Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Still Life
Review: The source material for The Lord of the Rings is among the most beloved stories in literature, so it's a noble undertaking by Peter Jackson and his team to have adapted it for the screen in the first place. That he achieves it with so much of the books' details intact is amazing. The performances are majestic, the cinematography lush, and the special effects are stunning. In short, it's the first truly "epic" epic I've seen in awhile.However, I'll admit that while the attention to detail is commendable, there seems to be something missing in terms of emotion. The saga, the characters, all are archetypal, as was "Star Wars," but while Star Wars had a dash of modernism and humor to enable a viewer to connect with the story on a "you are there" basis, the legend of The Lord of the Rings seems so removed and almost exclusionary by nature ("they" are the fellowship, a band we are allowed to view without feeling like we're a part of the kinship) that I felt slightly wanting at the end -- not for more spectacle, of which there's plenty, but for more of a personal window into the story, so that I might better care about and appreciate it. Even without that element, the movie is still a marvel to watch and highly rewarding from the popcorn level on up. The behind the scenes extras on the disc are fully encompassing as well, and fans of the story will doubtlessly have no trouble spending hours dwelling on every minute detail, as Tolkien and Jackson would intend.
Rating: 
Summary: Before You Devotees Vote Negative...Please Read This:
Review: ...yawn...
Let me start out by saying that The Fellowship of the Ring is just boring. There were so many scenes that could have been taken out without harming the storyline at all, and so many scenes that WERE taken out that really damaged it. I was excited to see The Fellowship of the Ring in theaters when it first came out. I heard it was a long movie, but I figured it could still be good. It was NOT good. The plot is really confusing, however. Sauron is returning to the world, and Frodo must take the ring back to the Land of Mordor and destroy the ring. It's really an original idea, but badly presented. This was just a little too long. The special effects are pretty impressive. I really liked the ringwraiths and the galloping horses in the river. The Balrog was impressive, too. The cinemotography was brilliant, making the hobbits much shorter than they actually are. Through all of this, The Fellowship of the Ring still fell short. Any of the action scenes are either too short or too repetitive. The movie consists of the main characters being chased by the villains, escaping, then being chased again. It's annoying. And How many times do we have to see a super close-up of the ring in Frodo's hand? Also, are we supposed to care about some wimpy Hobbit. All the blithering whining about "oh how I wish I had never gotten the ring." Wah Wah. Yeah, there's neato guido fight scenes, but it's amazing that with all the time and expense this movie could manage to be so terribly boring. 5 minutes of excitement followed up with 30 minutes of walking, talking and nothing in general happening. I don't [care] about how pretty the scenary was. Who cares? I would rather watch a good story well told set in a litter box than this piece of garbage that had it's 'breathtaking vistas' and unwatchable characters. Are we supposed to identify with a Hobbit? I can't compare it to the books since I've never read them. I have heard that, for the most part, they stayed true. I'm just wondering if they could have stayed true without going for three hours. That is really a long time to sit and watch a movie. Seriously, who actually wants to sit that long? And for a movie that's kind of boring? Apparently many people do, since this movie has gotten such high undeserved ratings. I think people are saying it's good only because it's based on the books they love. If The Fellowship of the Ring didn't have any fans before it was released, I'll bet it wouldn't have done so good in the box offices. Character development is poor. I never even knew the names of the dwarf, the elven archer, and two of the hobbits. That's pretty bad. The Fellowship of the Ring could have done much better. But it just can't match up to other fantasy realms or other movies.
Rating:
Summary: This Sets the Bars.
Review: This collection sets the bar on how any special DVD set should be put together. Everything put onto this DVD is interesting and worth seeing. Not only is it amazing to see what went into making a book (I never read, but read and dare I say near-worshiped) by millions into a movie that millions would enjoy and understand, it is put together in an enjoyable format. It's part like watching a Discovery Channel Behind the Scenes Special and part like being able to watch all the people who created this world tell you how they did it. This is what DVDs were made for. I caution you, it may make it impossible to enjoy any other Collector's Edition you pick up that does not compare.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie on earth!
Review: This movie begins with the prologue, telling how the ring was made and how Sauron was destroyed. And how the ring was lost, found by Gollum, lost again, and found by Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. 60 years Later Bilbo Baggins's 111th birthday party. He tells all of his guests that he is leaving, and magically and mysteriously dissapears. Gandalf found out that he had used the ring of power to do this and followed him back to his house. Gandalf tells Bilbo to give the ring to Frodo and Bilbo leaves. Frodo got the ring and kept it hidden for many years, until Gandalf came back and told him that the ringwraiths (hunters of the ring and its bearer) had discovered that the ring had been hidden in the shire. Frodo and his companions Merry, Pippin, and Sam leave the shire. Pusued by the black riders (ringwraiths) Frodo and his companions reach Rivendell, the House of Elrond, with the help of Aragorn, the ranger. Here, in Rivendell, we find out that Aragorn is deeply in love with Elrond's daughter, Arwen Undomeniel and that he is heir to the throne of Gondor.
There was a great Council held at Rivendell, in which it was decided that the ring was to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. Frodo was appointed Ringbearer and he was accompanied by Merry, Pippin, Sam, Aragorn, Legolas Greenleaf, (Elf prince of Mirkwood) Gimli, son of Gloin, (dwarf-lord)Borimir, (Son of Denother, lord of Gondor) and Gandalf the Grey.
Trying their hardest to keep out of reach of Saruman the White, (Evil Wizard who has joined with the dark lord Sauron) Frodo and his companions travel into the mines of Moria. It is here that Gandalf battles an evil Balrog and falls into the dark Abyss. Aragorn led the companions to the Elvish land of Lothlorien, where the Elven Queen Galadriel is tempted by the ring (don't worry, she's a good guy/ girl.) She shows Frodo what may happen if the ring is not destroyed through her magical mirror, and the companions depart again. Borimir decided to take the ring by force, but Frodo got away. Then the orcs came. Merry and Pippin were taken by them and pursued by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Borimir was killed by them. And Frodo and Sam disappeared and continued their journey to Mt. Doom. Characters: Frodo Baggins
Gandalf the Grey
Aragorn
Samwise Gamgee
Galadriel
Borimir
Arwen
Gimli son of Gloin
Peregrin "Pippin" Took
Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck
Legolas Greenleaf
Saruman the White
Bilbo Baggins
Elrond
Gollum
Rating:
Summary: Easter Egg for the Council of Elrond
Review: I love these books. I love this movie. The passion and beautiful insanity that everyone had for making these films certainly shows in the detail and care that is reveiled on these DVD's. The funniest easter egg is on disc one.
MTV Movie Awards clip (Special Extended Edition):
Insert Disc 1. Select the "Scene Selection" option at the main menu. Advance to the final scene selection screen. Highlight the "Council Of Elrond" option and press Down to highlight a hidden ring. Press Enter to view a clip where this scene was spoofed on the MTV Movie Awards. Jack Black and Sarah Michelle Geller.
I suppose we will have to wait until after all the films have been shown to see any blooper reels. That would kind if blow the illusion.
Waiting for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Got to love the best movie ever, in the best DVD package ever. Truly number one in the "bang for your buck" category...
Rating:
Summary: Good value for quality movie
Review: This DVD set is awsome. I got a free movie ticket for The Two Towers as a bonus. It is a must have. Ps. The Two Towers is even better. Don't forget to watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent & Highly Recommended
Review: Excellent presentation. The additional film content adds welcome information. If you're a LOTR fan then you will definitely prefer this version to the theatrical release.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite
Review: When the movie first came out, I vowed that I wouldn't watch it, but when I first watched it, I was blown away. The actors chosen for the various roles were perfect. One of my favorite parts about it is the character development. Overall, this is a very good adaptation of the book. I would highly recommend it, especially those who read the books and enjoyed them.
Rating:
Summary: An improvement on an already flawless film
Review: I'm so glad I waited almost three (painful) months to buy the Extended Edition instead of the theatrical version. I think the DVD cut of the film it's a hundred times better than the original release. The latter, although three hours long, felt rushed when you compared it with the pacing of the book. Now, with all the new sequences and a few more lines in the scenes we've already seen, it's an even more faithful adaptation of JRR Tolkien's world to the big screen. Discs 1 & 2 contain the 3:30 hour film split in two. This is the only thing I must complain about. It looks like the major drawback LaserDisc is coming back from the grave (they did the same to "The Godfather II"). What ever happened to "DVDs have a storage capacity of over 4 hours of superior quality video"? Yes, I know, maybe there wasn't enough room for so many audio tracks (Dolby Digital, DTS and commentaries) and so many cool menus, and maybe the only way to preserve the (very) high quality of audio and video of this movie was to separate it in two, but I really hate having to get up from my comfortable sofa, turn the lights on and change the disc. They better come up with some kind of solution before the Extended Edition DVD of "The Two Towers" is ready. Discs 3 & 4 contain around 7 hours of behind-the-scenes documentaries and demonstrations that go into every little detail of the production stage, from conceptual art to the premiere day in Middle-Earth (yes, there was a place in this planet called "Middle-Earth" in December 2001... watch the documentary!) Being a die-hard fan of Star Wars it's very difficult for me to say this but... the extra material in these discs outdoes, by a really-truly-very-long shot, everything in the DVDs of Episodes I and II together. There, I said it. I truly recommend the Extended Edition DVD over the original theatrical release DVD. Save up just a few extra bucks and go for it.
| 
