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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: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Review: As the start of a trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring is a masterpiece. The storyline concerns a union of elves, dwarves, hobbits and humans led by a a wizard named Gandolf, who embark on a perilous quest through the mythical realm of Mordor. Their destination: The Mount of Doom where the deadly Ring of Power was forged by the evil Sauron. Their mission: destroy the deadly Ring of Power.The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is an astonishing masterpiece that is not to be missed. It is the kind of movie you'll want to see over and over again. Also I highly reccomend the soundtrack, which is well worth the purchase price.
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Summary: A Spellbinding Cinematic Masterpiece
Review: As we pull up to the theater, the line stretches out into the parking lot. The people are filled with restless, nervous anticipation, talking quietly amongst themselves. Fortunately Dallas has arrived early and I find my place saved at the head of the line. The air almost crackles with the intensity, a murmur passes through the crowd when at last the doors are unlocked and the restless viewers begin to forge inside. Our tickets are purchased, our seats are found; eventually the trailers begin. The theater is packed, all 900 seats. After being plagued with Spiderman and a terrible Austen Powers spin-off, the screen fades to darkness. We shudder with a sudden thrill as the voice-over, the voice we would learn to acknowledge as that of Queen Galadriel, begins the story of the Ring, its forging in the Mountains of Doom, its empowerment by the Dark Lord... and its keepers. We are swept into a story unlike any other, a story of many characters and places, of much depth and insight; but also a story of elves and dwarves, humans and hobbits. A story that has earned itself rightfully the title of "book of the century." In the three hours that come about, we laugh, we cry, we are scared absolutely out of our wits. The time flies by without hesitation or fear, plunging ahead into Middle Earth with incredible aerial shots and stunning cinematography. The audience is in awe of the elves, terrified by the Cave Troll, grossed-out by the birth of an Orc from the depths of the ground itself; they gasp in fear as Gandalf is suddenly attacked by an unexpected enemy; they cheer when Arwen brings down the flood upon the dark riders; they draw back in surprise and sudden fear at the temptation of Galadriel. All breaths are drawn in as one when the enemy infiltrates the Prancing Pony, and let out in a roar when an Orc is defeated. And then, as the screen fades to black and the credits role, it begins. One clap here, another there, until it breaks forth into thundering applause. The audience who was wowed with Gladiator, who shunned The Patriot, who stood in awe of The Matrix, have discovered for the first time the spellbinding storytelling of Tolkien... and the absolute magic at the fingertips of the filmmakers. As I exit the theater, I hear many things... words such as "incredible," "awesome," "cool" ... and "Oscar." The words that will spread from lips into ears across the nation and send Lord of the Rings into a complete and total bock office success. But it is only later that the true test of the film begins; it endures in discussion over a late (very late!) luncheon at Chili's. All aspects are explored, from the hideousness of the Orcs to the angelic tendencies of the elves, even a character's intentional sacrifice for another. The Ring is deeply studied from every aspect, its character even more powerfully drawing than that of Frodo or Gandalf. All are in agreement -- that the film is a masterpiece. As we gather up our things and bid farewell, we leave with only one thought in mind... Tolkien would have approved.
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Summary: An astonishing achievement made even better
Review: As wonderful as "The Fellowship of the Ring" theatrical version was, in many ways, the extended version is even better. The added amount of time doesn't seem terribly significant, but as it's spread out to include a 30 second bit here, and 15 seconds there, it adds up to changes to quite a bit of the movie. The changes aren't dramatic -- if you didn't like the original version, I hardly think Merry and Pippin tucking into lembas bread the moment they sail from Lorien is going to change your mind -- but they do deepen an understanding of the characters and add a few scenes not included for the sake of not making the theatrical version any longer. In some cases, this makes the pacing not work as well, but it's never terribly problematic. Beyond the additional footage, the DVD set adds more making-of specials and behind-the-scenes material than almost anyone could want. Strongly recommended for those who simply cannot get enough of this version of "The Fellowship of the Ring."
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Summary: Completly and Utterly Fantastic
Review: As you can see, I have never read the book and I was deeply fascinated at how well the movie was acted and thought out. The cast was chosen fantastically and Elijah Woods (Frodo Baggins) put deep emotions into the movie. It is a must see and I know all of you will love it.
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Summary: Lord of The Rings - Extended Version
Review: ASIN B000067DNF I have been waiting anxiously for the extended version release. When I saw it at the theater I thought it was the movie of the decade. The movie held true to my imagination and the scenery in the film was astonishing.
When viewing the newly released extended version I was truely disappointed. The widescreen extended version released in both CD and VHS format aspect ratio is done at 2:35:1; the smallest widescreen compression currently made. The viewable portion lost is about one half. To watch such a beautiful scenic movie even on our 50 inch big screen televsion was terrible. I cound only imagine what it would look like on a regular televison set.
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Summary: An epic start to the trilogy
Review: Astonishing fantasy epic about young hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Woods) of the Shire who sets out on a quest with eight companions to reach the treacherous land of Mordor to destroy the great ring of power which possesses a deadly threat to the inhabiting beings (men, elves, hobbits and dwarfs) of Middle-Earth. Director Jackson (filmed in his home country New Zealand) is the perfect candidate to bring J.RR Tolkien's ever famous trilogy to life in this visually compelling, well cast, entertaining and emotional tale; rich with out-of-sight visual effects, beautiful photography, eye-popping art direction and some of the most realistic battle scenes filmed in cinema history. Note worthy performances by Ian McKellen as the mighty wizard Gandalf and Viggo Mortensen as the hard-boiled ranger and king Aragon. Howard Shore composed a masterful music score, which is aided by Enya's two songs (written for the film) Aniron and May It Be. However, the battle scenes could have been more brutal and chaotic.
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Summary: One DVD to rule them all!
Review: Astonishing, breathtaking, immersive. This definitive 4-DVD set is truly an absolute masterpiece. I had never read the Tolkein books, but have been completely captivated by this most extraordinary movie. Fortunately, I knew the extended version was arriving in November so I held back on purchasing the theatrical version DVD a few months earlier, waiting for the good stuff, and it was worth the wait. The additional 30 minutes of footage lends itself to a much richer story, adding both depth and clarity. The commentaries are enriching, and the two DVDs of bonus material simply overwhelm the casual moviegoer with the staggering amount of time, talent and effort that went into the process of making this movie. I can only hope that New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson provide even longer extended version DVDs of "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King" because the reception that this extended DVD has gotten has been beyond successful. Truly, the filming of these three movies over a 15-month timeframe, along with the commensurate avalanche of technical, creative and visionary treatment, will go down in cinematic history. What a crowning achievement for all who were involved. Buy this DVD set and provide yourself with hours upon hours of engrossing entertainment.
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Summary: This could very well be the best movie ever made
Review: Astonishing. Wonderful. Fantastic. Moving. Involving.
I could go on and on, but I won't. All I will say is that if you are one of the millions of us who found Peter Jackson's "Lord of the rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" to be one of the most amazing movie experiences ever (although I don't know for sure if it can beat out being 4 years old in the movie theatre and seeing Star Wars for the first time-It's a different experience, not better)this version is even better than the one that kept me glued to my seat in the theatre praying it would never end.
I don't know how many girls have reviewed this, but I have to say even if you aren't a girl who likes this type of fantasy/adventure, the MEN in this film are well worth paying the money for-every extra minute with Orly Bloom (the as*-kicking Legolas)is heaven!
I ahevn't even gotten through all of the extra stuff yet, but I doubt it will be anything less than pure quality magic-Peter Jackson is a genius.
Don't miss this-it makes the "perfect film" even better.
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Summary: WHAT THE FILM SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL ALONG
Review: At first I thought that an extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring was just another money making ploy on the part of the film's producers, directors and marketers. I am very glad to admit that I couldn't have been more wrong. This is one extended version that delivers completely. Other supposed extended versions of other films tout extra footage while delivering a short segment in the "Special Features" section that is nothing more than outtakes. The Fellowship of the Ring extended version offers a complete cut of the film with the extra footage included in the course of the film. Spectacular! This is what the film should have been all along, filling in some important story gaps that were so glaring in the theater release. Story flow matches the book more and really adds to the personalities of the key characters. Too bad Hollywood has to lower its standards to accommodate the weakest links in the movie going chain. Oh well, such is the contest for optimum attendance at theaters and dollars at the box office. The 4-DVD set is also packed with must-see extras that will complete your trip to middle earth as never before. If you have already purchased the regular release of this film you won't be losing out by correcting your mistake and buying this one as well. Besides you can always give the shorter version to one of your second cousins, twice removed. A must have for all Lord of the Rings aficionados. Douglas McAllister
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