The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It tells the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire. Frodo is given a ring by his uncle Bilbo. This ring is the mythical One Ring that the Dark Lord covets (and once held). He knows that the ring is in the Shire and that a Baggins has the ring. The Wizard Gandalf sets Frodo on a path away from the Shire so that the Sauron (the Dark Lord) cannot regain the ring and overwhelm Middle Earth. In the process, Frodo comes in the company of Elves, Dwarves, and Men in his quest to destroy the ring in the fires of Mordor. This is the opening chapter of the epic tale.
This DVD is the Extended Edition. What that means is that Peter Jackson (the director) took his theatrical version of the film and reinserted approximately 30 minutes of additional footage back into the movie. Some scenes are snippets and extensions of existing scenes, but others are entirely new scenes. This extended edition is, as Peter Jackson says, an alternate version of the film. I feel that it is a much stronger, and richer version of Fellowship. It feels more complete, and because of the additions, it is closer to the text of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Besides the extended edition of the film (which I feel is superior to the theatrical release), we are also given two bonus discs of special features. These are various documentaries of nearly every possible aspect of the making of the movie. One bonus disc is about how Peter Jackson (and crew) adapted the book and was able to make it into a movie. The second bonus disc is how Peter Jackon s vision of the film was crafted into the finished product we saw on screen. There are 6 or 7 hours of bonus material and watching all of the bonus footage, I was stunned by the amount of work that went into making this movie. All the information that you could possibly want to know about the making of the movie, it s on the DVD. These are no promotional pieces, but rather a detailed look at the filmmaking process.
If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings, this is a must own DVD. If you loved the theatrical version, you ll still want to check this one out, it is a subtly different movie and it has a richer feel to it. As far as DVD sets go, this is one of the best.
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