DVD Review: Lord of The Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring (Limited Edition)

An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign!

Review:
In the opinion of this writer, The Lord of the Rings trilogy has emerged as the epitome of modern cinematic achievement. Peter Jackson fashioned a complete and utter masterpiece when he sought out to bring J.R.R. Tokien’s Middle Earth to the big screen in all it’s wonder and beautifully expansive glory. The three years in which the films were being released were three years of joy and anticipation for December and the next installment of The Lord of the Rings. Everyone has their personal favorite from the trilogy and I will always stick by The Fellowship of the Ring. Of course, this is simply a matter of opinion and each film, based on its own merits, is equal to its other counter parts- three films of pure cinematic genius. There isn’t much negative to say about the latest special edition releases of the three Lord of the Rings films. They are priced in the sub-20 dollar range, and though it may seem a bit shallow what I appreciated most about these special edition re-releases is the packaging. You have to give the folks over at New Line Cinemas props for coming up with a half-way creative way to package these things.

Now, the only feature that is actually new with the 2-disc set is the inclusion of a 109 minute long behind-the-scenes documentary by director Costa Botes who was hired by Peter Jackson. Many will argue that the documentary alone is worth paying for the DVD, and hardcore LOTR fans will, no doubt, be picking up these sets. I think that the niche that the new special edition sets are attempting to fill is that of the casual fan who didn’t want to splurge for the multi-disc super expanded editions of the film that were previously released, but still desire to see the expanded edition and some excellent behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film. I know I’m not alone when I say that after watching the extended version of The Fellowship, I had absolutely no desire to go back and watch the theatrical release- the extended version is absolutely crucial, a must have for even the casual fan. I just wish they had released the extended version in theatres with, of course, an intermission in the middle because even the most diehard fans need a leg-stretch and a potty-break. All in all, this two-disc special edition is highly recommended to the casual and hardcore fan alike. The price is right, and I could not be more happy with the nearly two hours of behind-the-scenes footage that is included- It’s The Lord of the Rings, that’s really all you need to know.

Review by Emma Loggins

Grade: A+
Staff Favorite

Official site: http://www.lordoftherings.net/
Buy on Amazon: Lord of The Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring (Limited Edition)

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