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The Lord Of The Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (31 - 33 of 42 Reviews)

Wait for the extended edition
As a Tolkein purist, I've had some moments of bitter disappointment and fury at the liberties taken in making the trilogy, especially in the Twin Towers. Nevertheless, this is the greatest film epic of our time, and deserves praise for the incredible detail and fine acting and screenwriting that went into it. (It's certainly MUCH better than Star Wars!)

Having said this, I would never buy the Hollywood release version of any of these movies. I already have the extended versions of both "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers," both of which fill in some of the gaps that resulted from leaving scenes on the editing room floor. Of the three movies, the first is by far the most faithful to the book, while the second displays some blatant errors and manipulation that had me fuming as I left the theater. (Frodo and his "marriage ceremony" where he shows the ring to the Nazgul in Osgiliath, which would render Aragorn's feint of showing himself to Sauron using the palantir of Orthanc useless, because Sauron would know that Aragorn didn't have the ring, and therefore wasn't trying to use it against him. Add in the Ents deciding not to fight, until Merry and Pippin talk them into it, and I was pretty disgusted. The extended version fixed several problems, and brought the ents and the walking trees to the battle of Helm's Deep, where they belonged. I have high hopes that the extended version of ROTK will give some background information on Merry's sword -- I think there's a scene missing where he mentions that it's not even sharp, so they send him to the smith. Remember, only the blades that he and Pippin carry have the power to kill the head Nazgul. Eowyn had nothing to do with his death, and I was surprised to see that the movie was faithful to the book in how that scene played out. (I just wish they'd shown Aragorn in the halls of healing!)

I was very disappointed that the two most dramatic scenes in ROTK weren't even filmed -- the dramatic blowing of horns, announcing the arrival of the riders of Rohan just as Gandalf faces down the head of the Nazgul at the gates of Minas Tirith, and the unfurling of the banner of the king of Gondor on the lead Corsair ship as the black fleet arrives at Minas Tirith, showing everyone that Gondor had triumphed in the south, and that the true king had returned to vanquish his enemies and retake the throne. Perhaps these scenes will be present in the extended edition, although given the flow of action in the cinematic version, I doubt it.

Nonetheless, every extra second added to these movies is to be savored, and the true vision of the epic can best be appreciated in the extended versions. We do know that 7 minutes with Saruman was removed from ROTK, so that will be restored.

Despite their flaws, these are great films, especially their extended versions. Tolkein would be proud to see his vision presented with such grandeur and detail, despite some changes made for the general viewing public that compromise the story line. By all means, buy all 3 movies, but only in their extended versions.

The Ring Lord
Lord of the Rings, will more then likely be remembered as the first classic movie, of the 21st century.
No wonder why it took so long for this beautiful trilogy coming to life on the screen.
With all of the special effects that they use, it is not very hard to understand why they waited so long to do a live action trilogy sequel. These wonderful actors, writers, costume, set designers, and so many more people who I can not think of. Deserve so much more then awards and speeches.
They have brought to life one of the most beloved stories in the world, and with beyond any ones expectation.
Now I am sure no one will ever for get the story of Frodo Baggins and the Ring.

The Most Essential DVD Trilogy Of The Year!
I don't think there has been a movie trilogy that has fascinated the world so much than "The Lord Of The Rings." Director Peter Jackson set about making the three films in the trilogy more than five years ago now, and here we are in the present day, with three of the most epic action adventure fantasy movies in history. The three films have grossed a combined total of $3 billion worldwide and breathed new life in J.R.R. Tolkien's ground-breaking and gargantuan novels. Before these films were unleashed on the world, I had heard very little of the books, but in 2000 my Science teacher told me, "Watch out for The Lord Of The Rings in a year or so. It's gonna blow you away." Boy, was she right! So after all the films have been released on DVD comes this brilliant bargain triple-box set, which features the original DVD's of all three films, clocking in at over 9 hours of magnificent viewing, and hours more of special features!

First in the series was THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001). This film was released around the world in December 2001, to massive critical acclaim. People flocked in their millions to see it, and they were not disappointed! What we see here is the introduction of Middle Earth, The Shire and its inhabitants. Then Frodo (Elijah Wood) is handed the One Ring and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) says he must destroy it, take it as far away from The Shire as he possibly can. Accompanied by his good friend Sam (Sean Astin) and later on, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), the foursome set off on a journey to hide the ring. Along the way however, things go a little but further than they had expected. Cue fire-breathing dragons, mountain-treks, battles with Orcs and much more. They travel through Weathertop, Moria and Rivendale. The film never lets up and has the perfect contrast of action and drama. A must see. The special features include:

- Theatrical trailer(s)
- Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of The Two Towers
- Three in-depth documentaries that reveal the secrets behind the production of this epic adventure, including:
-"Welcome to Middle-earth" (in-store special as shown by Houghton Mifflin)
-"The Quest for the Ring" (as debuted on the FBC Network)
-"A Passage to Middle-earth" (as premiered on the SCI-FI Channel)
- 15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and others
- Enya "May It Be" music video
- An inside look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Preview of Electronic Arts' video game, The Two Towers
- DVD-ROM features: Exclusive online content
- Widescreen anamorphic format
- Number of discs: 2

Second in the series was THE TWO TOWERS (2002). This second instalment in the magnificent trilogy was unleashed at cinemas worldwide in December 2002. The film was dubbed even better than the first, and grossed in a lot more around the world. After the life-changing events of the previous film, what we witness in this film is the battle for Helm's Deep and a lot more. The final battle is awesome and one of the biggest action events ever seen on film. The addition of new characters and maintaining old ones from the previous film is brilliant and the beauty of the scenery makes this film another must see. Probably the worst of the three films, but still a masterpiece in its genre. The special features include:

- Theatrical trailer(s), TV spot(s)
- Documentary "On the Set: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (Starz/Encore special)
- Documentary "Return to Middle-earth" (WB special)
- Eight featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net: "Forces of Darkness," "Sounds of Middle-earth," "Edoras & Rohan Culture," "Creatures," "Gandalf the White," "Arms & Armor," "Helm's Deep," and "Gollum: Andy Serkis, Bay Raitt"
- Emiliana Torrini "Gollum Song" music video
- Short film by Sean Astin "The Long and Short of It"
- Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
- Preview of video game, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
- An inside look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
- DVD ROM Features: Exclusive online content
- Widescreen anamorphic format
- Number of discs: 2

The final film in the instalment was THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003). This was the last instalment, and the buzz around this film was nothing short of meteoric. The film was unleashed at cinemas in December 2003, and was absolutely epic. Cinema seats had to be booked in advance of its release, and it became the only film in the series to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film in history next to Titanic (1997). In this film we see the ultimate battle for Middle Earth take place. The battlegrounds at Minas Tirith are the most openly vast and grand-scale fights ever witness on film as hundreds of thousands of Orcs line up and set on destroying a city. The Nazkuls, the elephants, the ghosts, Gollum, the One Ring, the Eye, Mount Doom. Everything in this film is amazing! The greatest film ever! The special features include:

- Three in-depth documentaries:
"The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision"
"A Filmmaker's Journey: Making The Return of The King"
"National Geographic Special: Beyond the Movie"
- Six featurettes
- Aragorn's Destiny
- Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor
- The Battle of Pelennor Fields
- Samwise the Brave
- Eowyn: White Lady of Rohan
- Digital Horse Doubles
- The Battle For Middle Earth Continues--Video Games from EA (3:00)
- "The Lord of The Rings" Trilogy Supertrailer (6:45)
- 3D Animated Menus
- DVD-ROM: Weblinks to exclusive content

- Widescreen anamorphic format
- Number of discs: 2

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