Yar, you be here: The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set) > Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set) Customer Reviews (55 - 57 of 102 Reviews)

Good movie - fantastic DVD
Although not quite as successful as the "Star Wars" films, "The Fellowship of the Ring" is a very good motion picture that puts the recent entries into the fantasy genre such as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".

A young hobbit, Frodo (Elijah Wood), reluctantly inherits the task of bearing a beautiful golden ring that has a dark mind of its own. There, he, his friend Sam (Sean Astin), wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and two other hobbits, Merry (Billy Boyd) and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan) embark on a long and perilous journey to destroy the evil ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

First - let me state that I have never been a fan of the Tolkien books myself, they were overlong and never seemed to gather any momentum (plus the fact that I have only read 'The Hobbit' and only half of 'Fellowship' before I abandoned the books altogether). Nevertheless, the movie adaptation is more stirring, more exciting, and indefinitely more enchanting than what the books conjured up.

Never has a movie been so perfectly cast. Elijah Wood does an exceptionally good job as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen effortlessly captures the rugged toughness of Aragorn, and the other actors do a fine job as well. The person who outstrips everyone in the movie (including Cate Blanchett) is the mind-blowing performance of Ian McKellan who immerses himself effectively in the role of the wise, wizened Gandalf the Gray - earning himself a deserved Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

"The Lord of the Rings" boasts strong directing by Peter Jackson, stunning cinematography and astounding visual effects that makes us believe that we're actually in Middle-earth. Never had I had been so breathlessly entranced.

The writers - Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson - effortlessly condense the 365-page book into a smooth, intelligent script. Some of the liberalties that they have taken with the movie are not as obvious in the book (such as the fireworks display at Bilbo's birthday celebration), they're more like something Tolkien would have added. Alas, despite all the lavish praise, "The Lord of the Rings" loses steam and momentum during the final 30 minutes and character threads are left open - not to mention that the sudden dropoff is especially anticlimatic. Nevertheless, "The Lord of the Rings" is a breathless, enrapturous piece of modern cinema and holds up extremely well after repeated viewings.

The special edition 4-disc DVD collection is truly a special edition of the film, it is packaged in a special box and there is a lavishly illustrated booklet telling where you want to go. On the first two discs there is a special extended version of the film (30 minutes longer from the theatrical version), with missing/extended scenes seamlessly integrated into the whole, which breathes more life and understanding of the picture. This version gives a whole new meaning to the picture, but it's no less entrancing or diminished.

In the special features section, there are three audio commentaries that you can listen to over the film. One has the commentary track of the cast, the next a commentary from the visual effects department and the final commentary from Peter Jackson and fellow screenwriters.

The other two discs contain documentaries on how the movie was made and how long it took. Also included are documentaries on the actors during their filming duration in New Zealand... all of them are worth watching, just to see how the trilogy of films were made and the labor of love it took while getting there.

Buy it - it is worth the money to pay for this lavish 4 disc DVD set of this film. Never since the release of "Beauty and the Beast" on DVD came out, have DVDs been so grand and lavish before. Good movie - fantasic DVD. Either way, you will be pleased.

My favorite movie of 2001!!
I have read the Lord of the Rings 3 times in my life, and I have started it again after seeing Peter Jackson's cinematic masterpiece. I am so glad the producers and the studio didn't chop the movie down to a 2-hour Reader's Digest version of the book. The film was just long enough to convey the essence of the story without leaving you feeling cheated. Kudos a thousand times over to the screenwriters and editors for doing such an excellent job!

Today's filmmaking technology didn't get in the way of making this a very great film about the power of faith and friendship. The scenery is awesome to behold on the big screen--I'm definitely going to see this several times.

The cast is a wonderful ensemble, particularly Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood's performances. Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean and Sean Astin make for fine soldiers and swordsmen. Cate Blanchett literally looks and sounds like a vision in her very brief appearance. I also really enjoyed Liv Tyler's character and her look. I hadn't seen her in a movie before, though I know she has done a few. Looking forward to seeing some of these characters again when the next movie is out in Christmas of 2002!

The DVD edition will hopefully be full of extras and commentary. Don't miss this! You will believe in the magic of the Ring!!!!

Begone Attack of the Clones! Jackson's in the house...
Director Peter Jackson's absolutely rousing film version of JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy novel - once thought unfilmable by Hollywood producers - is a crowd-pleasing labour of love by an unmistakeable Tolkien fan who (fortunately) also happens to be an accomplished film-maker at the top of his game. The result is a satisfying distillation of the essential spirit and tone of Tolkien's story that amounts to the most definitive film version fans could hope for. The story of the rediscovery of "the one ring - the Ring of Power" and the conflicted efforts of the races of Middle Earth to destroy it before the final resurrection of its evil master, the Dark Lord Sauron, is engrossingly and excitingly told. With liberal dollops of action, adventure, humour and sentiment, Jackson unfolds a tale of unlikely courage, loyalty and friendship that is every bit an instant movie classic. So powerful and influential is his directorial hand that the Lord of the Rings story will in the popular public mind be as indelibly linked to Jackson's brilliant trilogy as it is to Tolkien's source novels. Benefits from repeat viewing - particularly in light of its two sequels (The Two Towers; Return of the King) which shed new light on references, events and characters in this first instalment (thus underlining the intricate detail and advanced planning Jackson must've invested to be able to tell the epic equitably across three instalments). Particularly well-judged performances by Viggo Mortenson and Sean Astin - and a confident, attention-grabbing turn by newcomer Bloom as the lethal bow-wielding elf Legolas.

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Next Page