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The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set) Customer Reviews (67 - 69 of 102 Reviews)

Renders the theatrical version obsolete.
Though Peter Jackson had always claimed that the 208 minute (roughly equal to "Seven Samurai" in length) DVD version of "Lord of the Rings'" first installment was not a director's cut, its vast superiority to the shortened theatrical release becomes clear immediately.

For those initally dissapointed with "Fellowship's" overly fast pace (skipping over characterizations and details for the sake of action) , the seamlessly integrated 30 minutes of footage works wonders.
Here are some Improvements:

1) Instead of a mere adventure movie (or a cgi cartoon, some may argue), Jackson's FOTR now feels closer to the spirit of Tolkien's world. Through more maps, longer stays at various crucial locations, more journey time, more geographic and historical references, one finaly begins to get a sense of original work's epic scope. In fact, there are a few scenes where the dialogue is copied almost verbatim, and that's always a welcomed addition.

2) Every character (even Gollum) gets at least some additonal exposure and all are considerably fleshed out. Aragorn benefits the most, now seeming more like a full-fledged human being (within epic conventions, though), rather than a straight-forward action hero. Galadriel, called a "radioactive psycho" by some, has other scenes here showing her true regal nature. Merry, Pippin, and especially Gimli, are more than buffoons to liven up the proceedings. Ian Holm's Bilbo, who was one of my favorite character portrayals in the film, also gets more screen time in the beginning, just like Tolkien wrote.

3) The overall themes of the book are now much more apparent - the ring's temptation, the weakness of humans, the appeal of a simple lifestyle over industrialization, and the dissappearance of civilizations (elves). The Passing of the Elves scene, is quite amazing - a shame to have been cut in the first place, as it is fairly short.

4) Some of the choppier and confusing parts of the theatrical version are elaborated upon and some questions are answered, such as "How did the Ring betray Isildur ?", or "Why is Boromir so preoccupied with the Ring?" Although Sam is not explicitly introduced as Frodo's servant, he is at least shown gardening at Bag End.

Many complaints that I, and other fans of the book, had with the theatrical version are now fully resolved, and by all standards, as a whole this is a much better film, already approaching that sought-after but seldom-attained classic status in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Approaching, but still stopping short of perfection, because many of the fundamental issues persist.

Here are my remaining Problems with FOTR in order of annoyance:

1) Gratuitous use (or abuse, rather) of slow motion - esp. in the "Noooooooooo" scene right after Gandalf's fall in Moria, and the "drowning" of Sam scene. Cheesy and detracting.

2) Overbearing, generic, omni-present score. Some scenes, like Boromir's attempt to take the ring, and his death, while well-acted, should have been fine without the bathetic, cringe-worthy accompaniment. Sometimes, silence can be just as effective in generating the proper emotions. Granted, the music is not all terrible, it's just excessive - but the cliched chanting has got to go.

3) While I can forgive Merry and Pippin's all-too-fast integration into the Fellowship, The Council of Elrond scene, even with the additions (which help) still doesn't quite work. Oh well, at least we get to hear the actual "ash nazg durbatuluk" speach by Gandalf. And, there's a funny hidden parody of the scene on one of the DVDs.

4) Saruman is still the cartoonish villain, with no extra depth.

The Extra materials on the DVD are top-notch, and as you may have heard, go into minute detail regarding all the aspects of production. They will take hours of viewing, if you care enough to investigate. Some of the audio commentaries are interesting as well - it looks like the presence of Philippa Boyens who was a harder Tolkienite than the action-oriented Jackson, helped steer certain scenes into the right direction. And without Richard Taylor, Alan Lee and John Howe, the visuals (best thing about the film in the first place) would not have been possible. We also get some discussion about New Zealand (interactive map provided) and the filming locations.

In summary : if you even remotely liked the film you saw a year ago, were hoping for an improvement, and did not make the mistake of purchasing the theatrical DVD in August - by all means get this one!

Best Movie I've Ever Seen
I can't rate the DVD, as it has not been released as of the writing of this review. Rather, this is a review of the movie itself.

I canNOT recommend this film highly enough. If the rating scale went to 10 Stars, I'd give it the maximum and beyond. I have been to see "Fellowship" seven times in theaters, twice on its opening day alone. I have never seen a film so well executed, coming from such a beloved book with such a loyal fanbase. Yes, there are parts that are missing, but nothing that affects the plot or furtherance of the story. Everything that should be there IS there, wrapped in a sumptuous package of gorgeous scenery and brilliant special effects.

The actors are all absolutely perfect for their roles, with special note going to Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf (for which he received an Oscar nomination), Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee, and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn/Strider. Elijah Wood is a wonderful choice for everyman Frodo Baggins; his blue eyes are gloriously expressive. Sean Bean does an AMAZING job of portraying the struggling hero, Boromir; I've been a fan of his work for years, and fell even MORE head over heels in love with his acting abilities in this movie. Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are sweet, adorable, hilarious, heartbreaking, and above all, BELIEVABLE as Merry and Pippin. If you don't love Scottish accents yet, just wait until you've seen this movie; Billy will make you a believer. John Rhys-Davies as Gimli is hardly recognizable, save for his voice, and like always, he melts into the role with his usual flair. Orlando Bloom plays Legolas Greenleaf, and if you have or know any teenage girls, you've probably seen his face plastered on their wall since the movie came out. Not only is he a feast for the eyes, but his portrayal of the heroic elven archer is truly amazing for one so new to the acting profession. He'll blow you away. Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler (Galadriel and Arwen, respectively) bring grace and beauty to their roles. I have at least one friend who'd never read the LoTR series prior to seeing the movie, but wanted to learn Elvish and immerse herself in the world of fantasy because of Liv's performance.

Perhaps the most underrated performance - or, more appropriately, the least reported - is that of Hugo Weaving as Elrond. After seven viewings of the film, I always walk out of the theater and say to myself, "He was the BEST of them all." And that is a very hard distinction to make.

So by all means, buy this movie. Rent it first if you haven't seen it and still aren't sure. But this is truly a must-have for any DVD collection. Sure to be a classic of the genre, if it's not already. :D

I was wonderfully surprised!
I've waited until I thought the time was right, but now feel I must speak. People who have read my reviews know that the writings of JRR Tolkien are and have been very important to my life. Thus, I have eagerly awaited the release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". I award the movie a very solid 4+ stars.

Things I liked:

Item: Most of the casting decisions. Gandalf, Bilbo, Saruman, Gimli and Sam all get 5 stars; Frodo, Boromir, and Strider all get 4. All in all, brilliant choices were made by Peter Jackson and crew.

Item: The Shire. Bag-end was wonderful! I'd move there tomorrow. The hobbit-holes were very well done.

Item: The cinematography. Spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. Orthanc, Moria, The Gates of Argonath, Amon Hen. Just WONDERFUL! (While noting one glitch, namely the view of the mountains from the Shire. This was a continuity problem which should have been caught.)

Item: The Soundtrack. Again, wonderful. (I'm listening as I write this review.)

Item: The special effects. Again, wonderful. From Gollum, to the Orcs, to the Nazgul, to the huge battle scenes. Truly a tremendous effort.

Item: The relationship between Frodo and Sam. Wonderfully filmed, wonderfully acted. Absolutely splendid!

Things I would have liked to have seen done differently:

Item: A better indication of the time that passed between Bilbo's party and Frodo's departure.

Item: More time in the journey from Hobbiton to Bree (including Tom Bombadil!)

Item: Arwen's replacement of Glorfindel. I know why it was done, but I'm enough of a purist to wish that it hadn't been!

Item: Better character development with Elrond and Galadriel. These characters got short shrift, in my opinion.

Item: Over-the-top special effects. Yes, the effects were spectacular. In a couple of cases, though, I thought that there was too much. The Watcher in the Water was far more scary in the book than in the movie (when all you saw were tentacles). The giant multicolored octopus from hell was a little much! Ditto with the cave troll sequence. Ditto again with the final departure from Moria. But I'm nitpicking here.

Overall? I understand and respect the Tolkien family's hesitation to endorse this (or any other) attempt to visually portray "The Lord of the Rings". But Peter Jackson has done well - indeed, he has exceeded my expectations considerably.

I will immediately purchase the DVD when it becomes available, and (like last December) will be in line at midnight to see the opening of "The Two Towers".

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