Rating: 
Summary: Excellent source of movie info
Review: Perhaps the best movie I've ever seen is the movie adaptation of "Lord of the Rings." This book by Brian Sibley is a gold mine of info on the production and background of the movie -- and the exquisite care taken with every part of it. The book begins with background information on, well, "Lord of the Rings" the novel; it then proceeds to the events leading up to Peter Jackson getting the budget and green light to make a movie trilogy - the bulk of which was shot in one big lump, not spaced a few years apart. Then a chapter on the choosing of New Zealand as an ideal shooting country, and the artists they hired to help them; then to the cast of characters and how they were hired. (Elijah Wood's story is particularly memorable) We then have a one-page brief bio, filmography, and clips of interviews for each cast member (even Marton Csokas, even though he has one line in the whole movie). Then it's an extended talk on the stunning special effects -- including how they shrunk 5'6" actors down to child-size, and Orlando Bloom's memorable description of fighting a CGI troll; about how they made Hobbiton and the Shire look like hobbits had lived there for hundreds of years; the weaponry and armor of Middle-Earth, including the stunning Elf plate armor; costuming, why Frodo's outfit is different from the other hobbits, the nightmares of costuming Gandalf, and why Legolas and Gimli are polar opposites; the effects of wizard beards and hobbit feet, and a great deal more! There are utterly delightful pictures sprinkled throughout it -- some never made it to the screen, though (Galadriel lecturing Arwen in Lothlorien, hobbits herding sheep, and Frodo sitting in a tree with a pipe). Most of the best pictures include Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson and, of course, the man at the helm. One particularly memorable pic has Jackson sprawled in front of the four laughing hobbits. This is overall a warm and insightful movie guide, a must-read to know anything about what happened behind the scenes!
Rating: 
Summary: A thin bit of tidbits
Review: Peter Jackson has created one of the most amazing feats in motion picture history. He simultaneously filmed 3 major motion pictures at the same time, and when he is done, will have created at least a 10 hour magnificent movie extravanganza unequaled by any other filmaker in all time.
I really hoped that this book would give me some feel of that.
It didn't.
If you know NOTHING about the books, the actors, the characters, the scenes, the sites, or the creators, you will like this book. If you know ANYTHING about LOTR (read interviews online, etc,) you will be VERY disappointed. There is nothing here that I didn't already know. This is thin, trite, candy. There is nothing of substance here.
However, being a huge LOTR fan, I had to own this book. There are a couple of decent photos, one being a hand drawn description of the differences in height of the all the characters (trolls, hobbits, elves, etc). I have not seen this anywhere else. Also, descriptions of Sir Ian McKellan's complaints, and then modifications, to his costume, were enthralling. Again, this is the only place I've seen this kind of honesty. Otherwise, all information can be found in other places.
To sum up, if you are a total Middle Earth newby, or a total Middle Earth die hard, buy it. If not, skip it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Reassuring
Review: Quite a few long term Tolkien readers were ill at ease at the thought of putting his masterpiece on film. How could a work of such majesty ever translate to film? Would it not inevitably be a shallow and weak travesty? Brian Sibley's Official Movie Guide will go a long way towards setting such fears at rest. My first emotion as I read the Guide was relief that so much care had been taken by the designers and director. Hobbiton was built a year before it was needed in order to let the paths and plants settle in for a more natural look. Copies of the books were read to pieces as each scene was planned, and Tolkien's own words were used in many cases. Secondly, I was happy to see that the actors were mostly long time Tolkien fans themselves. These are people who love The Lord of the Rings almost as much as I do, apparently. They care about their characters and the story. Their pictures and interviews reassure me that this is not just another part in another film, but something which demands their best work. While I will still watch the film with some concern that some of Tolkien's magic will be missing, at least this book lets me know that Peter Jackson and his cast and crew have done their utmost to catch it all.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the program for the movie.
Review: THE LORD OF THE RINGS OFFICIAL MOVIE GUIDE is filled with still shots from the movie. The book talks about all the major actors and how they got their parts, and includes little bios of each of them. It talks about how the movie was put together -- the writing, set decoration, make-up, behind-the-scenes stuff. There's no real plot info here -- for that go to the VISUAL COMPANION.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good book on the film.
Review: THE LORD OF THE RINGS OFFICIAL MOVIE GUIDE was pretty good and it is a great keepsake for all fans of the movie. But only 120 pages long?! There should have been more photos and written details about the cast and crew. And they should have done more on the behind-the-scenes and making of the film. The movie guide book for James Cameron's TITANIC was better quality than this. At least in that book, they had more photos and stuff about the movie. Though I do have to say that the photographs that are in this book were all very well-done. They are large, colorful, and glossy. It's just that I feel that they needed to add more to it. I hope they plan to make a second edition, and add in all of the things they left out in this one. This is for serious fans of the movie only--though I also have to admit that THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING was excellent. If you are a serious fan of the movie and went to go see it more than three times, then this book is probably for you.
Rating:
Summary: A fun, but PR heavy behind-the-scenes look at the film
Review: There are lots of pretty pictures here and some interesting stories with the actors and the creativity that went into the mind-bogglingly massive production. There also is some talk of the crafting of an unwieldy 1,000-page plus story into something that would work in three three-hour epics, and good explanations of the level of detail that director Peter Jackson demanded. This is a guide for fans, equivalent to a program that you would get at a sporting event, and is written with nary a negative word about anybody. You won't find out about the warring that must have gone on behind the scenes in the 15-month shoot -- somebody else will have to write that opus -- and the firing of the original Aragorn after two weeks is glossed over as "creative differences." Much of the verbiage is lame, PR-drivel quoting actors and others working on the project saying how great the books are, how wonderful Peter Jackson is, etc. I know how great the books are; you don't need to tell me, or at least not over and over and over again. In journalism school, you are taught that you should show, not tell. This is more tell, not show.
One welcome exception is some beautiful photos/illustrations showing how the scenes were created to match the visions of illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee.
There is also clearly an element of not wanting to spoil the movie, too -- the author is careful not to give away too much of the plot, beyond the basic outlines that you will find in any review. All in all, this makes a great keepsake of the movie, just so long as you realize that it has been scrubbed thoroughly by the PR folks. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic guide to the making of the first LOTR film!
Review: This book does NOT disappoint. It is loaded with fascinating info about how the fim was made, the actors, the crew, the production, and loaded with glorious color pix. Anyone wanting great background info presented in a beautiful layout will enjoy this book!
Rating:
Summary: An impressive book about an impressive movie project
Review: This book gives great insight into the amazing detail that has gone into the production of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's bestselling novels. It conveys the incredible dedication, enthusiasm and even fanaticism of all people who have been involved in this project. Many aspects of the movie-making process are covered, from the script writing to the creation of the costumes, and the reader gets an impression of the unbelievable detail in the design of the many many movie props which were created for the movie. It also describes how many distinguished actors and artists became involved in this project and how even those few who were initially reluctant (like John Howe, who was not sure if such a huge project could succeed) were engulfed by the enthusiasm of the film crew. The book gives the reader a very good feeling of the size of this movie project and what it means to film three movies of epic proportions at the same time. Also, anyone who reads this book will develop a deep respect for Peter Jackson, a director who still cares about the character development, the story line and the actors and who is able to coordinate such a huge project. This book can only enhance the experience that the Lord of the Rings movies are probably going to be, as it not only gives the reader a "behind-the-scenes" look, but it also shows a lot of detail which the movie-goers will most likely not notice consciously, but which was instrumental in creating a realistic atmosphere. My only criticism is that the book is too short, as I may have expected even more detailed descriptions of different aspects of the filming process. However, many of these issues are probably better described in making-of specials on TV or on the DVD. I would recommend this book to any Tolkien enthusiast who is already looking forward to the movies (or later to those who have seen the movies and liked them) and who wants to get more information about the filming process. The many high-quality pictures (which are often funny, for example when you see Peter Jackson next to Gandalf and Saruman) are already worth the price of the book. To those who do not know Tolkien's world yet, I would probably rather recommend the "Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion", though sooner or later you will want to buy this book as well.
Rating:
Summary: Colorful but not really in-depth
Review: This book is a nice teaser for the upcoming blockbuster "Fellowship of the ring", but to call it a movie guide... that I find somewhat too much to say. Sure, there a are some great photographs and interesting looks behind the scenes, but the stories about the people behind the movie remain rather superficial. For example, only the main characters are quoted, but their date of birth, for example, isn't even included. And of the hundreds of people behind the scenes, only four or five are really brought into the spotlight. I suspect that there will be a much more comprehensive movie guide when all three films of the trilogy have been released, say in the spring of 2004.
Rating:
Summary: Behind the Scenes Look.
Review: This book is a wonderful companion for anyone who enjoyed (or is looking forward to seeing) the movie and would like to know more about how the film came about. The book includes a small biography about Peter Jackson and how he came to direct the all-time most vast filming in movie history. A great deal of information from the pre-pre-production aspects of filming to the 14 months of filming itself to the post-production is detailed. There are lots of pictures and many interviews with the cast and crew. The undertaking of the film was huge and for those unfamiliar with the movie making process, this book will help explain just how monumental of a task THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies were. By only complaint about the book is that it is titled THE LORD OF THE RINGS Movie Guide when in reality it is THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING movie guide. There are no pictures and very little information concerning the two yet-to-be-released films that complete THE LORD OF THE RINGS. It doesn't bother me that the information isn't there, but the book should be labeled as such then.
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