Rating: 
Summary: Music to accompany your journey to Middle Earth
Review: Leonard Rosenman's original soundtrack was not one of the things that struck me when I saw Bakshi's "Lord Of The Rings" film, some 22 years ago. At the time, I was just "getting into" Tolkien, and though Bakshi's film wasn't entirely true to Tolkien's stories I still collected all the memorabilia related to the film, including this soundtrack.Now that I've read the LOR trilogy a dozen or more times, I find that there is no music fit to accompany this pasttime other than Rosenman's terrific score. From the spritely and adventurous music of the "theme" to it's reprise in "Voyage To Mordor," there are many terrific passages that evoke a feeling of "being there." Much of this soundtrack is ominous or threatening in tone, but there are moments of sublime calm and frolic as well. The standout piece is obviously "Mithrandir," an elegy for the fallen Gandalf as sung by the elves of Lothlorien. An exquisite arrangement that includes both a children's and an adult chorus, the harmonies and golden voices intertwine, building to a moving climax. It is an unforgettable piece that can alternately raise goosebumps or move you to tears. While the music is expertly performed and intricately arranged, there is a slight "sameness" to much of this recording. This is not a drawback, at least for those of us who are reading as we listen. Though the music follow's Bakshi's film and moves along much more rapidly than any reader could follow with text, this disc can be played over and over. As anticipation of the live-action films for LOR grows, this soundtrack is a great way to 'refresh' your memories of earlier 'visits' to Middle Earth. Or perhaps it would prove to be an excellent complement to your first literary excursion into Tolkien's fantasy classic. -Mic
Rating: 
Summary: Keeps me young
Review: Ok, I wouldn't exactly declare this the richest work I have ever heard by any stretch of the imagination, however, the track simply makes me wish the hell I lived during the age of Middle Earth. It is what it is......sentimental. And the books are gold forever. "There are moments that can change a person for all time. And I suddenly wondered if I would ever see my hobbit hole again. I wondered.....if I actually wanted to?" --Long live the free spirit.
Rating:
Summary: A superb work
Review: This is one of the richest orchestral works I have ever heard. Not only because of the impressive number of instruments used but also because of the variety of styles. Like Rosenman says it stands alone as a musical work, but if you enjoyed the soundtrack when viewing the film you will love this. There is much more to be heard in this digital, stereophonic version! Oh yes, this is a marvelously orchestrated score. And you can actually understand what the male choruses are singing: Mooorrr-dooorrr... Very creepy indeed. Those who appreciate contemporary classical music will be pleased as well. To top it off, the sound quality is top notch. Oh yes, this CD is awesome: if this is tempting you in the least bit, DO NOT HESITATE! You will be blown away.
Rating:
Summary: The best part of this movie was the score!
Review: Though the animation in Bakshi's film version of "The Lord of the Rings" looks a bit archaic compared to the standards of today, this film score certainly holds its own. The small booklet includes composer Leonard Rosenman's own notes on the motifs and composition of the film score. The music is vast, grandiose, and epic, which is perfect for a film version of Tolkien's trilogy. According to Rosenman's notes, this CD is a remixing and remastering of the original recording, which he calls "small and pinched." The result is a soundtrack album superior to the original LP release. Definitely recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A great soundtrack that inspired my warrior soul!
Review: It is a great soundtrack. It helped a lot on my AD&D games. The track "Helm's deep" is one of the best musical poems ever written. It depicts violence, destruction, with music! "Mithrandir" is a great chorus work! I LOVE THIS CD!
Rating: 
Summary: Fair and far from the book as well as incomplete....
Review: Most movies don't compare with their books but this one just doesn't do the book any service. It's Ok but it's a dissappointment after reading the book. Too many parts and details left out that are important. With todays technology, I would love to see a company like Disney take this story and re-create it. If they can do The Lion King, Mulan, Price of Egypt and Pocahontas ( sp?), then they should be able to do LOTR. Only drawback is it's a long tale, but then again there's the movie called "The Never Ending Story" which is a cool fantasy. Other wise I would suggest a full blown mini series with real live characters and actors. What a fantastic movie that would make. The books were fantastic. The video was not. The Lord of the Rings deserves a greater opportunity visually. Hoping to see a re-created version sometime soon.
Rating:
Summary: Rosenman Music Sounds Great, Love the Unreleased Tracks
Review: I had this LP when I was a kid. It's still in pretty good shape, but dragging out the turn-table to play it is a pain! I'd been meaning to replace it with a CD for years...and then for a while this disc was not available. I'm glad I waited because now it is, and with unreleased tracks now included! Leonard Rosenman's music for this mediocre film is fabulous! And it sounds great since (according to Rosenman in the interesting album notes) it has been remixed for this album. We get more of the male-chorus tracks. VERY cool. I'm very pleased with this CD. I've been playing it as I'm re-reading THE TWO TOWERS right now. I hope the new LOTR movie does a better job than Ralph Bakshi's did! But again, no complaint about the music here!
Rating:
Summary: Animated Slo-Mo Leads Way for Storyline/Plot Slo-Mo...A Mess
Review: Ralph Bakshi seemed to be obsessed with doing slow motion with animation in this film -- it's all through the damn thing! Unfortunately, his storyline and plot suffer the effects of SLOW MOTION too. How can you mess up LORD OF THE RINGS ?? The books tell a classic hero's journey with good character development and a suspenseful plot. The movie does not. It starts promisingly, but Bakshi has a LARGE story to tell and wastes it on stylish battle sequences. Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS does contain some "action" scenes, but Oh, so much more than that....And recently I've been wondering what happened to Galadriel's gifts to the fellowship? This was not included in the movie. If Bakshi was truly going to do a "part II", those gifts would be important in the second movie...Odd. I also felt that the voices were well-cast, but some of the character art was not quite right. Hopefully, Mr. Peter Jackson's live version of the books will take more time to tell the STORY and concentrate less on special effects and battle scenes. After all, it's about two little hobbits on their road to save Middle Earth and a King trying to claim his rightful throne.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good But.....
Review: This was an excellent video and captures much of the magic of the book my two gripes are 1) The film misses out some very good bits from the Book (Tom Bombadil) 2) The Animation for the men of Gondor had them as almost Barbarians where as they should have been close to Knights Minor points and all fans of Tolken will love this.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappoinment on so many levels
Review: Poor character development, simplified drawings, jumpy animation, bizarre editing choices, weak adaptation. And to end the story in the middle and NOT produce a sequel is tantamount to a felony! For Tolkien-addicts: a true disappointment. For Tolkien-novices: PLEASE read the original... it's better, deeper, stronger, faster...
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