Rating: 
Summary: Two words - Buy It.
Review: This is the only DVD release where I actually bought the two-disk version, then sold it and bought this 4-disk version. THe movie is amazing and the extra scenes being integrated directly into the DVD rather than being provided as extra material is FANTASTIC! I hope it starts a trend. As for the extras, there's enough material to spend an entire day wading through. The booklet does a nice job of providing navigation and location context for people without infinite free time. All in all, the best DVD set I've bought in a long long time. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular and absolutely brilllliant!!
Review: This,without a doubt,is one of the greatest movies ever made in history.It features an excellent cast,featuring Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins,Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey,Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins,and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn.The special effects were amazing,especially the Bridge of Khazad Dum scene,with the mighty fire Balrog.
It depicts all the characters very,very well,and all the scenes were just like the way I imagined them in the books.It is a quite scary film in fact,because after the first time I saw it, I could`nt sleep for days because of the way Bilbo looked when he made a grab for Frodo`s ring.The orcs were done very well indeed, as were the Elves, and especially the Dwarves.Apart from the spectacular screenplay, it also has spectacular music and sound effects.
The battle scenes could`nt be better,and the acting is very well done,as were the scenes from Hobbiton.The council of Elrond and Lothlorien scenes were absolutely terrific.I would recommend this film to any fantasy lover or good film watcher.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS!!! NUMERO UNO!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Wheeeeeeew
Review: This review is for the Extended Edition Collector's Edition. The DVD's themselves are -- what can I say -- great!! The problem is that - I don't know how to say this, but the bookends stink. Literally. I can't hardly stand the smell of them. Seriously! Also, they were so tightly bound into the packaging that I chipped off two large chunks of them just trying to free them. I am sadly disappointed by that!!!
Rating:
Summary: What the theatrical release should have been
Review: As a long time LOTR fan, I eagerly awaited the first movie. Although it quickly became one of my favorite movies of all time, I still lamented some of the detail that was left out. I understood that it had to be edited and that no exhibitor would ever book a 3-1/2 hour movie at normal ticket prices.When I heard the first information on this edition, I decided to forego the first DVD release and get this one instead. The wait was worth it! Although there are still a few details missing and a few things to quibble about, the result is simply stunning and can stand in its own right. Three and one-half hours of this movie is, quite simply, worth the investment in time. I'd recommend this to all fans of the original book - an audience that's proven its willingness to invest the time to get the most out of the experience. I'm more anxious than ever to see "The Two Towers", and then to get its extended edition! In the history of movie "franchises", this is the crown jewel. A breathtaking accomplishment, if Peter Jackson never did another noteworthy thing in his life, this alone would elevate him to a legendary status comparable to his source material. His ability to bring this story vividly to life is almost as awesome as Tolkien's in writing it in the first place. (See also my review of the book where I state my opinion that's it's the greatest work of fiction in the English language - not excluding Shakespeare!) I have no doubt that all three movies, when they've been released both thearically and in their extended editions, will prove among the most profitable and enduring ever filmed. I only hope that sometime along the way, the Academy sees fit to reward them with something more than technical Oscars. Did I mention that I *really* liked it? ;-)
Rating:
Summary: SUPERB, LONGER VERSION ON EXTRAORDINARY 4 DISC SET
Review: Available on DVD since August in a straight theatrical transfer, this new, lavish four-disc set raises the bar for content and packaging. The film itself is an expanded 210 minute version of the much-praised, award-winning adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's beloved novel that has not been previously seen in theaters or on DVD. In addition, there are four audio commentaries and six hours of documentaries and other never-before-seen bonus features. LOTR is an extraordinary first segment in the potent moral trilogy that explores the dark, seductive lure of obtaining power through occult means and the destructive grip that lust-for-power-alone eventually has on the souls it possesses. The first two discs are the movie and terrific commentaries. The third disc is "From Book To Vision." The fourth disc is "From Vision to Reality." The extras are too lengthy to mention in detail here, but be assured they cover almost everything you'd ever want to know about creating and shooting this opulent, eye-filling New Zealand production of Tolkein's epic vision of light and darkness and free will. Highest recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: Curious re-edit not as good as the theatrical release
Review: Buy this edition for the documentaries, comentaries, and cool LoTR paraphenalia, but if you are a fan of excellent _cinema_ you might like to consider renting before buying. Why? This "special edition" is NOT the wonderful theatrical release PLUS additional scenes that simply add to your enjoyment, but is instead a curious re-edit of the movie. In my opinion, the many changes from the original version sacrifice pace, focus, and narrative flow for the dubious benefits of showing modified and/or extended scenes that: (1) restore lines of Tolkein's dialogue/exposition,(2)restore stunt work that is silly (e.g. Aragorn and Boromir pulling the Cave Troll's chain; Merry and Pippin killing Uruk Hai by throwing stones [hobbits + uruk hai = ewoks + stormtroopers???]). Lines are inexplicably taken from one character and given to another, diminishing several great performances in the process, but without adding much. The new scenes frequently don't quite match the look of the original footage, which I found jarring. Worse, the long awaited Lothlorien gift giving scene is merely OK, and includes material that departs from the books (e.g. Sam gets rope as his gift - even if the Battle of the Shire has been cut from the movie trilogy, why not still have Galadriel give Sam a gift for his garden in hope of better days?; Aragorn does not receive the golden scabbard for Narsil, as that sword is still broken back in Rivendell in this movie, but if he doesn't have a scabbard from Lorien the scene at the door to Theoden's Hall is badly damaged, and for no good reason!). Worst of all, the much advertised additional music jumps in all over the place, changing the rhythms of the scenes in a way that shows just how fantastic were the original editing and scoring. Bottom line: I loved the theatrical release, and am sadly disappointed by this "special edition". I will watch this edition for the commentaries, and will enjoy the documentaries and fine WETA bookends, but I will go back to the theatrical release DVD whenever I want to enjoy a masterpiece of cinema.
Rating: 
Summary: BUYER BEWARE!!!
Review: Don't get me wrong, this is a GREAT film. That is, if you could actually WATCH it. I have a Dell with a DVD-ROM and it would NOT read the discs for this at all. In other words, I spend all this money, only to find out I need a new DVD player to watch this since my Dell DVD player is too old (and its only 2!). The New Line website explains it as thus: "as all DVD-ROMs vary, we cannot guarantee that our DVD will work in all drives." No kidding! But this is a Dell, ya know, #1 computer in America and your DVD don't work? I've bought and watch plenty of other DVDs and they all worked smoothy. You think after hyping this particular DVD so much they make sure it can pass basic compatibility issues.
Anyways, they go on to say other TV-connected DVD players "might" be problematic too.
I strongly suggest you forego buying this DVD on Amazon... buy it at a place that excepts returns opened! Only by opening will you find the compatibility problems.
Also, maybe renting it first might be a good idea... most rental places return your rental money if you could not watch the flick.
Up with the Lord of the Rings!
Down with New Line "not-compatible" Cinema!
Rating:
Summary: Extended DVD awesome, gift set not-so-awesome
Review: Well, I will of course say that this movie is so far my favorite movie of all time (and is probably the beginning part of my favorite movie trilogy of all time about my favorite book of all time!) Everyone else who's written a review here says much the same thing though, so 'nuff said. My review is on the special DVD extended edition GIFT SET in particular. The set includes the extended edition 4-disc DVD (the same as the one sold separately as the extended edition) along with a DVD of National Geographic's Beyond the Movie "Lord of the Rings". The set also has a pair of Argonath bookends, a supposedly Hobbit-sized version of the fan club's magazine, and a pack of three of Decipher's trading cards (looks like all the sets have the same three--Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli). This special gift set is not cheap, retailng at about $80 (yikes!). I got it the day it came out .... The Extended Edition DVD by itself though was going...so I guess all I paid was [a cupple of dollars]for the extra stuff. The NatGeo DVD is pretty interesting, incorporates a lot of info about Tolkien (all of it already known by any fans of JRR that have been around awhile). It's kind of one of those things you watch once and enjoy and then never watch it again. The Argonath bookends look really cool and detailed, but they're kind of, well, small. And not too heavy weighted either--they are probably only good for holding together your hardback copies of Tolkien's masterpiece. Personally, I like them better just being used as decorative pieces on the shelf. Also, this is odd and will probably go away over time, but the darn things SMELL (!). I guess it's the resin or whatever they make them out of. The other "special" stuff included isn't that special really--just a thin little magazine designed to look like the big LOTR fan club magazine (with all kinds of high praise for people who join said club of course) and a thin pack of three Decipher cards for their game. The special gift set does NOT come with a free movie ticket for the Two Towers--if you want the free ticket, you have to buy the separate Extended DVD, not the gift set. Really, all in all, unless you can get this gift set at a fairly reasonable price like I did, I wouldn't put the additional money down for the gift set--just get the extended DVD on its own. The only really neat extra item you get is the so-called bookends. And while they're cool, I don't think they're [expensive] cool.
Rating:
Summary: What they DIDN'T put in
Review: The production of the first of the trilogy is a beautiful piece of work, and I admire the producers for having the courage to film all three parts so that the story is delivered over a short time (unlike George Lucas, whose promises will never be kept--a great loss to all the fans of the original series who waited so long and got so little).A serious flaw in the production is the ignoring of the material in The Hobbit that explains so much. We have already had a peek at the Golum, whose "precious" is a critical element. I hope that before getting to deeply into this film--great as it is, that the really interested viewer will take the time to find out what Bilbo did, and how his adventure is a vital part of a real understanding what is happening. I don't know if the TV version of the Hobbit is available, but it is well worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING...Absolutley INCREDIBLE!!
Review: I just got my pre-ordered version today! Quickly unwrapped it and threw it in the player. From moment one, you sense that it is FAR different than any theater release. The added footage is WONDERFUL and helps so much in leading up to WHY things happened or how scenes got to where they were in the original release. The special effects are greatly improved and the music added to the film is all NEW! This movie makes me howl with Hobbit delight! I recommend it to anyone seeking a journey of their own. Amazon.com made my day! Included also, is a FREE movie ticket to Two Towers!
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