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THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
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This DVD review 
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2002 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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Absolutely
amazing! Utterly phenomenal! What more can I say about THE LORD OF THE
RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ($30) that hasn't already been said?
This is truly one of the most spectacular motion pictures that I have ever
seen. And, had I the opportunity, I would have voted it the Academy Award
for Best Picture. I have to tell you that I enjoyed every frame of this
nearly three-hour epic, and when the movie came to its conclusion, I can
honestly say I wanted more. Fortunately for those that feel the same way,
New Line will be issuing an extended edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING in November 2002, which will incorporate an
addition thirty minutes of footage into the film; adding even more depth
and scope to this epic saga.
THE
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is the first book in the
trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells of an all-powerful ring created by
the Dark Lord Sauron to rule all of Middle Earth. Nearest to the moment of
his victory, Sauron was defeated in an epic battle. As for Sauron's ring,
it should have been destroyed, but instead, it disappeared for thousands
of years. Eventually, the ring was found by a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins
(Ian Holm), who thoroughly unaware of what he had in his possession for
much of his long life. The ring, along with all of Bilbo's other
possessions, eventually pass to the elderly Hobbit's nephew Frodo Baggins
(Elijah Wood), when Bilbo decides to leave his home in the Shire for the
last time.
Frodo
quickly becomes aware of the deadly nature of his inheritance, when he
finds himself perused by the minions the Dark Lord Sauron, who has risen
again and wants to reclaim his ring of power. Under the advice of the
Wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Frodo leaves the shire and begins
a perilous journey, the likes of which no other Hobbit has ever undertaken;
to return the ring of power to the fires of Mount Doom- the place that
it was forged and the only place it can be destroyed. From amongst the
races of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves and Humans, Frodo acquires a number of
allies, all of whom swear to protect him and help him in the quest to
destroy Lord Sauron's all powerful ring.
It
was the vision of co-writer/co-producer/director Peter Jackson that
brought THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING to the
screen- a task that many said could never be done. Well, Jackson did it-
and did it so astoundingly well, that if the second and third films live
up to the first, the director should receive some sort of special
achievement Oscar for bringing this un-filmable saga to the screen. Of
course, there is no way in the world that THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING could have been produced without digital
special effects and CGI, and fortunately, the effects are so seamless and
unobtrusive that they never break the spell that the film weaves for its
entire running time.
Additionally,
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING benefits from a
truly superb cast of actors. Elijah Wood bears the weight of a task, equal
to that of his character, in having to carry much of this epic movie upon
his shoulders. Fortunately, Wood acquits himself exceedingly well by
giving a very natural and unencumbered performance. Ian McKellen infuses
the grandeur of his larger-than-life character with both humor and
humanity. Christopher Lee, who portrays Saruman the White, makes more than
an indelible impression with his featured role in this epic. Lee has
always been a potent screen force, but has rarely been given the
recognition that he deserved, that is, until a new generation of directors
resurrected his film career by casting him in prominent roles that
showcase his talents. The superb cast of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING also features Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv
Tyler, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, John
Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan.
New
Line Home Entertainment has made THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP
OF THE RING available on DVD in 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that
features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9 displays. A separate full
screen version is also available for those individuals that don't care to
see films as they should be seen. In typical fashion, New Line Home
Entertainment has produced a glorious looking and sounding DVD. This is
definitely a demonstration quality disc; made even more impressive by the
fact that the entire one hundred seventy eight minute movie fits onto a
single sided DVD with no appreciable flaws.
The
absolute worst thing I can say about the presentation is that a few shots
look a tad soft, and there are a few instances of barely noticeable
digital compression artifacts. Other than those minor quibbles, the image
is utterly impressive, appearing both crisp and finely detailed. Colors
are glorious, with lush, fully saturated hues and no signs of chroma noise
or smearing. Blacks appear pure and velvety, while the whites are clean
and completely stable. Contrast is wonderfully smooth, except where it is
intended to appear otherwise, plus the picture boasts marvelous shadow
detail. For a Super-35 production the image is relatively free from a
noticeable grain structure. In addition, the film element used for the
transfer is completely free of blemishes.
THE
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
is presented with a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX soundtrack that is an absolute
sonic marvel. I guess one could say that the sound is even better than the
video, but I think that they complement and enhance each other to such a
degree that neither is truly better. Still, this demonstration quality
sound mix offers everything one could hope for, and it will put any home
theater system through its paces. The sound designers have taken a
supremely aggressive approach to the mix for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. This is the kind of a mix that leaves one
reeling, and then wanting more, just like a kid who can't get enough of
his favorite Rollercoaster ride. Sounds emanate from everywhere, whizzing
and panning effortlessly through an incredibly cohesive sonic environment.
Not
only is the mix superbly directional, it is amazingly atmospheric-
creating the perfect sonic environment for every moment of the film.
Dialogue reproduction is impeccable; every utterance is completely
understandable and the actors' voices resonate beautifully. As for the
bass channel- one should get all the breakables out of harms way, as the
thunderous low frequencies are certain to do some damage to things not
carefully stowed. Finally, Howard Shore's vigorous score is reproduced
with excellent fidelity and a great sense of musical depth, showing that
Dolby Digital is capable of holding its own, even with a lesser bit rate
than other digital sound formats. An English Dolby Surround soundtrack has
also been encoded onto the DVD, as have English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s elegantly
designed interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the supplemental
materials offered on this two-disc set. Actually, all of the supplemental
material is contained on the second disc of this set, and I should note
that none of the material presented here will be duplicated on the
four-disc, extended edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF
THE RING that is coming in November 2002.
Three
reasonably in depth programs constitute the main body of disc two's
supplements. Welcome To Middle-Earth runs about seventeen
minutes, offers a preview of the film, as well as some slight insight into
the publishing of the J.R.R. Tolkien books. Quest For The Ring
is a twenty-two minute program that initially on the Fox television
network and offers another preview of the some behind-the-scenes footage.
Originally airing on the Sci-Fi Channel is the forty-two minute program Passage
To Middle-Earth, which covers much of the same material as the
other programs, with a few additions.
Next
one will find fifteen short programs that were originally created for the
film's website and viewable as Internet content. The vignettes are
interesting, but incredibly brief, since most individuals would have been
accessing them via dialup modems. Also included on the DVD are three
theatrical trailers, six TV spots, an Enya music video for the song May
It Be, a preview of the extended edition DVD, a behind-the-scenes
preview of upcoming second film THE TWO TOWERS and a video game
preview. Disc two is also DVD-ROM enabled offering web links and access to
on-line content.
THE
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
is truly an incredible motion picture experience. In some way, shape or
form THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is a must
own DVD. New Line has produced a superb DVD edition of the film's
theatrical cut, plus they have a four-disc, extended edition of the film
coming in November. Those who truly love the film are going to want to own
both editions, while those that want to purchase the title only once may
want to wait for the release of the four disc set. However, those making
the purchase now will find a $5.00 off rebate coupon for the extended
edition, which makes owning both a little easier to take.
