Rating: 
Summary: There's no other words to descibe it!
Review: AWESOME...from beginning to end!!! It's so hard to make a decent movie from an incredible novel...these guys made it look easy. True to JRRT's adventure classic with eye-popping effects, wonderful editing and spectacular cinematography make this movie a treasure that is sure to become a classic of its own!
Rating: 
Summary: Bored of the Rings
Review: Back in the 60s or 70s, the Harvard Lampoon (which is where the "National" one came from) published a hilarious spoof of J.R.R. Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" titles "Bored of the Rings" which included such notable characters as Frito and Dildo. That book title occurred to me several times during my viewing of the new movie.I have to say up front, that I was never able to get more than a few chapters into the original book. It just never grabbed me. But I thought, perhaps the movie would inspire me to pick it up again. HAH! To say I was disappointed is a huge understatement. The movie was pretentious. It seemed to be some sort of pathetic Sword and Sorcery cliché. If it weren't for the fact that the original story was written, like, a million years ago, I'd say that it was just a clichéd rip-off of every other film in the genre for the past 30 years. The one exception to this is the size difference in the characters. As the Hobbits are supposed to be pretty small, and the humans big, a good job was done in making us believe the size difference in the actors was real. Well... it was good at first. Then it got to be pretty obvious for it's use of blue-screens and children shot from the back. The graphics were so obviously computer generated that it was laughable. In fact, they reminded me in some scenes of the old "Sinbad the Sailor" movies I watched as a kid. I don't know. Maybe I've become jaded by pioneering effects like those in "Forrest Gump", "Titanic", or "Star Wars: Episode 1". Maybe it's like how once you know how a magician does his tricks, they don't seem very magical anymore - you can spot the trick. I've always been a fan of Elijah Woods. Well, when he was a kid anyway. Now he seems pathetic. For this movie, it appears the make-up wizards glued his eyelids wide open. Then it appears they couldn't unglue them because his eyes stay this way in every scene. I think that prior to every scene they made him drink a couple of gallons of iced-tea and then told him he couldn't pee until the scene was shot. I say this because in every scene he looks like he can't wait to get the hell out of there to take a leak. EVERY scene. There is no change of expression at all. Ian McKellan as Gandalf was also quite weird. I have the feeling I know what was in that pipe he was always smoking (As intimated in the movie as well). He seemed to be unaware of what scene it was or what his lines were. As I said, I never read the book all the way through, and maybe if I had the movie would have made more sense. But as far as I could tell, there was no real story. For a three-hour movie, nothing much really happened. The character development was, for the most, part weak. I kept forgetting that this was taken from a much-loved book - it seemed they were making it up as they went. I half-expected them to whip out a pair of twelve-sided dice to decide what would happen next. To those who claim this is Oscar-caliber, I sneer with derision. D&D fans will probably like this movie. As for me, I kept thinking of a scene in an episode of Friends, where Chandler and Ross can't believe Joey never read "Lord of the Rings" in high school. To which Joey replies "Dude, I was busy having sex in high school." For this reviewer, that would have been time better spent. By the time I was an hour into this movie, I was, indeed, "Bored of the Rings." (OK, nerds. Go ahead and knock my reviewer rating down! LOL!)
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece and filmmaking at it's best
Review: Back in the 70s, viewers from around the world praised the epic journey known as Star Wars. It was a grand adventure and George Lucas changed the art of filmmaking forever, usually known for being the "creator of special effects". It had everything a brilliant film could have: Emotion, wit, imagination, fantastic characters, gripping storyline and genuine special and visual effects. Never since that trilogy has a film created so much of what I stated above. But that was before Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of probably the greatest novel of the 20th century. I'm talking about The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R Tolkien's beloved classic has finally been adapted to live-action films, which includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, which will all be released annually, with Fellowship released in theaters in December 2001. This movie had a lot to live up to. After the horrible failure of Ralph Bashki's animated Lord of the Rings movies, filmmakers did not bother to touch the epic classic. That until it was announced in 1998/1999 that filming would begin in 1999 for all three films, Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. So, I was there at the theater on that fateful day of December 18, 2001, eager to see if the movie lived up to Tolkien's beloved beauty. I was so relieved to see one of, if not my absolute, favorite book of all time faithfully reproduced on screen and more. Star Wars: Episodes 4-6 were the last movies to accomplish something this great. It has everything a great movie should have and more. The film features real emotion, terror, character and a great set of visual effects. And unlike Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Fellowship of the Ring can appeal to viewers who haven't read the book. If you haven't read the book, it's still a great movie. The story is THE story that started fantasy. The Dark Lord Sauron seeks to enslave the free peoples of the mythical realm of Middle-earth by recovering a mighty ring of power he forged in the fires beneath Mount Doom. After many generations, the ruling ring, cut from Sauron's hand by the human hero Isildur, has fallen by chance into the keeping of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). Guided by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and assisted by companions representing the free races of elves, dwarves, men, and hobbits, Bilbo's heir, Frodo (Elijah Wood), embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the ring before Sauron's minions can recapture it. The actors are terrific. The fantastic cast is why this movie is just so good. Elijah Wood plays the wide-eyed and innocent hero Frodo Baggins and his faithful partner Samwise Gamgee played by Sean Astin. Let's briefly run through the cast:
Ian McKellan, however, does not appear in this film. He is transformed into the old wizard we know and love. Viggo Mortensen plays the part of Aragorn pretty well. Physically he's fit for the job and is a fantastic actor. Sean Bean is usually an actor for villains of many flicks. Here, he joins the Fellowship as Boromir of Gondor. He's perfect. I had not heard of Orlando Bloom before he was announced. Though he is fit for the job of the elf archer. How cool is this? John Rhys-Davies delivers some humor and plays our favorite dwarf well. There pretty well-done, Frodo and Sam. Pippin and Merry also provide high-spirits. Christopher Lee is famous for villains. He plays Saruman at just the right speed. Liv Tyler is a decent actress but her role as Arwen surprised me. It's her most realistic role yet. I was skeptical about this. However, Cate Blanchett delivers Galadriel. The set pieces are absolutely staggering. New Zealand is perfect for the role of the wondrous Middle-Earth. From the Shire to the Great River Anduin to the mines of Moria, Director Peter Jackson has given us an exact replica of Middle-Earth. Everything is lush and warm, from Hobbiton to Rivendell, with the help of a few computers. This makes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone look like it was filmed in a garden shed. The Visual Effects have won an Academy Award. Their very strong and very realistic and blend in with the environment perfectly. They put Harry Potter's CGI effects to shame. There's a cave troll, a demon Balrog, the slinky Gollum (who is only shown for a small while), forest trolls and the mixed orc breeds called the Uruk-Hai. This is filmmaking at it's best. Director Peter Jackson has created a classic and the upcoming films, The Two Towers and The Return of the King will collide with The Fellowship of the Ring to create a memorable trilogy that will be cherished for decades in the future. Folks, put this film with Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI and the Indiana Jones trilogy. It's a keeper. And now the DVD. The DVD is loaded with extras including three in-depth documentaries, "Welcome to Middle-Earth", "Quest for the Ring" and "Passage to Middle-Earth). There are 15 featurettes first made for lordoftherings.net that have interviews with Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and more. There's theatrical trailers, TV Spots, Enya's "May it Be" music video, 3-minute preview of EA's video game, "The Two Towers" and exclusive DVD-ROM features. Now we get to the good stuff. First is a 10-minute preview of the next installment, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". It hosts some new (and old) footage of the movie and goes behind-the-scenes. And last is the 3-minute preview for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended" DVD due out for a November 12 release, which will include 30 minutes of never-before-seen-footage incorporated into the film. This is the only way to see the Theatrical Version of the movie. It has fantastic special features and is a must-own.
Rating:
Summary: "A sure-to-be 5 star classic"
Review: Based on J.R.R Tolkien's bestselling novel, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a complete three hours of fun starring Elijah Wood (North) as a the young hobbit Frodo (who must destroy the One Ring to stop others from getting it) and Ian McKellen (Richard III) as the magical wizrad Gandalf who helps him. The movie does take some time to pick up but as soon as the action and suspense start, you'll be gripped to the screen till the end. In fact, I bet you'll want The Two Towers (the second book in the trilogy) to start immediately after this finishes because the movie has everything (action, suspense, drama, science fiction, and a bit of romance.) Overall, The Lord of the Rings is a must-buy. I give it 5 stars, which I usually don't give any movie, because of it's wild entertainment. Get it now!
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Enjoyable, But No Paragon of Perfection
Review: Based on the famous Tolkien novel, few films in recent memory have been been as well-received as Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS--THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING; even so, it seems to divide fans of the novel, some of whom complain that the film lacks the moral complexity of Tolkien's original tale. But what of viewers who know nothing of the book? And what of viewers who are not normally fans of the "middle earth" fantasy it creates? Viewers, in fact, like me, who come to the film with a very limited exposure to Tolkien and without any particular interest in the epic fantasy genre he essentially created? The answer is: it is a very good movie and you are likely to enjoy it as least as much I did. But it is not quite the paragon of perfection you may expect. As almost every one knows by now, the story concerns a world populated by distinctly different races that include humans, elves, trolls, goblins--and a race of small-statured beings known for both their steadfast practicality and their big feet: hobbits. One hobbit in particular, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), comes into possession of a ring. But it is not just any ring; it is the key to a revival of an evil that hungers to reign over all the earth. With the wizard Gandalf's support, Frodo embarks upon a quest to destroy the ring in the only way it can be destroyed: by casting it into the very fires of the volcano where it was first forged. Obviously the story offers abundant opportunity for special effects, cinematography, art design and soundtrack--and here indeed FELLOWSHIP goes unchallenged. It is absolutely flawless. Led by Elijah Wood as Frodo and Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and sporting a truly memorable performance by Christopher Lee as Saruman and a supporting cast that includes every one from Cate Blanchett to Ian Holm, the cast is also extremely, extremely good and make their highly fantastic characters remarkably believable. It's all a lot of fun to watch. But I did have some issues with the film, and they were significant. My first complaint concerns the first fifteen or so minutes of the film, which is essentially a long and complicated narrative that explains the origin of the ring and how it came into the possession of a hobbit. Although it contains many memorable images, the entire segment is largely superfluous, for the information it offers is repeated again and again throughout the body of the film. More annoying, the segment has the effect of undercutting the entire film by telling you everything about the ring that the characters will learn over the entire course of the film. That aside, the overall film has an oddly sterile quality to it. It looks great; it sounds great; the cast is great; the action sequences are pulse-pounding. But one or two sequences aside, it never seems to fully engage in an emotional sense. And as a final blow, the conclusion is unsatisfactory. I understand, of course, that this is merely the first in a trilogy--but FELLOWSHIP doesn't so much end as it simply stops. The amazing thing about FELLOWSHIP is that, in spite of these significant problems, it nonetheless remains an extremely watchable, enjoyable film. Fans of the novel and the genre in general will no doubt enjoy it more than those of us who could never get worked up about either--but even so, I'd still suggest it to the latter. While it has great faults, it also has great virtues, and the virtues far outweight the faults. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit...
Review: Based on the teaser trailers and pictures I have seen of the various sets for this movie, I think there are definite possibilities that it will live up to the huge hype surrounding it (so I have given it a premature 5 star rating). The Lord of the Rings of course belongs to the fantasy genre, and after reading the book I must say Tolkien's plot is fantasy at its best- it is amazingly imaginative and creative- the locations are well-drawn and picturesque, and the vast array of characters are delightful (or repulsive, depending on how Tolkien intended it to be).
Rating:
Summary: It was incredible
Review: Basic story: Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit who resides in the Shire, is left a magical ring by his aging Uncle Bilbo. The ring has the ability to turn the wearer invisible but people have noticed that those who wear it long began to get a bit angry and suspicious of everyone. Gandalf the Gray, the Wizard who has traveled extensively with Bilbo, tells Frodo that this ring is the one ring that the evil Sauron needs to take over
the world. He advises Frodo to take the ring from the Shire before Sauron's henchmen can get there. Gandalf believes that the only thing that can stop this is to destroy the ring.
Frodo leaves on his quest accompanied by his faithful friend, Sam, and their compatriots Pippin and Merry. On the road they are chased by something that seems more animal than man yet rides on horseback. They encounter the Ranger Strider who agrees to take them to the home of the elves. Frodo is injured in an attack and the group makes it to sanctuary
in the nick of time.
After Frodo is healed it is decided that a group, a Fellowship of the various races, will have to journey to the realm of Sauron and destroy the ring in the fires that created it. Frodo is accompanied by his Hobbit friends, as well as Gandalf, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, and two humans Boromir and Strider now revealed to be Aragorn the last descendent of the King who first defeated Sauron.
The Fellowship begin their journey and come face to face with hardships both natural and unnatural. Gradually the group is torn apart by competing desires as to how the ring should be destroyed.
Peter Jackson has done an incredible job of directing this movie. This is a very thorough adaptation of the book. Sure, some things have been cut out from the movie and some things have been added to flesh out character but for the most part Jackson has followed the style of the original book.
The pacing of the movie is, for the most part, well done. He gives us the background of the ring wars at the beginning and then drops the pace for the party in the Shire. This is the only time I thought the movie was slow. Then things pick right back up and go straight forward to a wild finish. His cinematographer deserves the utmost of credit. The
visuals of this movie are almost second to none. Also the sequences involving the demon riders are done in almost a dream sequence which increases the tension. The collaboration involved to show the various race's and how they react around each other is worth watching. The Hobbit's are a tiny race and when humans are around they tower over everything and have to watch for destroying the surroundings by accident. The dwarf sequences and the Elf's are wonderful to watch.
For the most part I found the characters all well cast. Ian McKellen was born to play the role of Gandalf. He has the appropriate age and gravity with his Shakespearean background and brings the rage of wizard fully to this role. Viggo Mortensen plays Strider/Aragorn. He has been frequently seen as a secondary characters in most movies and has received the chance to step forward with this one. Not only does he step forward but he runs with the movie.
The only questionable casting choice I found, unfortunately, was that of Elijah Wood as Frodo. Elijah is a good actor and has a solid resume. However I found that he brought almost an Elvish quality to the role of the Hobbit. He looks almost angelic as the Hobbit.
The battle scenes are chaotic but wonderful. They follow the various actors and their fighting styles, Aragorn and Boromir with their swords, Legolas the Elf with his deadly Bow, Gimli the Dwarf with his axe, and the Hobbit's with their almost berserker attacks against superior odds. The cameras swirl around the battle scenes showing as much as possible
and leaving you hanging for more.
This is not necessarily a movie for the young children as it does have some dark sequences and the various Orcs can be rather frightening. There are also a few slow moments near the beginning. That being said, this is one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. I know some complaints have been made concerning the ending but it tends to make me wonder if the people complaining understand that this is part 1 of a
trilogy. I am strongly looking forward to next year for part two, The Two Towers.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed With What They Didn't Tell you
Review: Because I love Tolkien's LOTR and the initial FOTR release, I eagerly placed the disk in the DVD drive of my 11-month old Compaq Presario. It whirred three times and ejected the disk. After checking out websites and Compaq tech support, I learned that this DVD is so ''advanced'' that many DVDs' firmware can't read it. Don't buy this disk unless you check on the Interactual website for conflicts....
Rating:
Summary: Expecting a Weak Ending
Review: Because the Book is a Trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King), I can't see them ending the movie the way the Fellowship ends, I don't wanna give away the ending but none the less it should be weak if they follow the ending of the first book. I'm looking forward to the Two Towers myself, Gollum/Smeagol (He's a Schitzo) will captavate audiences and annoy them by saying precious over 100 times. And Just a note. Why is Arwen in the Movie? She's a 3 or 4 Sentance character, and if she rides with the company there will be a fellowship of 10 not 9 like it is supposed to.
Rating:
Summary: One of The Very Best I Have Ever Seen!!!!!
Review: Been a fan of the trilogy since I first received the books as a Christmas gift from my Dad in 1969. Being an avid reader anyway, I took to the trilogy and its whole world in no time flat!!! As I sat in the movie theater Saturday afternoon before this Christmas, I was astounded by this awesome motion picture version of Tolkien's masterpiece. Peter Jackson has simply done a superb job of bringing this complex world and as many of its characters as were necessary to tell the story to vivid life. What a movie!!!! The cast was uniformly excellent, the screenplay brilliant, and the music and other effects mere perfection. There were several points during the film where I was brought to near tears either by the beauty of the work and/or by the actors. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson, et al. convey such conviction that there are times I felt overwhelmed by their feelings and the situations in which the characters found themselves. I shall not only being going to see this film in the theater again (which I NEVER do), but I shall purchase the DVD of this an each of the subsequent films as soon as they become available. As I have told anyone in my life who will listen, I say GO SEE THIS MOVIE - IT IS TRULY A MARVEL AND THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING.
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