Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps, the best movie ever made
Review: I have been reading, re-reading and devouring TLOTR, and all things Tolkien for 33 years. I have waited for this movie to come out after the first time I read the novel. I stopped counting the number of times I read it after about 90 something.
The extended version of the movie is even better, if that could be believed, than the theatrical release. I found myself once again enjoying it as if it were the first time I have seen it, (which in fact was about the 7th). The added scenes were superbly inserted, artistically chosen and wonderfully fullfilling.
While I must admit that it took me a little time to get over some of the changes that Peter Jackson had to make in order to bring this story to the screen, (most of the changes were agreeably necessary, with perhaps two exceptions, the deletion of Glorfindel, and the surmise that Aragorn is shirking his lineage and destiny), the extra features that were included in the extended dvd which shows just how slavish they really were to being faithful as much as possible to the book made me a convert.
I agree with many others who express incredulity at A Beautiful Mind winning over TLOTR. What politically correct tripe was that?
I can only hope that the Two Towers will fare better. Ditto with Ian McKellan for best actor/supporting actor.
What is more, I think Peter Jackson did more that he thought with this DVD release. I think he has set the standard to which all other DVD's will need to be measured against. I have finally seen a movie which inserted the cut scenes into the movie instead of a directory of deleted scenes.
Bravo, and well done!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Just say, "Yes!"
Review: This is the film that should have been released to theaters. In many extended director's cuts the additional material is a waste of time. Every bit of added material included in this DVD either advances the plot or provides further insight into the hobbits/middle earth that Tolkienaphiles will love. This DVD may become the biggest seller of all time, even at the expensive price. I haven't even had a chance to look at the other three discs of background material or listened to the commentary. I can't wait!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Superb presentation
Review: The Extended Edition certainly sets a new standard in DVD presentation. Some of the many documentaries are of considerable interest, especially the National Geographic one. The movie has been re-edited with additional footage. But honestly, would anyone want this film to be longer?
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny.
Review: My first impression of this set: Why? I mean, please, just add the deleted scenes to the regular disk like everyone else. And why should we buy into their clever little money making scheme with the two releases?And the answer is: They did EVERY LAST THING right! The extended version is even more epic and incredible than the theatrical release, with some of those little scenes you missed thrown back in. Adding them back into the movie is so superior to seeing some partially produced deleted scenes at the end. The re-mastered sound is awesome, and using 16x9 format is the best possible way to approach that theater feeling at home. The extras are interesting, well produced, and exhaustive. I have never seen so much information on how a movie was made, from any source, ever. I plopped down the extra for the "collector's gift set", and the Argonauth bookends are cool. Buy it now, or you will feel inadequate.
Rating:
Summary: The best gets... better?
Review: What can I say. The movie itself is one of the greatest epics to hit the silver screen in our time. The extended edition just shows the audience the enormity of the project... so you can get a scope of the time, effort, and scale that it took on. You cannot fully appreciate this wonderful movie without the platinum edition. 5 stars hands down.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for Tolkien Purists
Review: Many people emphasize that this extended version is for true Tolkien fans because it includes more scenes from the book that were omitted in the theatrical release, thus elaborating more on Tolkien's original plot. This much is true. However, for every element that is added from Tolkien, there are several truly awful scenes that serve to further the vision of Peter Jackson, a vision that contradicts that of Tolkien. For instance, there are two new scenes with Aragorn where he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with being King of Gondor. Tolkien was very clear that Aragorn was never in denial about his identity, but was instead awaiting the fullness of time to fulfill his destiny. I realize that in the theatrical release, the elrond character stated that Aragorn turned from the path of being king a long time ago. However, this is still somewhat acceptable. Because it never has Aragorn say what his motivations are. The impression that I got was that it only appeared that Aragorn had given up his claim to the throne, which would be consistent with the book. Another example is a scene from the book which is added that destroys the flow of the movie. The problem is not the scene from the book, but that Jackson's rearrangement of the plot makes it almost impossible to reinsert this into the movie without destroying the impact of other scene. I am talking about scene where the elves are passing to the grey havens. In the original movie there is a voice over of Bilbo saying "...and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you may be swept off to". As this is spoken the scene changes to a beautiful twighlight landscape, and then a black writer ominously appears in the right of the scene. The extended version however has the voiceover occur over a scene change to Sam cooking dinner for Frodo.Then we see the elves traveling. The aforementioned black rider over landscape scene does not occur until later. Jackson was forced to do this by his rearrangement of Tolkiens plot. The black rider landscape scene occurs in the movie to set up the scene where the Hobbits are hiding from the rider under a tree root. In the book the elf scene comes after this one but Jackson couldn't do this because his elf scene has two Hobbits witnessing it, while his black rider scene has four Hobbits, thus forcing him to reverse the order of the events in the book, and also destroy the impact of the movie. This goes to show that Jackson did not simply edit the movie to make it work better as a movie, because the original story would have worked better, and the impact of the scene order could have been preserved. Thirdly there is a problem with the expanded Gimli scenes. One has Aragorn scolding Gimli for being rude to the elves. First, this does not happen in the book, as Gimli is very respectful, and second, this makes Jackson's Aragorn even less likeable, as the elves were rude to Gimli first.
Overall I would say that the extended edition is interesting, but for every element that is added from the original, there is an irritating addition from a pretentious director. By the way, there is no way that a movie can remain true to the spirit of the novel when the motivations of the characters are completely changed, e.g. Aragorn. I am not someone who is of the opinion that no movie can be as good as the book. I think that Peter Jackson could have made the movie every bit as good as the book, but instead he chose to impose his own vision on someone else's work.
Rating:
Summary: I would've given it 5 but...
Review: ..I will save the empty star in Tolkien's honor. Don't get me wrong, this film is a 5 out of 5. I don't think anyone could create perfectly what we imagine when we read Lord of the Rings. First off, this is a beautiful film.... Cinematography like LOTR:FOTR is a rare gem... The only other movie that I remember being so beautiful like this was the Thin Red Line. This film captures exactly what I pictured in the books. Second, the acting is NOTHING short of spectacular. This movie is what Elijah Wood, Sean Austin, etc. will be remembered for. On to my criticism (what I think should have been different)
**MAJOR SPOILER ALERT FOR THE TRILOGY (or anyone who hasn't read the trilogy)**
**TOLKIEN GEEKS ONLY** Ok. Now that's done. I didn't really like how in the beginning of film how they showed Sauron in battle with the elves and humans. I know it's the history of what happened, and pretty important for a film to tell back-story, but one of the reasons I love the books is that you never "see" Sauron... at all in the story. Small quam, but relevant to me. PS. Why are Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings ever used in the same sentence? Completely different films, no discredit to either, just different. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Film is Great, Bookends are Pathetic!
Review: If I were rating the film only, I'd give 5 stars, hands down. The bookends I got, however, are pathetic. My Isildur has some sort of a growth on his chin, and wobbles on a flat surface. These are not heavy enough to hold books. They can hold the DVD's perhaps, but not books. Also, the paint job is nowhere near what it should be. The bookends in the photo seem to be nicely highlighted. Mine are highlighted on the top only, and I am sorely tempted to redo the paint job myself, and re-base them so they can be used as the bookends they are advertised to be.
Rating:
Summary: As much as you could ever want...
Review: Four DVDs, the first two holding the movie, with extended scenes and new scenes, would be enough for most. But the next two DVDs have interviews, video clips and still frames about Tolkien, storyboards, costumes, designs, the Realms of Middle-Earth, hobbits, visual effects, the cast, and much, much more.
Mine also came with...full price admission ticket for seeing the 'Two Towers', valid to 12/31/02.
Remember it is PG-13, so small kids might need you to be there to hold their hands and explain to them how scared YOU are, so they feel brave. Have LOTS of good Hobbit ale, it IS a long movie.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest DVD release EVER.
Review: I've never met him, but Peter Jackson must love his fans more than any director in the world. He certainly loves his subject matter. With this 4 DVD set Jackson and Co. have given us what could very well be the most comprehensive DVD release ever made. Like the movie itself, it is a labor of love, and it comes through. I bought the first DVD release, and at the time I was whining about the studio targeting weak willed fans (like myself) who would buy both versions like helpless crack-heads, or more accurately, like ring craving Gollums. Watching them both side by side, you can tell that one is a studio release while the other is a director's release. While Jackson may be avoiding the term "director's cut" like the plague, I can't think of a more accurate description. Jackson put a ton of work into the extended version amassed a plethora of special features then wrapped it in a beautiful package and released it at a modest price. The extended version of the movie is very nice. It's hard to say it makes the movie better, because it was already one of the greatest movies ever made, but it does give you more of the same. More greatness can't be a bad thing. I know a lot of chowder heads that actually didn't like Fellowship because it was too long. Doubtless these individuals would be better served watching Adam Sandler movies or taking a little nappy. If they didn't like it before they will probably loathe it now. The additional footage does slow the pace down some what, but anyone who ever read the books knows that the pace was never as frantic as portrayed in the film. I think fans of the books will be best served by the extended cut. There are details now included that many crybaby purists can now wipe their eyes and stop sniveling about. I thought the movie was fantastic as it was. I actually know someone that complained about Bill the Pony not being featured more. BILL THE PONY!! I kid you not. Frankly if Bill and Tom Bombadil have to be sacrificed to make room for what IS included it was not in vain. I'll admit that I haven't completely explored all the features on this disk, but anyone claiming to have done so this soon after the release is either lying to you or fooling themselves. It is an incredible amount of information. I've watched quite a few of the documentaries and they are excellent. Some of the more technical ones, like the one on digital grading are very interesting, but it's the ones with the cast and crew telling stories that I found most interesting and down right entertaining. One of the things that everyone in the cast talks about is how there was as much Fellowship off the screen as on, and you can really tell. Some of the stories and behind the scenes stuff is laugh out loud funny. You can tell everyone had a good time making the movies and usually when people are having a good time; it comes through in their work. I'm usually not interested in the off screen hijinks of movie stars, but the cool thing about this cast is that many of them aren't really stars and some are actually new to film making. They lack a pretentiousness and snootiness that they hopefully will never pick up with their inevitable fame and fortune. The history of the books and the author was also pretty interesting even if it's been better told elsewhere. The huge gift set comes with the National geographic special on the Lord of the Rings and it's pretty comprehensive. I've only seen snippets of it, but I have every intention of owning it. The documentaries do go into the themes of the book and Tolkien's dislike of allegory. The books are meant to be timeless belonging to no particular age or social situation. Undoubtedly this is their greatest strength and one that Jackson has gone to great lengths to translate. It's wonderful to think we have TWO MORE movies to go. There is so much information and entertainment wrapped up in this first Expanded Edition set that I can't fathom having all three on my shelf. While I'm not surprised that the first film was snubbed at the Oscars, nor will I be surprised when the other two are snubbed for best picture, I think time will show these movies to be the greatest single cinematic piece ever created. We are watching history in the making.
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