Product Details

• Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin
• Directors: Peter Jackson
• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: New Line Home Video
• DVD Release Date: September 14, 2010
• Run Time: 178 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4,015 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003TT2X6I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,231 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #23 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Fantasy
  • #50 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Science Fiction
• Learn more about "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In every aspect, the extended-edition DVD of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring blows away the theatrical-version DVD. No one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original version again. Well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version, because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13). But the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship and Aragorn's burden of lineage. And some additions make more sense to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still no Tom Bombadil). Extremely useful are the chapter menus that indicate which scenes are new or extended.

Of the four commentary tracks, the ones with the greatest general appeal are the one by Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and the one by 10 cast members, but the more technically oriented commentaries by the creative and production staff are also worth hearing. The bonus features (encompassing two complete DVDs) are far superior to the largely promotional materials included on the theatrical release, delving into such matters as script development, casting, and visual effects. The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two discs, with a somewhat abrupt break following the council at Rivendell, due to the storage capacity required for the longer running time, the added DTS ES 6.1 audio, and the commentary tracks. But that's a minor inconvenience. Whether in this four-disc set or in the collector's gift set (which adds Argonath bookends and a DVD of National Geographic Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), the extended-edition DVD is the Fellowship DVD to rule them all. --David Horiuchi

Product Description

Assisted by a Fellowship of heroes, Frodo Baggins plunges into a perilous trek to take the mystical One Ring to Mount Doom so that it and its magical powers can be destroyed and never possessed by evil Lord Sauron. The astonishing journey begins in the first film of director/co-writer Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy that redefined fantasy filmmaking. This imaginative foray into J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth won 4 Academy Awards®* and earned 13 total nominations including Best Picture.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

687 of 748 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A fantasy masterpiece for the cinema! December 22, 2001

By Mike London TOP 1000 REVIEWER

A cinematic version of Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS ranks up with the hope that Lucas will indeed make another Star Wars Trilogy, and, I think I can safely say, this is one of the most anticipated films in the movie industry's long and checkered history. You would think it's movie paradise, considering Lucas has been in the midst of another Star Wars trilogy and LORD OF THE RINGS has finally got a cinema deal (live action!), but PHANTOM MENACE proved something of a disappointment (Mesa Jar Jar Binks!), and I think quite a few people will enter into the theatre with a certain amount of trepidation.

There's a reason for that. Three animated Tolkien films have been released with very problematic results. The 1978 Bakshi release is just embarrassing; the film is both incoherent and confusing.

Rankin & Bass's two movies are fine for little kids; those two films are Tolkien for Saturday Morning cartoons. They proved my introduction to Tolkien and for that I am thankful, but the movies still fail to capture the grandeur of Tolkien's imagination.

There are two things to consider here about a work of literature. Although all good literature has a polarization effect on its readers, this work has a gigantic legion of followers which are extremely dedicated to Tolkien's vision (I count myself a member of this camp). The other camp cannot figure out what the big fuss is about and why they should care about the novel.

Now, there's a reason why all this is relevant to the film: had Peter Jackson gone to far either way the film would have fallen apart. Appeal to much to the fan-base and you loose the general movie-goer. Appeal to much to the movie-goer, and you'll lose the fan-base.

So when the fan base learned of Peter Jackson's decision to film all three films at once, an unprecedented move in movie history, most of us really wanted it to be good but were just simply afraid. We've already been burnt. Would it be so bad that it would alienate both fan base and those who are just looking for a good movie?

Not only does Peter Jackson's film work, it's glorious, beautiful, has all the myth and grandeur of the book. Jackson, a Tolkien fanatic, could have gotten so involved with bringing out the extremely detailed world Tolkien gave us that the pacing would suffer or we'd lose patience with all these obscure details which would alienate the regular movie goer. Not only does he not alienate the general movie goer, but he entices the fan base so much they can't help but fall in love with his vision of Tolkien's world.

The only real flaw is how rushed first section of the movie is. Although I can understand cutting the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, the way they handled getting the hobbits out of the Shire was unacceptable. There is not that sense of camaraderie between the Hobbits that there is in the book, there is no "conspiracy," and Merry and Pippin just join without any questioning from Sam and Frodo. While Jackson does a good job at building the Hobbits' characters and establishing their personalities, I couldn't come up with a good reason why Frodo and Sam would just let Merry and Pippin join them.

The Prancing Pony is worst. There is no questioning from the Hobbits about Aragorn proving himself, there is no scene about him asking them to trust him, and the whole sequence feels much too rushed. Sam only questions Aragorn while they're actually out of the inn and traveling.

Thankfully, however, that is the only real flaw. The rest of the things the script changed (tightening Elrond's council, the expansion of Arwen, cutting Sam from the Galadriel mirror sequence, tempting Aragorn with the ring, etc) I can see why they did it for dramatic tension. I also liked the way they handled Elrond's council, because that could have ruined the movie like it did with Bakshi's. They had established and covered much of the material in that chapter elsewhere by means of voice-over prologue and actually showing the viewer what is happening (especially with the Isengard sequences), and as a result lessened the screentime of that scene and helping with the dramatics of it.

As for the controversial expansion of Arwen, I tend to agree with the film makers in their decision to enlarge her role. By making her part of the Ford sequence it introduces the character and establishes her in the viewer's mind, and the relationship between Arwen and Aragorn is more fully explored. As for their romantic interlude in Rivendell, not only do I agree with that but think it should have been done in the book. Tolkien did not know who Strider was when he was first writing FELLOWSHIP, and did not go back and change the scenes to further explain the romance between Arwen and Aragorn, and by not including a scene in Rivendell to establish their love for one another lessens by far the impact of their union in Part III, and (for once) this romantic scene is actually an improvement on the book. As for her role in the Flight at the Ford, for the movie they made the right choice though the book is still preferable.

In achieving the balance between fan base and the more causal fan, this film is a spectacular success. Making a movie out of a book the size of Fellowship, the fact is you will have to condense, tighten, rearrange, and make changes for dramatic tensions. The mediums are different, and you cannot have a direct translation from a book to a film. Despite of what they cut, the movie still clocks in at three hours, which is very generous. The real problem with this film, as others noted, is it's going to be a full two years before we finally get to watch THE RETURN OF THE KING.

In the end, we get a movie that stays true to the SPIRIT of the book. This is what we Tolkien fans have long been waiting for. Thank you so much Peter Jackson and your cast and crew.

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars NEVER WATCH THE ORIGINAL AGAIN! November 14, 2002

By "golden-child"

Format:DVD

I just finished watching the extended version and it was like watching a whole new film! In every way, this version is superior. The thirty extra minutes are not wasted. The characters are fleshed out, the battles seem more desparate and the agony of the journey both to Rivendale and beyond is made plain. I urge anyone who hasn't already purchased the theater version to skip it and get the extended one instead. Anyone who already has the theater version.....well this one is definately worth forking out the extra dough to get.

69 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Addition to your DVD Library! November 17, 2002

By Treyka

Format:DVD

If you saw and loved the theater version, you won't want to miss this extended edition. I won't go into detail about the theater version; instead I'll assume you've seen it and write about the new scenes.

I was very excited to learn that these new scenes weren't going to be a "special section" of the DVD. Instead the extra scenes were added into the movie, edited and polished to blend perfectly. There were some scenes which were altogether new; at other times a familiar scene would include added dimension.

Every added minute (I believe there were about 30 altogether) was thrilling and illuminating! For example, I enjoyed learning more about Hobbits and life in The Shire! This extended opening to the movie gave a broader foundation to those of us who knew nothing about Hobbits before seeing this movie.

Though there was some great battle footage added, a great deal of the added footage included conversations amongst the characters. These conversations gave the characters--cherished and beloved as they already were--a greater depth and warmth. It caused the obvious brotherly link of the Fellowship to make greater sense. One example is an added conversation between Boromir and Aragorn while they are well into their journey to Mordor. I'd already felt sorry for Boromir and his well-intentioned weakness for the ring, yet my husband couldn't understand why I felt endeared to him. But after hearing the conversation between the two men, my husband was more able to understand my pity for Boromir.

Another example is the last fight scene in the movie. In the theater version, Peregrine and Merry seemed to have run off and hid throughout the battle, until they saw Boromir shot. But in the extended version, we see the courage and heart of these two Hobbits as they fight these huge, intimidating creatures with everything in them and using every resource available--even stone-throwing! I was so proud of them that I clapped my hands as I watched!

As I write, I'm the process of watching the second of the two "making of" DVDs. The first contains the process from book to movie concept. It includes a short but interesting biography of the writer, J.R.R. Tolkein (though it doesn't mention his Christian roots). The DVD also contains much of the process of making the book into a movie--the creation of the sets (using real locations, miniatures, and computer graphics, etc)., the creation of the creatures, and the costumes. The first DVD itself is long and gets a little dry after a while, but it's well-divided so that you can watch it a piece at a time or skip the less interesting parts.

I haven't finished watching the second DVD, but it's already a lot of fun! So far it's mainly made up of character interviews where the actors talk about what it was like to work with one another. I've also enjoyed seeing the make-up process.

All that to say this: I highly recommend this set! If you're a fan of the first installment of this movie series, you won't be disappointed!