Series summary - If by 2007 you still haven't seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I think it'd be fair to assume you've seen enough parodies of it in TV shows and other movies to get the general idea. If you've read the books - or if you haven't - and for some crazy reason still haven't seen Peter Jackson's movie versions, you're missing out. Return of the King is my favorite, and I'd also recommend the extended editions, but boy are they long movies. They really stretched the whole "epic" thing, but it's great if you're in that kind of mood and you have... 12 hours to burn.
The Fellowship of the Ring© New Line, 2001
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jh says: 5 / 5
Epic. Mind blowing. Think of a positive adjective and chances are someone has used it to describe The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. J.R.R. Tolkein's fantasy series is unparalleled in its depth and attention to detail, and Fellowship of the Ring does an excellent job of portraying his world in a movie. Some dorks have complained about the creative license taken in bringing the series to the big screen but who cares. Sure, some things are different but any book would make for a real boring movie if you followed word for word. Bottom line, this trilogy is shaping up to be maybe the best EVER. If you haven't seen The Fellowship of the Ring, get in gear and get yourself a copy! The 4-disc extended edition costs more but is definitely worth it. Half an hour of scenes are added right in to the film and were probably just left out for time, because all of it's good. Watch it and love it. Five out of five possible; for being ambitious and pulling it off with style.
jc says: 5 / 5
The Fellowship of the Ring and its two sequels are shaping up to be the best trilogy ever made, and collectively will be the best movie ever made!* The Fellowship of the Ring has an incredibly rich story that is brought to life in an amazing fashion. In this first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we follow our main character - Frodo Baggins - on his journey to save middle-earth from the evil Sauron. He encounters many evil enemies (some of which are the scariest things I've ever seen in my entire life), and gets help from some of the pimpest (that's not even a word, but it needs to be) champions ever. Even if you aren't a big fan of the novels, you most definitely need to check this movie out (because it is amazing). I am convinced that after you watch it once, you'll HAVE to buy this movie... so skip the timely first step and just go out and buy it! I give this movie a 5 out of 5 because of its amazing story and excellent entertainment value.
The Two Towers
© New Line, 2003.
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get it at target.com
jh fawns: 5 / 5
If for some reason you've chosen to abstain from the Lord of the Rings trilogy...what are you thinking? For once, the entertainment media has thrown itself into a maintained frenzy over something that is actually worth getting excited for. The first movie was good. The second - better. Yes, I liked The Two Towers even more than The Fellowship of the Ring. Interestingly, and indicative of how well this series is pieced together, I think The Two Towers is so good partly because of how well the characters were developed in The Fellowship of the Ring. Plus, I like the first one better having seen the second. Considering that each of the extended editions is over 3 1/2 hours long, it's really impressive that something so long can be so consistently entertaining. You will care about the characters... you will want to see the good guys win... you will wish you could stab the bad guys. That's how well the Lord of the Rings trilogy draws you in. See this movie, if you haven't. See The Fellowship of the Ring first, if you've not seen that one either. 5 of 5 points for being an excellent movie in almost every respect imaginable.
jc fawns, too: 5 / 5
If you haven't jumped on the Lord of the Rings bandwagon yet, do so. Do so quickly. Not only is The Two Towers a very well made movie, but also its entertainment value is more than most any film ever made. I have great respect for Peter Jackson and his crew for the incredible amounts of effort they must have put forth to create such wonderful films. The battle scenes in this movie are at an unmatched level of quality. The camera moves in a way that makes you want to be actually there participating in the battles themselves. Legolas continues to be the best character, and at one point in the movie I could not contain my emotions and yelled out "what a pimp!" because of something amazing he had done. I have to agree with jh, The Two Towers would not be as good if it weren't for the excellent character introduction that took place throughout The Fellowship of the Ring. This installment of the trilogy has more action and continues to introduce more wonderful characters. I give it five points out of five for being just plain amazing in every way.