Rating: 
Summary: The Lord of of the Dingleberries
Review: What is this movie but a bunch of elves, dwarfs and fairys running around and killing each other over a wedding ring? It's all bad acting from the word go, and the music can't hype up what the story lacks. I have a theory on why people love these movies; they feel that because the directors and actors and writers try so hard to make an "Epic Saga of Biblical Proportions," that they (the movie-goers), must give the film makers positive reviews just for the effort. I am different. I will not give good reviews to a movie just because it's ten billion hours long. Good is good, fairyish is fairyish and my time is too important, as is yours, to be wasted on this midevil drivle. And now I will cast a spell. I call it the "I'm to influenced by movie advertising and special effects to think for myself spell." See, it's already working. Now go out and see the whole trilogy, fairy.
Rating: 
Summary: An epic saga - but moves slowly
Review: I have seen all three parts of the trilogy. Clearly, the "Return of the King" (part three) is the best part. This is actually one ten hour movie rather than three movies. Publishing constraints and move viewing patience were behind the division. I am not a fantasy fan. Mention wizards and elves and I am as ready to run from you as I would from a Star Trek convention. But I enjoyed LOTR. At ten hours, this is an alternate world rather than a 90 minute entertainment. And the finale not only satisfies completely, it throws light back on the earlier installments. Saying that, I could have done without 3 or more hours of this saga. An editor would have been welcomed. "Fellowship" sometimes moves at a glacial pace. The constant run-ins with strange creatures and other obstacles gets to be repetitive. Ok, the journey to return the ring is not easy. I got the point after the first three or four challenges. Enough, already. This is not a problem in part three, which moves so fast you don't believe it is three and a half hours long. In parts one and two, you will need caffeine to stay awake through it all. I am very glad that I saw all three parts as I consider this a great movie with a spectacular ending. I just would have liked it better if every page of the novels wasn't filmed for our boredom.
Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition
Review: How long has it been since we last saw a quality Sci-Fi or Fantasy film? Most of the time whenever Hollywood makes a film about this genre it gets muddled up with special effects or gets too hyped-up for its own good. Now, along comes director Peter Jackson (The Frighteners) with his unique vision of this classic Tolkien trilogy, the Lord of the Rings.I must admit that I had reservations about these films but after seeing both the threatrical version and the Extended Edition, I much prefer the EE. For the simple fact that the films make more sense with those scenes added back into the film. Peter Jackson has done a wonderful job in the way he handled this movie, keeping true to the spirit of the original novel and treating fans of this trilogy with the respect they derserve. There is a special feature in this first set that I got a real kick out of; the Lord of the Rings: MTV Version spoof that appears on the first disk. Jack Black & Sarah Michelle Geller are hilarious in that little bit and this film with all of its special features comes very highly recommended.
Rating:
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
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Filmmaking
Review: Dejected fans aside, this film is an extraordinary example of filmmaking. Director Peter Jackson has not only chosen a talented cast, but a stunning design and production team. The film is pure artistry: the detail put into every single facet of every single part of the film stands up to close scrutiny, and lends a credibility and verisimilitude to Middle-Earth and its characters that allows this film to transcend the boundaries stereotypically set for the 'fantasy' genre.
The performances are perfectly spellbinding, and one never feels that a character moves forward in his journey simply because the story compels him to. Ian McKellan's performance as Gandalf is simply enthralling, he has an elegance and poise that are very important to maintaining balance in the story. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin's performances as Frodo and Sam, respectively; are so thorough and so utterly...human that their intimate friendship never strays into the realm of the cliche. Sam is ultimately the hero of the film, and his performance is quite heart-wrenching. Other characters with notable performances include: Aragorn, Legolas, Merry, and Saruman.
As music is a sine qua non of excellent filmmaking, it is only expected that the music for 'Lord of the Rings' be given such full and complete consideration. Howard Shore does brilliant things musically that will please both the musically learned and unlearned. For example, take the Isengard theme: here Shore writes in 5/4 time, which musicians know to never feel quite regular. This slightly off-rythm time signature makes the Isengard theme suspenseful and foreboding, mirroring the industrial age which it heralds. Also consider the Rohan theme from 'The Two Towers.' Here Shore uses a Norwegian fiddle to perfectly capture the Norse character of Edoras and the Rohan kingdom. One particularly effective device of Shore's that I like very much is his use of a boy's choir to illustrate the most important aspect of the ring: its seductive power. By using the fragile but beautifully delicate sound of boys' voices, Shore provides a connection to the fragile nature of the world of Middle-Earth and the creatures who seek the ring.
Though requiring a serious time commitment to watch, the 'Lord of the Rings' is an achievement in film that no-one should miss.
Rating:
Summary: Way way over rated!
Review: Sorry folks, I just don't get it. Sure I read the books when I was a kid and got a kick out of them then. But what's the madness about this movie? Just a bunch of elves, fairies, and dwarfs running around looking for some stupid ring. And the sets? Way way cheesy. And the story? Way way corn ball. Sorry, I'd rather see some real science fiction like Total Recall or Blade Runner than this corny stuff for the masses.
Rating:
Summary: AT LAST THE TRILOGY MAKES IT TO THE BIG FILM!!!
Review: I was worried that Peter Jackson might botch the trilogy up simply b/c his previous two films didn't work for me. So, as the opening of the first LOTR film got closer and closer, I was really starting to wonder. See, I knew that, comparing this to STAR WARS, that the fantasy genre would go nowhere in movies if LOTR bombed.
Fortunately, I was wrong about Jackson and the quality of the movie, so, I am gladly eating my hat.
FELLOWSHIP begins the tale of the struggle between good and evil in which the Evil Lord's ring, which is imbued with a great deal of his essence, is lost after good wins. Through a series of incidents Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit, inherits the ring, but finds out that it must be destroyed or the world will end in fire.
The extended version includes extra footages like: (1) more fight scenes with the Uruk Hai; (2) a scene of Merry and Pippin dancing; (3) additional Shire material in the beginning; (4) more with the fight at Moria; (5) a bit more travel time and sequences at Rivendell; and (6) more backstory about Gollum.
But, the true treasure of this four CD set lies in the commentary of the creative team:
(1) Did you know that Galadriel is a great aunt to Arwen? So, when she talks to Aragorn about his relationship with her, it's more of a big deal than we think;
(2) There's lots about the makeup of the hobbits and especially the hours spent on the feet and makeup;
(3) Details of how the orcs and other fantastic creatures were made; especially about the rock troll;
(4) Did you know that some of the people passing by the hobbits at the PRANCING PONY were acrobatic women on stilts?;
(5) How many times they rewrote the prelude which introduced Sauron;
(6) The makeup and design of Rivendell; why it was set with nature and many open causeways to the elements;
(7) How the director got some of the most famous artists, who did renditions of Tolkien, to work on the set;
(8) How the cast was chosen;
(9) It goes through the whole movie with commentary by the director and writers; and then another run through with commentary by the actors;
(10) Why the prologue with the battle against Sauron kept being taken out and then being put back in;
(11) How the director told Ian McKellan (i.e. Gandalf) to compare Frodo volunteering to taking the ring to having a son who just volunteered to fight in the WWI trenches.;
(12) How Sean Astin hurt his foot;
(13) The CGI and how it helped plot the story;
(14) Dwarf tossing remarks;
(15) The design of the Balrog;
(16) Why Tom Bombadil didn't make it in the movie;
(17) How the director and writers had to deal with the producers and studios to accomplish certain feats (i.e. like letting Gandalf smoke!)
Overall, a smashing success.
Purists of the books will hate it or find something to gripe about. Everyone else will love.
Rating:
Summary: Good, But RotK Is Better
Review: This Extended Edition is good, even great, but the Theatrical release of Return of the King is better than it, I think, so it's no telling how good the Extended Edition of RotK will be.
I really enjoyed the new opening sequence where it showed the map and Bilbo writing "The Hobbit" and "Concerning Hobbits". I really enjoyed that, because it seemed to explain hobbits more and give a more enjoyable feel to the movie.
Also, I'm tired of everyone complaining about Bombadil, he had 1 chapter! He had nothing to do with the Ring or the Fellowship. He was mentioned once in the Council of Elrond in the book, but Jackson only put things in the movie that had to do with the Ring. Therefore, Bombadil was not needed.
I have this DVD, and believe me, it is worth the extra 10 bucks!! Get out and buy it or rent it!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Movie But What Idiot Split The Feature On Two DVDs?
Review: This is the best of the LOTR movies. But what jerk split the feature film on TWO DVDs? I don't want a movie split on TWO DVDs! It should all be on ONE DVD! Put the dang extras on the other three DVDs! The usually annoying Jack Black has a funny turn on this DVD in an MTV movie awards Fellowship parody. Working along with the skanky Sarah Michelle Gellar. The movie is great. But it is not the best cut of the film. This disc is just full of fluff that was rightfully edited out of the theatrical release. The theatrical release is the cut of the film that works best. Though I still miss the Tom Bombadil character not being in the film. That was THE extra scene I really wanted to see. They shoulda shot it anyway. Just like in Return of the King they shoulda shot the destruction of the Shire like in the book! But oh well...in the future all your idiot DVD makers, put THE WHOLE DANG MOVIE ON ONE DISC! Morons!!! The same thing happened on the Once Upon A Time In America DVD! That's the point of DVDs! Is that unlike video you don't have to change discs!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Having read and highly enjoyed the books, I was eager to see the movie when it first arrived in theaters. And it did not disappoint! The theatrical release of this first installment of the famous "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was everything I had expected and more. Jackson added his own touches while still managing to remain REMARKABLY faithful to the books! No easy task! When this extended edition came out, I was first to pounce on it! And the impossible occurred -- it was even BETTER than the original release! So much was added, it was phenomenal! Mostly, it's just thirty seconds here, a couple of minutes there, though there are some quite heavily extended portions as well. But even the tiny things added SO much color and life to this already brilliant piece of cinematic art! I couldn't help thinking, "Ack! How could they ever have left this OUT?!" It is an absolutely incredible piece, I was immensely impressed. The other thing I highly enjoyed was all the extras on the other two disks, the secrets behind the effects and the making of the film itself. It was fascinating to see the inner workers of this movie, I loved every one of them! I sat there for hours, just watching the entire thing, reveling in the mysteries of film-making, and marveling that someone could be that clever and faithful to their project. You really learn to appreciate the awesome amount of work that went into this film! After seeing this one, I don't think I'll ever be able to watch the original theatrical release again!
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