My 2¢ about this movie and DVD
The Legend Comes to Life in the first of a three part film epic of J.R.R. Tolkien
classic tale of middle earth. True fans will want to stick with the special
extended version of the Lord of the Rings.
Each DVD comes with four discs - two for the movie and two for the bonus
material. Between the three movies, there was enough movie and bonus features
to keep me busy for three weeks! Definately worth every penny I paid.
More Reviews
Finally, the "finished" version...,
March 21, 2008
It is really truly sad when Hollywood double and triple dips with their multitude of movie releases. First comes the theatrical version, then the 'special' edition. Then, after everyone has spent all of their money, out comes the special Extended Edition; the way the film was SUPPOSED to be, before it was tragically chopped to satisfy corporate suits and an attention deficit American crowd. In most cases the scenes cut from films are of no consequence and in essence really don't do much for the over all picture and feel, but in the case of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', the extra and extended scenes really flesh out the main characters and make the film that much more enjoyable. Especially if you are a fan of the film and the book...
Though still not an exact representation of the book, 'The Fellowship of The Ring' extended edition is an amazing masterpiece, a true landmark in film making. There is over 30 minutes of extra and extended material, all seamlessly integrated into the picture. No, Tom Bombadil is still MIA, and a couple of other things are still absent, but certain characters and situations are largely fleshed out and make much more sense. Where as in the theatrical version things were made short and chopped, the extended edition feels like a finished product, and it is very satisfying to see the new material. A great portion of the songs from the book are present, though I assume they were originally cleaved out to appease more to the general public (who may or may not enjoy song in their action/drama/fantasy film); they do very well to complete the atmosphere and mythology of Tolkien's world. The extra material pushes the film well over 3 hours, and spans across two discs.
Of course, no special edition would be complete without bucket loads of special features, and this edition delivers in spades. 2, count them, 2 discs of special features come with this wonderful edition, chock full of behind-the-scenes shorts, making of featurettes, commentary and a whole host of stuff that will surely please the die hard fan. All of this comes in a really cool box that resembles a leather-bound book.
Director Peter Jackson's gift of his extended version of 'The Fellowship of The Ring' is a true treat and easily makes the theatrical cut obsolete. I cannot stress enough how truly complete this film feels with the extra material. While I do not agree with 2 or 3 different versions of a film, I do feel that THIS version of 'The Fellowship of The Ring' is well worth a double or triple dip.
Now, if we can only get 'The Fellowship of The Ring' Extended Edition on Blu-Ray...
A movie masterpiece,
March 12, 2008
The Fellowship of the Ring is my favourite movie of all time, especially the extended version, which is superior to the original theatrical release in every added scene. What is most amazing is its deep human drama in midst of all the special effects and its setting in a fantastic fantasy world. Many of the principal characters are very well developed, especially Aragorn and Frodo, with great performances by Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood. Also great are Ian McKellan and Christopher Lee.
The movie's plot is leagues beyond any conventional action/adventure film. Its structure is perfect from start to finish. In my opinion, the movie is much better than either the The Two Towers or The Return of the King of the Trilogy (in spite of the latter having won 11 Oscars). Two-third's of Tolkien's inspiration in the Trilogy was put into this first third of the Trilogy (eg. the ring's power to deceive Boromir and his subsequent redemption, and the sacrifice of Gandalf for the fellowship). It seems Peter Jackson, the director, also put more effort in this installment than the later ones (except for a last burst of greatness in the last 45 minutes or so of the Return of the King). The other two installments were overlong in some parts, and had some glaring weak moments (such as Sam's overdone speech in the Two Towers, and Elrond's surprise visit with Aragorn in the Return of the King).
The soundtrack works very well with all of the visuals. The special effects are better than those of many more recent action movies (eg. Spiderman, Catwoman). The DTS sound in the extended version (as with the extended versions of the other two in the trilogy) is demonstration class. The sound editing is also great. The cinematography is outstanding. A movie for all ages. I'm never bored of it after having watched it many times.
CAPTAIN! WE NEED! MORE! STARS!!!!!!!!!!,
March 10, 2008
Can I give it more than just five stars? I love this movie!
It starts in Hobbitown, where Frodo lives with his Uncle Bilbo, who is celebrating his 1st birthday. When Gandalf, who is Dumbledore's brother, comes to Hobbitown, he gives Frodo a ring as a gift.
As it turns out, the ring is really from Gollum, who wants it back now. Frodo, who is selfish, would rather throw it in an active volcano. He leaves Hobbitown with Samuel, Pippin' and Mary, who I think are his brothers.
As they travel, the get chased by some guys on horses who happen to want the ring, too. They go to Bree to squish the gate keeper.
In Bree, Frodo causes a brawl in the pub, and puts the ring on. The eye of Sawron comes, because he wants the ring, too.
When Frodo takes the ring off, a prince named Aragorn takes him into a room to hide from the horse guys.
Soon, Frodo and his brothers befriend Aragorn, who eventually abandons them on a hill with the horse guys before coming back to save them. Frodo gets stabbed by a Mortal Sword, and needs to be taken by Aragorn's old flame, Arwen, who is an elf, to her huge estate in the mountains.
In an epic chase, when Arwen is riding from the horse guys, she gets a cut on her face. I cried.
Arwen's dad calls a secret meeting of all the b-list actors he knows, which is a kind of audition. Nine of them, including a dwarf, an elf, and someone who didn't know Aragorn was a prince and also wants the ring, decide to take Frodo to Mt. Saint Helens, the only place that the ring can be destroyed.
When they try to travel through the snow, an evil witch named Saryoumon, who also wants the ring, calls a giant snowball to fall on their heads. Because of this, the fellowship (which is what they call all these guys) decides to go through the minds of Moria, which was Gimli's (the dwarf) old house.
When they go, they find the house destroyed, and all of Gimli's brothers and sisters have turned into corpses. Suddenly, a whole bunch of goblins and a cave troll, who I think wants the ring, try to kill everyone. But Legolas (the elf), who used to be a pirate, shoots the troll in the mouth, so it dies.
After Gandalf fights the devil, he falls into a big crack on the ground. Everyone is crying and screaming, until they wander into the forest and are captured by elves. These elves are really pretty, and the queen is really a metal monster that can yell at Frodo. But she doesn't want the ring.
When they finally leave, they all get presents, like bows, swords, candles and hair. Then they get attacked by Urik-Hi, who wants the ring, too. In the best battle of the movie, all the bad guys die, and so do one of the good guys.
Finally, Frodo leaves in a boat, trying to escape from the bad guys. One of his brothers, Sam, comes to the boat. He drowns, and then Frodo pulls him into the boat. Together, they sail towards the volcano.
The movie definitely leaves it open for a sequel. I hope they make one! I'll be the first in line to see it.
A Wonderfully Crafted Piece Of Work, 28 Sep 2007,
February 23, 2008
Plot:
Passed to him by his uncle Bilbo, young Hobbit Frodo Baggins becomes the unlikely and unwilling bearer of The One Ring of power, an instrument of unparallelled evil. And so Frodo, along with his three Hobbit chums, the wizard Gandalf and a swordsman named Strider, set out on an epic quest.
My Review:
To be honest and slightly embarrassed, I had never read the 'Lord of The Rings' until mid-last year. I had heard of it, but not knowing much about. With no argument, history should quickly regard/treat Peter Jackson's The Fellowship Of The Ring as the first instalment of the best fantasy epic in motion picture history. This statement is genuine of investigation for many outstanding reasons.
Fellowship is undeniable and merely an opening salvo, and even after three hours in the dark you will likely exit the cinema famished with anticipation for the further two parts of the trilogy. The beginning to a three-part saga, is also forthright and firmly rooted in the fantasy action genre, which takes its part in not being confused with that of the cool and good science fiction.
Unlike the sweet charm of family fare of Harry Potter, usually dialogue consisting of gremlins, goo, goblins and some other less inspiring gibberish. The characters' dialogue in this opening spectacle prefers its aversion to that tacky talkie provide by the Harry Potter and tragic Eragon franchise. "To the bridge of Khazad-dûm!" are as well to stay within the Shire-like comforts of home (their loss).
With those admonitions in place, it bears repeating the ideal that fantasy does not come finer. There are electrifying moments -- notably the computer-assisted swooping camera through Isengard as it transforms into a factory for evil -- when Jackson's flight of fancy approaches the sublime as the romantic poets would understand it: inspiring awe.
Aside the increasing thorny issue of Tolkien' die-hards and their foreseeable gripes, 'Tom Bombadil", as an intellectual example; Jackson's screenplay (written with Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens) is far, both bolder and more astute than Steven Kloves' surprisingly timid interpretation of Harry Potter. Interestingly, resurrecting the romance of Arwen and Aragon from the footnotes of various appendices, to the escalation of Saruman to the all-action evil wizard, that actually has a corrective influence on J.R.R Tolkein's frequently slanted and female-sparse source material.
There aren't many problems, though; that most would complain about; being the three-hour running time. Fans knowing a good adaptation of the first novel would be anything but short. Though it may feel dragged, it doesn't fail to reprise in excellence and explosive action scenes supported by wonderfully crafted script and lusciously exploited characters. Some of the recent fantasy genre films may be too short to some discernible form. However, personally I enjoy the three-hour long and faithful adaptation. It is anything but short, making it a very good thing.
The largely seamless SFX is showcased in the best possible light -- total darkness -- but the narrative demands a different, downbeat and sad ending. Indeed, but for some fine emotional playing from Bean, Mortensen, Astin and Wood, but then, the real battles are yet to come...
Verdict:
Bearing the unlikeness of fellow fantasy and other war drama spectacles, Fellowship is flawlessly cast and constructed with passion; a labour of love that never feels heavily influenced. Setting current standards for blockbusters to shame. Emotional range and character depth ultimately take us beyond genre limitations, unlike the if not slightly lacking in depth, Mr. Potter. 10/10
Awe-Inspiring,
February 19, 2008
"The Lord of the Rings" is nothing short of brilliance. The story, the imagery, and the messages all convey honesty and realism, despite the fantasy elements. As a long time fan of the entire trilogy and of course "The Hobbit", I was looking forward to the release of this first film for several years after hearing a rumor about its production. Lucky enough to attend the midnight showing, I spent the entire three hours completely strapped to my seat, eyes glued to the screen and fingers gripping my chair. The entire theater was silent, perplexed by the visual and emotional treat in front of them. The joy, evil and pain felt by the characters was very real in such a sense that it seemed everyone was frightened for their lives as Frodo and his companions hid from their first encounter with a black rider. I remember I'd felt like I'd held my breath for the entirety of the film.
To this day, the effect is no less intense. There are folks whose taste in movies didn't usually include fantasy adventures, but they enjoy this anyway. In some cases, they're converted entirely and become obsessed fans.
Peter Jackson's interpretation of what has become a classic is close to perfection. The casting, dialogue, costumes, direction, and disposition of the film are exactly what they should have been. Somehow, Peter and his crew crafted a masterpiece that translates every necessary element from book to screen with ease. This movie (and both of its following chapters) is one of the very few films that continually affect the viewer despite how many times you might have seen it. Even though you might know the story, you can't help but be captivated and amazed at the technical and artistic marvel it is.
As others have already so elegantly stated, the special effects are truly top notch and easily blow everything else out of the water. Unlike other recent films, the effects, live action, speeches and comedy mesh seamlessly. One element doesn't overshadow another. You really get the sense this story is more historical than make believe.
This movie was the beginning of a global phenomenon that ended too soon. But its wonderful message of good triumphing over evil is made immortal, thanks to this intensely fabulous film.
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