Movie Reviews

At the time I'm writing this review, I've see The Fellowship of the Ring approximately 3.66 times: I watched it twice in the theatre, I watched the last half of it with my parents at home, and then earlier this week I watched the entire three-and-a-half hours of the "extended version" of the film on DVD. The best movies defy any sort of boredom on repeated viewings, and I have to say that the Fellowship of the Ring actually seems to get better each time I see it (especially as it exists on the extended DVD).

It really is a brilliant and beautiful film. The expansive cinematography and energetic camera movement ('energetic'... not spastic) make it a really exciting film to watch, even in scenes where the characters are doing little more than just walking. And I don't know if anything more really needs to be said about the special effects -- they really are amazing, especially in how seamlessly they work to create a fantastic vision of Tolkein's world, without calling attention to themselves.

I'll leave this review with a quick comment about the extended version available on DVD: if you liked the theatrical-release version of the film, you're sure to like the longer cut. There are some very interesting new scenes in it that make the extra half-hour certainly worthwhile. And Legolas the elf kicks even more ass in this version than he does in the original...