The Lord of the Rings: Parts 1-3. The Motion Picture Trilogy

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

The extended editions of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings present the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious sets in DVD history. In bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s nearly unfilmable work to the screen, Jackson benefited from extraordinary special effects, evocative New Zealand locales, and an exceptionally well-chosen cast, but most of all from his own adaptation with co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, preserving Tolkien’s vision and often his very words, but also making logical changes to accommodate the medium of film. While purists complained about these changes and about characters and scenes left out of the films, the almost two additional hours of material in the extended editions (about 11 hours total) help appease them by delving more deeply into Tolkien’s music, the characters, and loose ends that enrich the story, such as an explanation of the Faramir-Denethor relationship, and the appearance of the Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor. In addition, the extended editions offer more bridge material between the films, further confirming that the trilogy is really one long film presented in three pieces (which is why it’s the greatest trilogy ever—there’s no weak link). The scene of Galadriel’s gifts to the Fellowship added to the first film proves significant over the course of the story, while the new Faramir scene at the end of the second film helps set up the third and the new Saruman scene at the beginning of the third film helps conclude the plot of the second.

To top it all off, the extended editions offer four discs per film: two for the longer movie, plus four commentary tracks and stupendous DTS 6.1 ES sound; and two for the bonus material, which covers just about everything from script creation to special effects. The argument was that fans would need both versions because the bonus material is completely different, but the features on the theatrical releases are so vastly inferior that the only reason a fan would need them would be if they wanted to watch the shorter versions they saw in theaters (the last of which, The Return of the King, merely won 11 Oscars). The LOTR extended editions without exception have set the DVD standard by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien’s world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. —David Horiuchi

Barnes and Noble

J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Ring trilogy, originally published in the 1950s, set a new standard for fantasy fiction—and its Oscar-winning live-action adaptation does the same for movies of the sword-and-sorcery genre. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited fantasy film of all time and nearly five years in the making, The Fellowship of the Ring captures the spirit of Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga far more faithfully than its millions of fans dared hope. (Ralph Bakshi offered an animated adaptation in 1978, but to a much less rousing response.) The story begins as elderly hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) relinquishes possession of his most valuable keepsake, a golden ring possessing magical powers, to his youthful heir, Frodo (Elijah Wood). Charged with casting the ring into the fires from which it was forged, the young hobbit begins an arduous trek across Middle-earth, accompanied by a sturdy band that includes his best friend, Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin), the mercurial wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), the haunted warrior Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and the blustery dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), among others. Opposed by treacherous sorcerer Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the demonic emissaries of the Dark Lord, Sauron, this continuously embattled Fellowship makes its way slowly toward the cruel land of Mordor. Studded with remarkable action sequences enhanced by state-of-the-art computer effects, Fellowship is a veritable feast for eye and ear. Director Peter Jackson shot the film in his native New Zealand, where he found stunning, picturesque locations in which to set his scenes. These marvelous natural settings combine with the beautifully crafted sets, costumes, makeup, and props to convincingly bring Tolkien’s mythical world to life. The actors, one and all, play their roles as if they were born to them; even such briefly seen stars as Cate Blanchett (elf queen Galadriel) and Liv Tyler (elf maiden Arwen) perform with panache. Fellowship departs from the sacred texts in a number of ways, but Jackson’s movie replicates the trilogy’s first book faithfully. A rousing adventure-fantasy that will delight Tolkien devotees and newbies alike, this is truly an unforgettable film—one that will yield new pleasures with each viewing, and which therefore belongs in every video collection. Ed Hulse