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Rating:  -
This trilogy is fantastic. Jackson captured the awe, the wonder, and the homesickness for the Shire in this movie. The deviations from the books are very understandable. I have small quibbles, but the on the whole this is a fantastic retelling of the story. The most amazing accomplishment to me is the sets. Hobbiton, Rivendell, Mordor and Lothlorien are amazing. They are brilliantly realized on the screen.
I watched the extended version and the inclusions were very good. There was more singing, more background in Hobbiton, and it just gave the movie more of the feel of the books. The extra half an hour or so was well worth the time.
My only complaint is the conversations are hard to understand. Sometimes the background music is so loud it overrides it. Sometimes they talk in whispers. I might have to play with the settings, but we had it set to movie and we didn't have problems with other movies.
In summary, this DVD is well worth owning. Even if you saw it several times in the theaters and can quote all the characters, the extended scenes make it well worth the price.
Rating:  -
I'm an avid reader. I've read a variety of books, from epic fantasy to non-fiction, from contemporary fiction to classic literature. Don't flame me because of this, but I haven't read the first two books of "The Lord of the Rings". I've read SOME parts of "Fellowship" and "Towers," and I DID read "The Return of the King," but I'm mildly disappointed at myself for not reading the books before the movies came out. But anyway, I can see the differences betwen this film and the book: Tom Bombadil is absent in the film, the Moria sequence is much longer in the book, all of the events in Isengard are told during the council of Elrond in the book, etc.
I haven't seen this film for a very long time (probably back in 2005 was the last time I saw "Fellowship"). After that, I read "The Wheel of Time," "The Farsser Trilogy," "Don Quixote," "The Kalevala," "The Ramayana," and other books that contained lots of fantasy. I've also read contemporary works like "House of Sand and Fog," "The Feast of Love," "The Ha-Ha," etc. Anyway, after reading all these books, I had a bit less admiration for "The Lord of the Rings," mainly because it was starting to become cliqued (I know Tolkien put some originality in his own elves and dwarves, but I've seen too many elves and dwarves elsewhere). And plus, I got into Wagner's "Ring Cycle," and being the avid "Ring" listener that I am, the 15-hour opera replaced "Lord of the Rings" as my new favorite epic. But then, just last night, I watched the movie again. And now, I can see it as a classic again. It has given me even more inspiration to become a novelist in the fantasy genre.
* * * *
I saw the Extended Version after the original Theatrical Version. Many of the new scenes felt like they were "just inserted in." But later on, I can no longer see the weird cuts because the last time I saw the Theatrical Version was back in 2003. Until then, the Extended Version was the one I saw from now on. I got to understand Tolkien's universe much more.
Peter Jackson has done an extraordinary job with Tolkien's "Fellowship". He's brought so much famous material into this 200-minute film. The way he moved from the Fleeing from the Ringwraiths to the Journey to Mordor is just outstanding. And he chose the right actors and crew for this grand-scale epic.
Peter Jackson may not have been completely been faithful to the book, but you have to understand that in order to put it in "movie" format, some things had to be changed. Some sequences have been omitted for the sake of time, and it may or may not be a good thing to other people. Personally, it works well as a movie, but if I'm in the modd for the complete epic, I'll read the books anytime.
For the actors, I was a bit skeptical about Elijah Wood playing Frodo Baggins, and I stil find him to be a bit annoying. But he still makes a believeable Frodo, and I don't know anyone ese who can play the part. Ian McKellen is the perfect Gandalf: he has the voice and the appearance down flawlessly (kudos to the makeup and costume department). Christopher Lee is a brilliant Saruman, a character everyone loves to hate. Sean Austin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan are excellent hobbits (although I find Austin's mediocre accent a bit distracting). Kate Blanchett will always be the definitive Galadriel. Gimli is right: she's absolutely gorgeous. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn gives one hell of a kick-@$$ performance: his swordfighting is amazing. And so does Orlando Bloom (as Legolas) with his bow and arrows. Fangirls have absolutely glomped the elf, and I don't really mind. I never expected John Rhys-Davies to play Gimli, but he is great for the role. Too many closeups of Liv Tyler's face (in all three movies) brings down one grade for Arwen: it's a B. Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, and Sean Bean as Elrond, Bilbo Baggins, and Boromir absolutely steal the show sometimes; great actors, all of them are.
The script is at times melodramatic, but that's what to be expected in epic fantasy (kudos to Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson). The camerawork, costume/set designs, and CGI effects are incredible. The beautiful scenery makes me want to go out and visit not just New Zealand, but the many national parks here in the United States.
Finally, we come to the music. To me, it's almost similar to that of Wagner's "Ring Cycle," but not completely. I'm not sure if Howard Shore got most of his inspiration from Wagner, but he sure did a damn good job with the score. The musical themes range from objects ("The One Ring") to characters ("Arwen"), to locations ("Lothlorien"), to motives ("Orc Industry"). I like him better than John Williams at the moment.
Overall, reading books both inside and outside the fantasy genre has affected my overall perception of LOTR. I can see the formulaic plot that's found in other fantasy novels (some authors put something new and others don't). I can see the two-dimensional characters ("The Wheel of Time" has plenty of that). I can see the basic plot of good versus evil (I should read "A Song of Ice and Fire" soon). But I still like LOTR, because it's the first popular epic fantasy that every one has grown up on ("The Odyssey" and "The Kalevala" don't seemto count just yet). And I'll still keep watching it.
A-
Rating: -
There will be no upset viewers with this dvd collection. There is one critera, you have to like the theatrical version of the film. If you didn't there is really no reason to go further. If you did like the movie, here is a collection loaded with extras! The interviews and the behind the scenes footage is excellent. I have never seen a more complete collection in my life! Everything from script writing to release date is included. The deleted scenes are worked into the film so well that you forget what wasn't in the theatrical release. The commentaries are first rate and interesting. This will complete and LOTR fan's collection!
Rating:  -
I went to see the movie yesterday. The cinema was crappy & old. The seats were terrible, the sound wasn't calibrated right, etc. But you know what? I didn't care! The story just overwhelmed me. The movie embraced me and I simply forgot everything around me. This is the best fantasy/sf film I have ever seen!! THE BEST. I think I am addicted already. I want to see it again. And again and again. I have not read the books yet, but I plan to. Some people say the books are better than the movie. Is that truly possible?? If you have not seen this movie yet, you missed the best adventure ever. Go see it!
Rating: -
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