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Summary: so sick of these stupid movies
Review: I don't know why everyone loves these movies. They are a bunch of stupid gothic ghosts and goblins. It's the oldest premise for a movie ever. I hate these movies. They are so overrated, it boggles the mind. I'd rather have both my arms ripped off and beat with them unmercifully than have to watch another one of these movies.
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Summary: Patience and a critical eye!
Review: I don't normally write reviews, and if the intention of the 1000+ reviews was to spur a plethora of debate, you can add another success notch to your belt.I am troubled by the great deal of critiques that attack Jackson for creating a film that is unique in its perspective. I read the Lord of the Rings series for the first time over 15 years ago. I have re-read them numerous times in between. I love literature, and professionally, it is my job to analyze, critique and discuss it (I am a literature professor). All three movies change the story. They offer you Jackson and Walsh's interpretation and connection to the text. If I were to make the movies myself, you would see a different story. That goes for any director or reader. I am also thoroughly pleased with the casting. With the exception of a few more well-known stars (Astin, Wood, Mortensen, etc.), most of the cast is new and fresh. My disappointment would have been enormous had today's Hollywood "prime" attempted the text. I wanted to see characters not movie stars. On a brief side note, Ian McKellan is a truly marvelous and establish actor and dramatist. His vitae is impressive and his portrayal of Gandalf is magnificent. I am also puzzled at the comments that the movie is about "a bunch of faires and elves". I have never spent money on seeing a movie at the theatre or picking up a rental without knowing what the movie is about. I have my likes and dislikes. I am not interested in oversexed teenagers, violent and hateful overindulgence, or horror. I do not rent these films, see them in the theatre, and I certainly do not purchase them for my home video library. I respect that others enjoy them and I make my opinion of them known silently; I do not have anything to do with them. The Lord of the Rings is fantasy. The creatures in the previews should have been the first sign. If it's not your thing, don't spend your money. Directors have been creating screenplays from novels for many years now. I have yet to find a film that follows a text with 100% accuracy, outside of BBC stage versions. If you are looking for a film that will tell you the story verbatum, look to making it yourself. If you are looking to examine and analyze the point of view of another Tolkien fan, and enjoy a theatrical experience ten years in the making, pick up a copy and give it a try. It is visually intriguing and personally engaging. I say this not as an expert or to enforce my opinion on others. If you enjoy fantasy and you are open to interpretation, rent or purchase this film. An open mind will provide you with an eye opening experience.
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Summary: The Greatest Story Ever Told Comes To An End
Review: Lord Of The Rings is arguably the greatest story every told, and Peter Jackson has brought it to life with a passion only a true fan can understand. The last part of the trilogy, Return Of The King brings together all the plot lines that were divided in the previous two movies. Winner of 11 Oscars, this trilogy is definatly a must for anybody.
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Summary: Peter Jackson's Closing Chapter To The Greatest Trilogy Ever
Review: MOVIE: The closing chapter to Peter Jackson's epic fantasy tale based on the famous book finally hits DVD. This best picture winner is the definition of epic. What really makes the film so enjoyable is not the intense battles or the amazing special effects, but the characters. We have watched these characters grow from the first film all the way to this. If the characters didn't work then the film would have been a failure. What Lord Of The Rings has going for it is that, yes it's a fictional tale between good and evil, but it relates to real world events both historic and modern. One other observation that I had is how similar this film resembles a game of chess. You've got the Orcs as the pawns, the Trolls and towers as the rooks, the Oliphants as the knights, the queen can bee seen as the witch king, and the king as Sauran. Then we have similar resemblances on the good side. Even in one scene Gandalf says,"the board is set, the pieces are moving". The movie is the greatest fantasy epic ever made and an excellent closure to the trilogy. This will become a classic and is a masterpiece. I find it amazing how Peter Jackson came from doing bad horror films into something like this. VIDEO: Absolutely perfect, a flawless 2.35:1 widescreen presentation. AUDIO: A Dolby EX 5.1 mix that is just as amazing as the other films. The technical quality is consistent on all three theatrical editions of the film. PACKAGING / EXTRAS: This comes in a blue colored Armaray case. The first movie's color theme was green, the second was red, and the third blue. The extras are almost identical to the other two theatrical sets. You have some specials from different tv stations, the typical "making of", in depth featurettes, trailers, the near 7 minute long trailer for the entire series as a whole, a look at the EA games of the series, and your lordoftherings.net featurettes. As you know, the real meat is going to be in the extended edition this fall. A must have set that keeps the consistency of the series on DVD. Movie Score: (5 Stars / 5 Stars)
DVD Score: (9 / 10)
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Summary: The 'slimmer' DVD release of the epic masterpiece
Review: It feels almost redundant to review "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." How much promotion does this DVD need? The movie earned $1.1 billion worldwide in its initial release, the second highest-grossing film in history. It nabbed eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Critics raved about it. Audiences staggered out of the film in stunned amazement. Certainly, there are people didn't like it. Some viewers simply aren't interested in fantasy, and a small minority of J.R.R. Tolkien fans objected to the changes made to the original novel (I belong to the majority that believes the movies, despite alterations, remain extremely faithful to the source book). However, no film in my recent memory has garnered such strong love and adulation as "The Return of the King." It has become the great epic film event of its time, the same way that "Star Wars" was over thirty years ago. All effects films will now be measured against it. If you've seen it, chances are you loved or at least liked it and will want this DVD. If you haven't seen it, no time like the present...you'll have to see it eventually! For the buyer, however, a note of caution: an expanded special edition DVD set will hit shelves later this year. As with the releases of the previous installments in the trilogy, this second set will contain a longer version of the film (four hours in length) with two discs loaded with extras that total in excess of seven hours, plus four feature-length commentaries! By comparison, the DVD offered here is far slimmer: only two discs long, with 'basic' extras and the theatrical version of the film (a bit over three hours). The documentaries are promotional pieces from TV, and don't have a lot of info in them because they were released before the film and kept many parts of it secret. (The National Geographic Special has already been available separately on DVD). The short featurettes are adequate and only whet your appetite for the expanded DVD release; there's not much hard data here. The inevitable ad for the videogame hardly counts as an 'extra'. The six-minute "Super Trailer" for all three films is a pretty nice feature, however. For a casual viewer, this DVD should satisfy them. People who really loved the film might want to wait a few months and get the expanded edition instead. Tolkien lunatics like myself should get both. (I want to be able to watch the two different cuts separately, and if I don't have time to sit with friends and watch the four-hour version, we can watch the slimmer theatrical cut.) Whether you buy this DVD or the later one depends on how important "The Return of the King" is to you personally. The final third of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy of movies exceeded all expectations. Jackson took the most epic portion of the novel, with the final showdown between Sauron's forces of Mordor and the Men of Gondor, and Frodo and Sam closing in on the completion of their quest, and fashioned a film both magnificent in scope -- surpassing not only the previous two films but every film ever made -- and with deep emotions and wonderful characters. It's an astonishing feat that the biggest of the three films is the most touching and "human." Frodo's struggle against the Ring as he closes in on Mt. Doom unbearable torment, and his companion Sam (Sean Astin, in a role that should have received a Supporting Actor nomination) shows the greatest bravery and dedication of any character in the story. Every character gets his or her chance to shine, whether in a dramatic scene or a battle sequence. And the battles...nothing like them has ever been shown before. The initial strike on Minas Tirith, with catapult rocks decimating entire columns of orcs and flying Nazgul making vertigo-inducing dives onto the city, steals away one's breath. The climatic clash before Minas Tirith, with the Rohirrim battling a brigade of mumakil (titanic elephants), is the most sweeping battle scene ever put on screen. The technical effects are the best in cinema history, and they are all put in service of the story instead of existing to wow audiences, as happens in most popcorn summer flicks. The meld of drama, character, and technical achievement in "The Return of the King" is seamless; I doubt we will see the like of it again -- at least during the next decade. The most common complaint about the film is that it has "too many endings." I don't understand this criticism at all. After three full movies with these characters, it would be a cheat to abandon them without giving each one a special farewell. It would also let down the epic story, for this is a great tale that requires a large deal of wrapping up for it to work. For Tolkien fans, indeed, the ending feels too quick! (A major portion of the end of the novel, "The Scouring of the Shire" was not filmed because it would have dragged the ending on too long.) It's rare for a film today to let its characters stretch and resolve their stories correctly, and I commend Jackson for not cutting "The Lord of the Rings" short at the end in a hurry to 'get it over with.' Savor this film to the end...it's a remarkable achievement. It's with some sadness that I face this DVD release, for it means that "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy is over, and there will be no highly anticipated, thrilling release coming this December. But I have the movie in my hands now, mine forever to cherish and re-watch whenever I want to relive the stunning experience. No DVD owner should be without this cornerstone of epic cinema -- in one edition or another.
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Summary: People who bash the movie should actually watch it.
Review: (...)As for my thoughts on the film, the movie truly did the book justice. I am amazed that Peter Jackson was able to fit a novel, in excess of a thousand pages, into a 10 hour movie. Casting was terrific. They could not have picked better actors for any of the roles, especially in the case of the members of the fellowship. The imagery and special effects are exactly as I pictures them while reading the book. The music, scenery, and expressions used by the actors are moving and, in some instances, heart rending. I laughed. I almost cried. I can't give this movie a high enough rating. I give it six out of a possible five stars.(...)
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Summary: Great Movie! Not so great extras and features
Review: While we all wait for the Extended Version to be released in the late fall/early winter, this dvd is what we manage for the time being. I don't think I need to get into too much details about the movie since it's touched the hearts of millions of viewers and won numerous, well-deserved awards including best picture. However, unlike the previous dvd releases, this one is lacking in content. The featurettes are very short and don't really give any insight on anything we don't already know. The two in-depth documentaries aren't any different from one another. They both cover the same topics and show the same interviews. The National Geographic documentary is interesting though isn't anything worth remembering a few years down the road. There are no music videos (probably didn't bother making one) or previews on the extended edition coming soon (disappointment). And of course, you get the EA Games ads and trailers. Still, like I said before, this DVD will do for now until the Extended Edition is released! Unless you're a real die-hard fan, can't wait for the extended edition of the movies, and want every single release, go ahead and buy this.
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Summary: So Sad to Say Goodbye -- enjoyed the journey
Review: Well, Peter Jackson, you've definitely done it. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your journey even though we were made to endure it for three years. Every step of the way was worth the trip, and it has been a pleasure to share your adventure with the company of your fellowship. We've witnessed over your three films the best of your characters, the actors who embodied them, and the supportive crew who helped make this film the classic of all classics. You deserve every oscar you've received because it took you 8 years to put on screen what took Master Tolkien 12 years to put on paper. It was only fitting you also endured the hardship of his journey and conveyed it in such a manner that audiences all over the world have learned to fall in love with this story over and over again. You brought out the best in the Fellowship by showing Sam's unshakable loyalty to his friend. Frodo's growth from innocent boy with the fate of Middle Earth in his hands. Merry's leader-like qualities in the the direst straits. Pippin's laughs and comic antics even in evil times. You helped show us that a dwarf and an elf could be comrades. The wisest of wizards can occasionally shed a tear and have a laugh with old friends. A man could could indeed become a great King without greed and ambition and that true love crosses all boundaries of culture, race and time. Best of all you showed us that there is always hope in a world that seems to have none and, as Galadriel once said herself, "Even the smallest person could change the course of the future." Hopefully, we'll be able to see in your upcoming extended DVD that a woman's unrequited love can become fulfilled. Eowyn's and Faramir's romance is something I'm hoping to see.
Thanks for sharing the adventure, and I'm sure many generations to come will also enjoy the same journey.
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Summary: Another rebuttal to Mr. Money-bags
Review: Although with the number of reviews already posted, the chance that anyone will read this is slight, I HAD to write a response to the review posted by Mr. Money-bags, specifically his comments about how the LOTR movies were rip-offs from Star Wars. Perhaps he should check the original copy-write date on the LOTR books (you did know that there was a trilogy of books written first, didn't you?) If anything, George Lucas ripped the Star Wars mythos off from the LOTR books. (This is not a knock at Star Wars, which I also loved.) Despite the fact that there was no way to be 100% true to the books without the movies being roughly 17 hours longer apiece (which even fanatical fans would probably say is too long,) the story line was carried through remarkably well, and the cinematography created a picture of Middle Earth that seemed to be what Tolkein was writing about in the first place.
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Summary: Hard-Core Tolkienites -- Get over yourself, please!
Review: Love the book for the masterpiece that it is. Love the movie for the masterpiece that IT is. They are two different mediums trying to convey the same story. Whether divided into three books or three movies with certain bits left out, the spirit of the story is still there, a work that honors love, courage, loyalty and friendship above all. And we need to celebrate and rightfully honor those filmmakers who devote the proper time and energy to bring out such a work of art. Peter Jackson has mastered what was once considered impossible and has done an excellent job at making this story loved all over again as it has been loved 50 years ago. Dare anyone to try to take on this great feat with such genuiness. All great movies come from a great story which is rarely seen nowadays in films which trade the soul of its story to bank on millions of dollars on a pretty face and smile. That's what real movie making is all about. Put aside the petty differences that you're picking out between the books and the films, and enjoy the movies for its enthusiasm and warmth of spirit.
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