Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Special Widescreen Extended Edition) (4 Discs)

5 star:		(949)
4 star:		(77)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(53)

 

 

The Fellowship of the King, Extended Edition is a classic movie that is well worth the watching. It is loaded with action, full of fun, and emotionally draining from start to finish in a most delightful way. Peter Jackson's talent as a director shows through with characters who portray their parts brilliantly as Tolkien himself had created. Nothing is lost in the extended version and we become more acquainted with the actors in the 2 added Appendices filmed during the movie creation. What a great movie! Two thumbs way up!!!

I was one of a few who missed THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS at the theatres, as I didn't know if I'd be interested. Although I knew about the books, I was never interested in reading them also.

I actually didn't see the film until it was released on DVD (the non-extended version). I borrowed it from a friend.

I sat through it and boy was I ever shocked. When the movie ended, I felt almost embarrassed because I actually got up in my living room, by myself, and clapped. I could not believe that I missed this at the theatres where the impact would have been much greater.

I raved to everyone about how great this movie was - of course, they already had seen it. So I felt behind the times.

I could not wait until the release of the Extended version on DVD, which I now own.

I learned my lesson and will listen to my friends on movies like this.

Bottom line - just watch this and enjoy yourself.

Cheers to everyone involved with the making of this movie.

Lord Of the Rings is just one of those movies that surpasses all others. So, why buy the extended version (the Fellowship Of the Ring)? Well, as an owner of this dvd, I can tell you that it never gets boring and you never really think of it as a waste of money. I have owned my copy for a year already and I still haven't watched the whole thing. If you are one of those people who compare the differences between the book and the movie, than this is for you. It is also more accurate. This is also a great gift for Elijah Wood fans.

I watched this movie on the big screen four times and at home at least that many. It is a remarkable accomplishment. The entire production team should be commended for the effort. Director Peter Jackson's interpretation is much less subtle than Tolkein's own and also much 'darker' but some of this is the result of transferrance to the visual media.

Visually I liked the movie a lot. The landscapes and battle scenes were spectacular. The Hobbits were portayed in a way that exceeded my expectations. The 'forced perspective' worked well for them. I'm so glad midgets or gnome-like renditions were not used. All the peoples were well done except two; the Orcs and Uruk-hai. Jackson went too far in making them disgusting. Sure they were a fallen race in Tolkein's world but they had personalities. Remember the power struggle between the competing Orcs that captured Merry and Pippin (part of the Two Towers)? 'Listening' to them talk in Tolkein's writings was fascinating. Watching and listening to Jackson's versions was revolting. I just wanted them to go away. Also Jackson made the Uruk-hai too big. They should have been smaller than Men, not bigger. My two favorite visual scenes were the Shire and Moria. Moria was great. The Balrog seemed perfect to me.

The musical score to this film creates just the right mood. Excellent job.

My two biggest disappointments were the Nazgul and Saruman. Visually the Nazgul are well done, esp. when the ring is worn and one enters their world. The problem is the caricaturish way in which they are employed. There is no subtlety or mystery; they should have all worn a sign saying "You are supposed to be afraid of me". The 'chase' scenes are awfully contrived, esp. the Race to the Fords, and Aragorn setting them all afire on Weathertop is ... apocryphal .... When I watch it on DVD I skip over these scenes. Since there is a lot of good material that was left out of (even the extended version) the film this is a shame. Given Peter Jackson's preference for 'dark/spooky' interpretations he could have done a great job with the Barrow Downs; oh well.

Saruman is portrayed as an overt servant of Sauron in this movie. Maybe the film media is too hard to capture the actual role of Saruman, which was a renegade pursuing his own ends who more hurt than helped Sauron.

The actors generally did a great job in their roles. Two I found especially good were the ones who played Sam and Boromir. I actually prefer the Boromir of the movie to the one in books, he is so well scripted and acted. Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, Elrond were well done. The only actor who I think was definitely miscast was Christopher Lee as Saruman. A perfect Saruman would have been the late Sir Alec Guiness though I'm sure there are others out there who have more charm than Lee. Lee is too one-dimensional in his acting, the character of Saruman isn't. The script is at least partly to blame for this.

Overall this is a very good film with a good shelf life. Even Tolkein purists will get much enjoyment from it. It would be an impossible task to make a perfect film of the Lord of the Rings. This version does fall short but not by enough to be missed. 4 stars.

I must admit that the first time I saw Lord of the Rings, I fell asleep.. assuming that my falling asleep meant I didn't like the movie, I didn't attempt to watch it again until I saw this DVD set and figured it was a great value for the price.

WOW, what I missed! I'm glad that I never actually saw the original theatrical version, because this extended version of the film is true to the book I knew and loved as a kid.

While 4 DVD's seems like a lot to watch (and you probably WON'T watch them all in one sitting) there is just so much out there to see. This was truly one of the most ambitious theatrical projects ever taken on, and the extra DVD's provide so much background on the story, the people involved in making the film (a cast and crew of thousands!) and the intricate attention to detail in every sword, costume and setting. There are extensive interviews with the director, the producers, stars, artists and screenwriters and they all give their take on why the story and the film were so important.

For a few dollars (and a few hours) more, you really can get a fuller experience from the first installment of the film, and it makes the second film that much more enjoyable. Can't wait for the third installment.

Overall, a great investment and a must for any fan of this amazing cinematic experience.

A masterpiece that should be looked on for a long time to come. This is the great world of Literary Genious J.R. Token and the amazing life he lived that imspired him to creat such a world. Amazing!!

This is a fantastic DVD set. The additional footage in the movie really adds to the story and brings it even closer to the book than the original theatrical release. There are commentaries by the directors, cast and other people behind the film included on the movie DVDs that are entertaining to listen to.

The Appendix DVDs (the last two discs) give you a good 7 hours of behind the scenes stuff on how the movies were made, interviews with cast members, props, special effects and the entire filming process.

Definitely worth adding to your collection.

Wow. On November 5, 2002 I went to an advance theatrical screening of the extended edition of Fellowship of the Rings. This was the same edition that appears on this DVD, with the extra 30 minutes of footage.

Wow.

It was AWESOME. I was amazed at how the extra footage improved on perfection. The extra 30 minutes footage was divided into a minute here, thirty seconds there, to a significant extension of the Shire and Lothlorien. For vaguge details, see below:

[VAGUE SPOILER WARNING]

The extra footage developed the relationships between Gimli & Legolas, Aragorn & Boromir, Frodo & Sam, and Arwen & Aragorn. That last bit really changed the way I felt about Arwen/Liv Tyler. She rocks. The character is so much better now, and I'm glad Jackson chose her instead of Glorfindel as the bearer of the wounded Frodo.

Also, significantly, the additional footage showed some signifant plot points that were just plain missing from the first cut (I won't go into details, but if you read the book and remember Lothlorien you'll know what I mean).

But best of all was the extra characterization; the characters of the Fellowship were developed and they became people; Legolas and Gimli instead of just Iconic Blustery Dwarf and Iconic Graceful Elf, Haldir instead of Suspicious Lothlorien Guard, Boromir instead of Doomed Patriotic Man, Aragorn instead of Gloomy Ranger. The 30 minutes developed not only characters, but also places and history: Lothlorien and Gondor are much more developed.

The special edition is SO MUCH BETTER. But, remarkably, the special edition also showed just how good the first cut is. Meaning, even without the 30 minutes, the first cut ably conveyed the majesty and vital plot points of Tolkien's book, and even included a LOT of character development for Gandalf, Frodo, and Sam and background info on the Shire, Imladris, Isengard, Mordor, Moria and Middle Earth.

Wow. I still get chills, just thinking about the movie.

If you liked Fellowship of the Rings, you'll *love* this special edition.

This first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy has surpassed expectations and silenced all but the harshest of critics. The director, Peter Jackson, has taken a book that many said was unfilmable and produced a masterpiece. The Fellowship of the Ring follows the journey of Frodo Baggins and his companions in a quest to destroy the One Ring, the evil ring created by Sauron in order for him to rule Middle Earth.

Although there are some well known names in the cast, none of them are so famous that their fame intrudes on the character. Sir Ian McKellan plays Gandalf the Grey as if born to the part as does Viggo Mortenson as the ranger Aragorn. Sean Bean plays Boromir, representative of men, Ian Holm is the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and Christopher Lee plays a suitably evil wizard, Saruman, ally of Sauron. Legolas is played by Orlando Bloom who, although unknown at that time, was catapulted to stardom by his sensitive portrayal of the young Elven prince.

This four disc DVD features an extended edition of the film which is over two discs and also two discs of extra features. The additional scenes are seamlessly inserted into the movie and they certainly add to the viewing experience by explaining some things that were left out of the theatrical release. The extras on discs 3 & 4 are too numerous to mention but include several featurettes, artwork, costumes, weaponry and characters to name but a few. This is sure to become one of the greatest movie experiences of modern times and this extended edition is a 'must' for any fan of Lord of the Rings.

I see two distinct type of reviews that have been made. Either people liked this movie, (and the other two), or they really did not. That is OK, but while some think that it sprang from D&D, they need realize that this book was copyrighted 1955. It is obvious that those who did not like the book would not have seen the movie so by natural extention, I believe that those so object to it, really never have read the books. This, (and the other two movies) are the pinnacle in movie technically, as well as visually stunning made to date. They are fantistic!