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The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (37 - 39 of 60 Reviews)

Brilliant Movie with many majestic shots
I never had a liking for movies more than 2.5 hours long but Lord of the Rings has been a pleasant exception. Based on the first book of the legendary fantasy trilogy Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, Hollywood has brought an classic-epic to life through the consummate theatrical skills of Elijah Wood and many others, including Liv Tyler.

The story is very well paced and the producer makes explicit efforts to follow closely with the book, capturing each poignant moments, enhanting poems and inspiring wise words on the big screen.

Despite the otherwise dreadful length of the show, the viewer is captivated in the beauty of the imaginary 'lands' in the Middle Earth, and is riding through a myriad of places from subterranean halls erected by pillars as tall as skyscrapers in the world's biggest cities to The Great River that leads to the entrance of Gandall greeted by two eye widening statues reminiscent (laughably) of Hitler and Statue of Liberty (kidding).


I am a little concerned, though, about some disturbing monsters and violence involved. Not that they would diminish the enigma of the movie but I find it unsuitable for anyone below 16. Very unhealthy also to indulge in fantasy for a full 3 hour period, I feel. Besides that, I heard from a friend that the movie did, for dramatic effect and simplification purpose, did change one of the motives of a character. I minused one star also for some scenes which seem quite computerised (waterfall especially and the Bridge underground).


Overall, a recommended movie, but be sure to catch the sequels lest you are flummoxed by the ending... It's Book 1 of 3 anyway. Did anyone say he has 9 hours to spare for movies? (Fellowship of the Rings/Book 1 is 3 hours long on screen, so far)

5 stars for movie, 1 star for DVD
Take heed! Whether you have seen this movie before or not, do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy this edition. Its one of the cheapest marketing ploys to ever hit the DVD scene. In case you aren't in the know, New Line Cinema is releasing 2 editions of Fellowship of the Ring. The first edition, this one, is being released August 6, and the second one is being released November 12.

The first one is basically the theatrical version that showed in the theatres, along with some very basic special features. Do not be fooled by the title "In depth documetries". I have seen all 3 of the shows and they are anything but. They are essentially TV shows that aired before the movie was released, and include very basic information. In addition to these documentries there are a bunch of short featurettes that were on the website... These feturettes are slightly better, but they hardly go in-depth. This whole release, in fact, can be summed up as laziness. New Line has essentially taken all the material they already had made, and stuffed it into a marketable package. What is even more insulting is the shameless nature with which it's done. There 3 advertisements here that pass as "features". One for the video game, one for the special edition being released in November, and one for The Two Towers. It's a pity that the last two are actually more entertaining then all the rest of the features combined.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is incredible. But this edition hardly does it justice. It's just a marketing ploy to get the general public and anxious fans to buy 2 editions of the same movie. Trust me, once the Special Edition is released in November this edition will become so obsolete it will be frogotten beyond recall.

Do the math yourself. For less then $10 more you get an extended edition of the movie that includes 35 minutes of new footage edited into the film, 4, I repeat, 4 commentary tracks by more then 30 people combined, and 2 extra DVD packed with hours upon hours of brand new material on the making of the movie. And there are no advertisements for any other products. Which sounds like the better edition, or if nothing more the one that give you better value for your money. It saddens me that the August widescreen edition is the number one selling DVD on Amazon right now. It just shows how much marketing genius New Line has. They have even released sad PR announcements saying how the two editions are equal and Peter Jackson (the director) supports them both. But if you buy this edition don't say you weren't warned when November 12'th comes around. Look past the marketing and make your own decision.

One ring to rule them all...
Director Peter Jackson, whom for years I felt was very underrated and underappreciated after crafting such films like Dead Alive, Bad Taste, and The Frighteners (all of which proved his power of imagination over budget) managed to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings saga to the big screen almost flawlessly. Blending top notch CGI animation (most of which blows away anything offered by George Lucas), old camera tricks (to make the actors playing hobbits and dwarves appear smaller than humans and elves), and the beauty of New Zealand as a backdrop, Jackson has brought Tolkien's visionary Middle Earth to life, and old Tolkien fans could not be happier. Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), and Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn) are all fantastic in their roles (Mortenson will become a much bigger star than he already is), and the rest of the all star cast includes Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davis, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchet, and Ian Holm; all of which give quite memorable performances. The action scenes are nicely put together, but sometimes the fight scenes can become a bit blurry and incoherent, but that is only a minor complaint. All in all, even if you've never read the original books by Tolkien, you will find something to love with this first installment of the Lord of the Rings. This will be the Star Wars Trilogy for a new generation, and will be cherished for years to come. This Extended Edition is lightyears beyond the original theatrical version DVD release, but it can be upsetting considering with the looming release of The Two Towers on DVD that a few months later an Extended Edition of that will be released as well. I despise it when different "newer and better" DVD editions are released from the movie studios just for the sake of making more money.

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