LOTR - Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Special Extended Edition

Movie

Rating: PG-13 (epic battle sequences and some scary images)
Length: 208 minutes

Video

Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Audio

ENGLISH: DTS 6.1
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 2.0

Captions

None

Purchase

Plot

A hobbit begins a quest to destroy a ring of power before it can be used to destroy Middle Earth. This is the first of three movies in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy; like there's anybody out there that doesn't already know this.

Pros

These movies are based on the best fantasy books ever written; in my humble yet accurate opinion. Peter Jackson and friends not only stayed true to the books but provided it in a visually stunning way. And when it comes to DVD extras, this is the box set that raised the bar.

Cons

Yes, this s 3.5 hours long but it won't seem like it; you'll be changing to disc two before you know it.

Extras

Audio Commentary by Director/Producer/Writer Peter Jackson, Producer/Writer Fran Walsh, and Writer Philippa Boyens
Audio Commentary by Actors Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, and Sean Bean
Audio Commentary by the Film's Design Team
Audio Commentary by the Film's Production and Post-Production Team
Six documentaries covering JR.R. Tolkien, the process of adapting a book into a screenplay and planning the film, designing and building Middle-earth, as well as a visit to Weta Workshop with an up close look at the costumes, weapons, armor, creatures and miniatures created for the film.
An interactive map of Middle-earth tracing the journey of the Fellowship
Galleries of art and accompanying slide shows with commentaries by the artists (includes an archive of nearly 2000 images
Storyboards and previsualization sequences with film comparisons
11 Original documentaries covering the cast, principal photography a day in the life of a hobbit, visual effects, post production, editing, music and sound and the release of the film
Galleries of Behind-the-Scenes Photograph

Recommendation

This is my favorite of the three movies. All the main characters are introduced and the basic plot for the story is developed. You'll have to wait for the next two films for the large battles and great CGI, but I find this film to be as if not more visually stunning than the last two. I could spend hours on each of the reviews for this trilogy but what fun would that be. If that's what you're looking for, there are countless sites that will provide that for you.

LOTR - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Special Extended Edition