|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Film Details:
Directed by Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures. He is also GOD.) Written by Starring Review: by Melissa (e-mail your faithful reviewer) Note: This is a review of the original theatrical cut of the film. Click here for a review of the extended DVD release. If you haven't seen this film yet, you have either been living under a rock or have been purposely depriving yourself of one of the most amazing cinematic experiences ever. Either way, you lead a sad existence. Go rent this baby. Even better, go find it in a second-run theater and revel in its glory. If you have seen this film, you are probably saying to yourself, "Yeah, I agree, but why are you reviewing a fantasy film on a horror web site?" Silly. I'm reviewing it here because Peter Jackson, the man who gave us such human-chomping gore favorites as Dead Alive and Bad Taste, also directed The Fellowship of the Ring. Peter Jackson is the cinematic GOD of my universe. This is the man who built his own Steadycam for $15. This is the man who introduced us to lawnmowers as efficient, if messy, tools for clearing zombies from your home. This is the man who somehow not only had the balls to go up to New Line and ask for $300 million dollars for a Lord of the Rings trilogy, but also got it. Even better, he knocked our pants off with the first installment. Eat your heart out, George Lucas. This is how you deliver a film to an established, rabid fan base. Armed with a pitch-perfect cast and the astounding home-grown special effects team at WETA, Peter Jackson has made a film that not only captures the books, but, in my estimation, improves on them. I mean, c'm on guys. Tolkein's writing sucks. Not only does he go off on irrelevant tangents, but he has a lousy writing style. It took me months to wade through the first book in the trilogy, and every time I finished a chapter, I threw the damn book against a wall. The book is groggy, badly paced, and in bad need of an editor. Yeah, I know it was a ground breaking book, and people love the story, but it is horribly written. The film, on the other hand, is probably the most exciting thing I have ever seen on screen. The beats of the drama are absolutely perfect, the story moves at a quick clip, and the whole thing plays like a great symphony. It never feels like a three-hour film. In fact, you get to the end and scream, "Where are the next six hours?!? GIMMEE!" DVD Details: Dolby Digital 6.1 EX This 2-DVD set is offered in both full-screen and widescreen versions. Be careful to pick up only the widescreen version. The movie makes the most of its widescreen format, so even if you are one of those full-screen weirdos, get the widescreen. It's not even worth watching the film in full-screen. This set is packed with goodies and extras. The featurettes and documentaries are fascinating -- make sure you watch them. The sound and the picture are top-notch. This is a classy, well-done set of discs. Now, an insider note on the 2-disc, 4-disc, and 5-disc sets. There are absolutely no features that have been duplicated between the 2-disc and the 4/5-disc sets, right down to the cut of the film. If you want both the theatrical cut and the director's cut of the film, you will have to buy both the 2-disc set and one of the other two sets. Yes, it's expensive, but you get all new stuff with each purchase. I think that's pretty damn groovy. Click here for my discussion of the 4- and 5-disc editions of The Fellowship of the Ring. Further Information: |
11252006: |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||
