Rating: 
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:
Summary: My precious!!!
Review: Undoubtedly, this film will become a classic in cinema history. It has as much rich detail and well scripted characters as the original books. The special effects are unique; they present additional scales of the settings and grandure to the action scenes. The fight scenes utilizes a jumpy handheld camera that can be dizzying to look at (I mostly speak of Balin's tomb), but are still well orchestrated and gripping. The cinematography is unique and plentiful. Slow-motion shots, wild camera angles, and extreme close ups are very abundant, and add a visually hypnotic level to the film. It's style also embellishes the story telling. One just has to look at the screen to feel the emotions of the characters, tell what their relationships are, and tell what is going on. The characters in particular shine in this film. It is actually the very thing that I've enjoyed most about this. The characters are easy to understand, and are very well developed. Their depth and complexities are strongly evident, their relationships are close and heartwarming, and they actually make you care for them. The film's steady pace, inventive style, and expert storytelling is entrancing for the whole three hours. The extra thirty minutes on this disc set add to the characters' developments (especially to Aaragorn, whose heritance to Gondor is explained in greater detail), and foreshadow the events of the future Lord of the Rings episodes (namely the scene where the elves are seen traveling to the Gray Havens, later referred to in Return of the King). Four discs for this movie is an esteemed blessing. It is a treasure in my collection, and I can't wait until the next two films are released in this way.
Rating:
Summary: The first in what will be the greatest movie trilogy ever.
Review: This movie was a masterpiece. The Lord of the Rings trilogy will be the greatest movie trilogy ever.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: This movie is simply excellent beyond belief. The plot follows the book very well, just as it should, starting like this. Frodo Baggins, (Elijah Wood), comes across a mysterious ring, and as told by the wizard Gandalf, (Ian McKellen), he and his servant Sam, (Sean Lenin) have to carry it to the only place that it can be destroyed. Another good thing is that at the end, they split up, so you don't know how the plot is continued in The Two Towers. Also, the movie is 178 minutes, longer than either Harry Potter movie, so it has more time for all the excitement that takes place in the movie. But as for children, I recommend parental guidence, because there are things that could easily scare them to death, but probably not for children eleven or over. Don't miss this masterpiece under any circumstances!
Rating:
Summary: The original version to the remarkable movie...
Review: Finally we, the loyal viewers, get the extra 30 minutes not seen in theaters and it is well worth the wait and money. The extended scenes are frequent and build the characters even better than the original three hour version. We learn more about Boromir (Sean Bean in a Lauden-award winning role) and also see more of hobbit life. However, this extended version is for the Tolkien fan only. An average viewer could get bored by the very long runtime, but this is only my guess. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this special edition to one of my favorite movies.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent additions
Review: The additional 30 minutes of footage was very helpful in the overall plot progression. While the extended footage was not absolutely necessary, it was a welcome luxury. The bonus material was nice, but only a hard core LOTR fan would sing it's praises very loudly. I think it was average in quality and impressiveness. The additional National Geographic CD was not what I expected at all. When I hear National Geographic, I think scenery and nature. What I got was an interesting look at how Tolkein's real life experiences shaped the writing of the Lord of the Rings. I had hoped for more scenes from the locations in New Zeland rather than what this was. The whole reason I bought this particular set was for the National Geographic DVD. The bookends helped compensate for my minor disappointment there. I expected them to be worthless pieces of plastic junk. They are fairly heavy, perfect for flanking your LOTR DVD's. The quality of the sculpting was impressive. These were not the plastic cereal box things I expected. If you are really interested in the additional movie footage, I would recommend getting the cheaper extended edition DVD set only. The National Geographic DVD is not something that most people would watch again and again. As for the bookends, they are nice, but hardly worth doubling the price of the DVD's alone.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great.....
Review: This first installment of the ring trilogy will leave you wanting because it's not complete and that's the idea. It's just part one of 3. The basic story taken from the book emcompasses many aspects of the human experience. Greed, temptation, love, loyalty and good versus evil. All the ingrediants for an epic adventure. The action is fast paced as the forces of evil try to ursurp the power of the ring which is entrusted to the modest hobbitt frodo very well played by elijah wood. Most of the movie involves wood and his compatriots running from and fighting evil orcs and the forces of evil. The screenplay is solid and some of the cinematography absolutely breath taking. My reason for not giving a 5 star rating is primarily the acting. While woods and mcclaellan give exellent performances and liv tyler was solid some of the others were poor. The largely american cast seem to not know whether to use an english like accent or their own voice. Some of the computer devised effects are very mediocre reminisent of the mummy returns. Then there is the sound effects where horses make electronically enhanced squealing pig sounds. Still overall this is a fine film that is suitable for most of the family. No foul language, nudity or sexual content and it is a story that teaches friendship and loyalty. The replay value is high which makes fellowship of the rings a movie that can be enjoyed many times over. ...............socks
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the obsessive Lord of the Rings person
Review: This is a Lord of the Rings groupie's dream. Plus you get a free ticket to the second movie, so it's really a good deal. Beautifully packaged, and full of fascinating stuff. On the half hour of new scenes, I see why they were cut, but it was fun to watch them anyway.
Rating:
Summary: What else did you want?
Review: PERFECT. That sums up the DVD set. There is no other way to describe it. Instead of doing a film anaylisis, which I could, considering I'm a film student, I won't. Instead I'm just reviewing the DVD set it'self, because I'm assuming those who are reading this have already seen this movie. If you haven't seen this movie, then my recomendation is this; rent it. If you love this movie, buy THIS DVD set. If you found it medicore and a bit too long, then I'd recomend the original theatrical version. This DVD set is amazig! It has literally DAY'S WORTH OF BONUSES!!
You will not be disapointed with this set, I guarantee it. I could go on and on about the bonuses, but what it all comes down to, is that it has every single DVD extra you would need. If there is a bonus that didn't make it onto this DVD set, then it wasn't worth it in the first place. As for the extended movie, the extra 30 minutes, only make a great movie greater. Though it is only 30 minutes ("only 30 minutes!?" you ask? Believe me, I wish this flick was 5 hours long) it does a lot for this film, because it does little things that add up, such character development and more depth to the world of Middle Earth. Overall this is a flawless DVD set. In my opinion, it IS the best DVD to be produced to date. Lord of the Rings isn't my favorite movie, but after being engulfed by this DVD, I can't help but think otherwise. The Fellowship of the Rings Extended Edition is more than just a DVD-it's an experince.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say, other than what's been said a million times?
Review: You read one review of this movie, you've read them all, right? I'll try to keep it short.
This movie was amazing. Not 100% accurate to the book, but it still gave a wonderful vision of the world of Middle Earth. I'm not the biggest fan of Elijah Wood, but he made a wonderful performance. You can clearly see the transition and growth of his character by compairing him in the begining to how he was in the end. If you can't see it, there's something wrong with you.
Here's something you might not see in other reviews- this movie is NOT for the squeamish. My mother squirmed at the resurrection of Urukhai. It's a good thing she didn't see some of the battles towards the end! If you watch carefully, an arrow goes straight through the head of an Orc when they near the end of Moria. It seriously pierces through the front and comes out the back!
But don't let the gore get in front of watching a masterpiece!
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