scene has been edited smoothly into the movie for a seamless experience. Sounds, special effects, and even additional scoring have been added to ensure the same quality throughout. These extra scenes are not essential, but surely add quite a bit to the film, enough so that on future viewings of the LOTR, I will always watch the extended version. The packaging is very well done and with two discs of bonus material, you definitely get your dollar's worth.

If you don't own either version on DVD, just buy the extended version and I promise that after seeing it you'll realize that you don't need (or even want) the theatrical version.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wait Until the November Edition!
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is finally out on DVD - but for those who want to get the 'real' version of the movie, one must wait till November when the Special Extended Edition comes out.
However, this DVD is adequate for those who just cannot wait. The trailors are interesting to watch after seeing the movie (you notice just how much footage of deleted scenes were used in them) and Enya's music video captures some of the more poignant momemts in the movie, played in slow motion to her beautiful voice. The 'behind the scenes' clips are also interesting - you can see just how much work went into the movie - for example Orlando Bloom practicing his archery, the hobbit-boys going through dialect coaching and the metres of fabric that went into creating each Ringwraith costume. Big time fans of the book and movie probably caught the documentaries - 'Quest for the Ring', 'Welcome to Middle Earth' and 'Passage to Middle Earth' when they were on television, but they're also included just for completions sake. The preview for Electronic Art's video game is a bit tacky however - it comes across as a bit too much of an advertisement, and the mere idea that Tolkien's epic actually *is* a video game is something that makes me wince.
But now on to the juicy stuff - what most people were waiting for was the Two Towers preview. Although some people speculated (or hoped) it was another trailor, it is in fact a behind-the-scenes preview in which Peter Jackson explains some of the storyline, the origins of the title, introduces us to some of the new characters, and the creation of the special effects (in particular the incredible battle at Helm's Deep, and Gollum, which Peter describes as the most actor-driven CGI creation ever). However, don't despair - there is some footage that has never been seen before, and though some are marred by the presence of cameras and crew members in the scenes, a precious few are actual movie shots.
What many people weren't expecting however on this DVD was a preview for a second version of the 'Fellowship', which has approximatly thirty minutes of deleted scenes actually incorporated into the movie, along with their own original musical score. These glimpses are perhaps more enticing than the Two Towers preview, which include Sam and Frodo witnessing elves departing Middle Earth for the Grey Havens, Aragorn at his mother's grave, Gollum floating downstream on a log, Pippen and Merry partying at the Green Dragon Inn, the Fellowship departing Rivendell, the famous Galadriel gift-giving scenes, a few quiet scenes of Frodo talking to both Gandalf and Sam, and a lot more fighting footage in both Moria and Amon Hen. No doubt most of these scenes, which seem to mainly include serene, restful moments, were unfortunatly sacrificed to speed up the action.
Do what I did: RENT this version, and save your money for the four-disc Special Edition, which not only has these scenes, but over four hours of extra footage. You have been warned.

As for the movie itself, what can I say that hasn't already been said? There are some prunes out there who disliked it (I had a skim through the one-star reviews) but in most people's eyes, whether they be Tolkien fans or newcomers, Peter Jackson and his people did a masterful job of creating a movie that contained both traditional Tolkien and fresh new ideas.
Of course, it is inevitably diminished in its transition from movie to television screen. Scenes such as the Balrog simply *cannot* have the same effect as when they were towering over you at the movies. However, scenes of imtimacy are still as effective, especially since the viewer has the power of rewind in their hand to explore all those extra details you didn't notice at the movie theatre - which can be as subtle as a glance from one character to the other (ie. when the Fellowship first meets Galadriel). I also strongly suggest watching the movie at least once with the subtitles on - you'd be surprised at how much dialouge you may have missed when you were preoccupied with other characters - such as Gandalf arguing with Boromir at the disrupted Council, Merry and Sam fighting over the mushrooms, and the Ring itself - which has a surprising amount of dialouge for an inanimate band of gold!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Film making to perfection
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the best films I have ever seen. The casting was absolutley right on the nose, using actors that become their characters. The music was absolutley perfect not only did it capture the innocence of the beloved Shire, but it also painted the darkness of Moria to a tee. No doubt the DVD will be become a must have for movie goers, crammed with everything a LOTR fan could wish for. This movie goes beyond the typical Fantasy films because it brings with it much deeper issues than the typical Quest, courage, morality, loyalty. Don't miss the first installment of the three greatest fantasy movies ever made!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is probably the best movie that has been made from a book. The actors play the parts of the characters perfectly, and are totally suited to their roles. I would say that the movie is better than the book, and easier for most people to understand and like it. So far, almost everyone I know likes or loves the Fellowship of the Ring, and in my opinion (shared by many others!), it's one of the best, if not the best!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Movie Ever
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is the best movie ever. The graphics are great, and it ultimidly rocks my world!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of the best DVD sets ever
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It tells the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire. Frodo is given a ring by his uncle Bilbo. This ring is the mythical One Ring that the Dark Lord covets (and once held). He knows that the ring is in the Shire and that a Baggins has the ring. The Wizard Gandalf sets Frodo on a path away from the Shire so that the Sauron (the Dark Lord) cannot regain the ring and overwhelm Middle Earth. In the process, Frodo comes in the company of Elves, Dwarves, and Men in his quest to destroy the ring in the fires of Mordor. This is the opening chapter of the epic tale.

This DVD is the Extended Edition. What that means is that Peter Jackson (the director) took his theatrical version of the film and reinserted approximately 30 minutes of additional footage back into the movie. Some scenes are snippets and extensions of existing scenes, but others are entirely new scenes. This extended edition is, as Peter Jackson says, an alternate version of the film. I feel that it is a much stronger, and richer version of Fellowship. It feels more complete, and because of the additions, it is closer to the text of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Besides the extended edition of the film (which I feel is superior to the theatrical release), we are also given two bonus discs of special features. These are various documentaries of nearly every possible aspect of the making of the movie. One bonus disc is about how Peter Jackson (and crew) adapted the book and was able to make it into a movie. The second bonus disc is how Peter Jackon's vision of the film was crafted into the finished product we saw on screen. There are 6 or 7 hours of bonus material and watching all of the bonus footage, I was stunned by the amount of work that went into making this movie. All the information that you could possibly want to know about the making of the movie, it's on the DVD. These are no promotional pieces, but rather a detailed look at the filmmaking process.

If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings, this is a must own DVD. If you loved the theatrical version, you'll still want to check this one out, it is a subtly different movie and it has a richer feel to it. As far as DVD sets go, this is one of the best.


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