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The Lord Of The Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 42 Reviews)

over one billion dollar bills can't be wrong
According to New Line Cinema, this special box set includes each theatrical version of the film AS WELL AS each film's bonus DVD.

Bonus disc one includes TV spots, Enya music video, Houghton Mifflin in-store special, "Quest for the Ring" FOX TV special, "A Passage to Middle-earth" SCI-FI Channel Special, featurettes created for lordoftherings.net, a preview of the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and a behind the scenes preview of The Two Towers.

Bonus disc two includes a 10-minute preview of The Return of the King, "Gollum's Song" music video by Emiliana Torrini, a preview of Electronic Arts' Video Game "The Lord of the Rings: The Return to the King," a preview of the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, "The Long and Short of It" (a short film directed by Sean Astin), "On the Set - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," and "Return to Middle Earth."

Bonus disc three includes behind-the-scenes specials, featurettes, theatrical trailers, TV spots, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy supertrailer, a preview of the upcoming The Lord of the Rings based video game, "The Battle for Middle-earth," from Electronic Arts, and a link to exclusive online content about the motion picture trilogy, in-depth programs such as, "The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision, " A Filmmaker's Journey: Making THE RETURN OF THE KING," National Geographic Special - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," featurettes created for lordoftherings.net: "Aragorn's Destiny," "Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor," "The Battle of Pelennor Fields," "Samwise the Brave," "Eowyn: White Lady of Rohan," "Digital Horse Doubles," and multiple television spots.

As many have already pre-ordered the set...I'm unsure how useful this information will prove...

Excellent item but wait for the Extended Editions
This trilogy is almost certainly among the greatest movie achievements in movie history. I could never imagine how anyone could actually successfully adapt Tolkien's three novels into movies after those horrible animated editions but with the help of director Peter Jackson and a stellar cast, they really did it! They have brought much of the richness of Tolkien's continent of Middle Earth to life on the big screen and almost everything that could succeed does so on not only the first and second but all three of these movies. (Minor spoilers may be present but hopefully nothing major).

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: This is the first part of the three part movie trilogy and when first seeing it, "The Fellowship of the Ring" literally altered my world forever. I had never seen such a powerful and epic masterpiece ever before than when I first saw this on it's opening night. It all begins in the quiet isolated Hobbit community of The Shire. Hobbits have been very much into their own community and have been so for untold generations. However, a powerful and evil artifact called the One Ring of Power, is brought over by Bilbo Baggins who found it after a gaunt creature named Gollum lost it after carrying for over 500 years. The Ring was forged by a dark Lord Named Sauron who used it to pour his malice and will to dominate all life on Middle Earth and after more than 3000 years, it's power has awakened and gradually begins to corrupt all who carry it. Bilbo Baggins is told about the Ring's dangerous power by a powerful Istari wizard named Gandalf and after much persuasion, he gives up the Ring and his home to his nephew Frodo Baggins.

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS: This second part in the trilogy blew me away when I first saw it in the movie theatres when it opened in December of 2002. This part finds Frodo and Sam continuing on their quest to Mt. Doom when they in fact, are confronted by Gollum who had carried the Ring for 500 years before Bilbo found it. Now Frodo and Sam have no choice but to follow Gollum on their quest to Mordor and to destroy the Ring at Mt. Doom. Meanwhile Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, the remaining fellowship are now trying to find Merry and Pippin after they've gone missing and find themselves in the kingdom of Rohan where it's king Theoden has been withered and aged because of Saruman's power having a strong hold over him. Saruman's armies have been unleashed against Rohan and have begun their acts of death and destruction on Rohan and will do the same on Gondor. Can they save Rohan from death? The epic scale grows much more intense and epic and the whole story gets darker and more dramatic. This second part builds on the greatness of the first.

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING: This final part of the legendary trilogy brings the epic Lord of The Rings to a glorious finish. This is arguably the darkest and more intense of the three and is very scary. The dark forces of Sauron have now expanded beyond Mordor and the last free kingdom of Middle Earth, Gondor is in grave danger when the armies of Mordor are unleashed but also the free kingdoms are also being invaded by evil men from the South and East and join with the orc armies to destroy the free kingdoms of Middle Earth. Meanwhile Frodo and Sam are on the edge of Mordor. The power of the Ring has gotten a lot stronger and is taking a hold of Frodo as they are every closer to the fiery chasms of Mount Doom. The odds are strongly against the free peoples of Middle Earth and the darkness of Mordor has grown powerful and the armies are massive. Only Frodo and Sam with the help of Gollum who Sam does not trust, can be able to save Middle Earth from doom and destruction. This finale made me cry like no other movie in my entire life. Not even "Titanic" made me weep like ROTK did because it feels so much like what's happening to our planet with corrupt forces running rampant and terrorist organizations going out of control.

These three movies are the greatest fantasy films ever made but it goes outside just mere fantasy. It is a powerful tale of bravery, friendship, courage, and hope and these are emphasized more than on any other movie in history. The CGI effects on this trilogy are cataclysmically amazing and a lot of the special effects are so realistic that one would barely or not even notice that some of the scenes are computer generated. While I'm not brushing this edition of the movies, I would recommend the Extended Editions over the regular versions. There are so many extras on the extended editions of all three Lord of The Rings movies that you will find yourself missing out on so many amazing documentaries on the 4-DVD editions plus the extra scenes in both movies expand the scope of them so this 3-movie set containing just the theatrical editions of the three will leave a lot to be desired. I am not saying that I would ask to avoid this product necessarily but that the Extended Editions would be a far greater investment if you have the money.

Then again this is a very awesome trilogy and this set is a must-have if you love this trilogy. In all honesty, I don't even consider it that because I view this as one long movie broken up into three separate films and they all must be watched in order to really experience them. I don't think any of us will ever experience movies like this ever again in our lifetimes but who knows. Movie making doesn't get any better than this!

"One Ring to Rule Them All..." An extraordinary achievement
The making of the Lord of the Rings trilogy may constitute one of the greatest stories in film history. Take an unknown director, a cast of mostly unknown actors, move them to New Zealand for months of filming, use an obscure special-effects company named after a native insect, and stake nearly 300 million dollars and the reputation (and existence) of a movie studio on it somehow working. Granted, director Peter Jackson (whose love for the material and unwillingness to condescend is apparent) and his cast had great material to work with: the beloved novels of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, complete with a dedicated fan base that gave the trilogy instant name recognition (and credibility). The question became: Could this Kiwi director and his group of unknowns create films that would satisfy both Tolkien's fans and the general moviegoer? Would this be "Star Wars" for this generation, or the most memorable flop ever?

Well, as we all know, "The Lord of the Rings" has gone on to net Oscars, billions in box-office returns, critical acclaim, and popular appeal. Fans all over the globe have embraced this most incredible achievement and its timeless messages, giving it the kind of universal appeal rarely seen even in our more open and global society. Although some Tolkien fans have taken issue with some of the changes wrought by Jackson, many have welcomed these films as grand representations of Tolkien's work, and have applauded the renewed attention it has brought to the books (the greatest amount since the trilogy was embraced by the Sixties generation). It's the rare pop-culture phenomenon that also has highbrow literary appeal.

The films represent an extraordinary trilogy, but each one stands alone as a great film. Of the three, "Return of the King" may be the best, not due to its eleven Oscars but due to its perfect blend of heroism, epic action, and emotion. (This is true of all three films, but it is greatest in "King.") The battle of Pelennor Fields sets the bar higher than any film ever; directors will probably spend the next decade attempting to top it. "King" also packs an emotional punch, largely due to the familiarity we now have with these characters and the sheer desperation of Frodo's quest, which begins to claim both his health and his sanity. If the film has a flaw, it's the extended ending, but that's forgivable. Perhaps the only problem with "Fellowship" is that it begins slowly, unraveling gradually in a way that may seem tedious to some. However, this is necessary to introduce characters and plot. Having Cate Blanchett (as Galadriel) open "Fellowship" with an introduction that explains the film's backstory and introduces the conflict to those unfamiliar to Tolkien's work was a stroke of genius. "Towers" suffers from a somewhat uneven midsection but redeems itself with the amazing Battle of Helm's Deep (which required three months of night shoots) and a fascinating, film-stealing performance by Andy Serkis as the twisted Gollum. (Favorite moments: The Balrog (WOW!); Boromir's last stand/act of penance; Helm's Deep; the march of the Ents; Pelennor Fields; the madness of Denethor; Shelob (WOW again!); the courage of Samwise Gamgee time and again).

As ensemble acting goes, it's hard to top these films. Each actor was tasked with giving emotional heft and believability to their roles, embodying characters dear to many, and each one succeeded; I cannot think of a single weak performance in the trilogy. Every part is perfectly cast, with some standouts: Ian McKellen makes Gandalf a gruff but wise, compassionate, and endearing character; quiet, soft-spoken Viggo Mortensen (who took method acting to new heights by sleeping in his outfit and dwelling in the woods at times) is ideal as the reluctant Ranger-King Aragorn; Elijah Wood gives Frodo both emotional depth and strength; Serkis as Gollum; veteran actor Christopher Lee adds gravitas and menace to his role as Saruman; and Sean Astin (who steals nearly every scene in "King") makes the steadfast and loyal Sam come alive. Many critics (and some fans) had issues with "King's" multiple endings, but having spent more than nine hours with these characters, it was nice to grant them a long goodbye.

There are some flaws in the films, however, though they are largely minor. Jackson's direction is first-rate, though he over-uses slow-motion and tracking shots. (I'm being picky, I know). Some have taken serious issue with the exclusion of the Barrow-Wight and Tom Bombadil from "Fellowship;" the presence of Elves at Helm's Deep and the changes made to Faramir's character in "Towers;" the alterations to Denethor and the somewhat foreshortened ending of "King," sans the "Scouring of the Shire" that concluded the book. Some of these have been amended or explained in the Extended Editions, and some are left out altogether. The only change that bothered me was the coarsening of Faramir's character. Why? Although some see Bilbo as the character most like Tolkien, the author once told a friend (I think it was Charles Williams, though I may be wrong) that Faramir was the character closest to him in nature. Altering Faramir to be more like his brother and less the scholarly, reluctant warrior he was in the books may make for more dramatic cinema, but it does lessen the man as represented by Tolkien. (This, however, is rectified somewhat in the "Towers" Extended edition by his brief soliloquy over a fallen soldier and his eventual refusal to be ruled by either the Ring or his father). Of all the changes, this is the only one that I have trouble reconciling, but it does not alter or change my perception of these films as extraordinary epics.

Fans of the Star Wars and Matrix trilogies may argue with me about this, but I have to say that this now ranks as the greatest trilogy of films ever made, and is one of the landmark accomplishments in cinema history. (Sorry this review was so long).

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