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WSR Detailed DVD Review
Lord Of The Rings, The: The Fellowship Of The Ring
2001 / Special Extended DVD Edition
Genre: Fantasy Adventure

Reviewed In Issue 67 (Dec 2002) Of Widescreen Review®

Stars:
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm & Andy Serkis

WSR Review Scores
WSR Picture Rating: 5
DD Sound Rating: 5
DTS Sound Rating: 5+
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score: 4.5
Internet Links
http://www.lordoftherings.net
http://www.newline.com
Special Features
In addition to the expansion of the story, which spreads The Fellowship Of The Ring over two discs (yes, that means that there is a disc-change intermission...following the Council Of Elrond), this Special Extended DVD Edition also includes an additional TWO DISCS of supplemental material. Discs One and Two include four separate group audio commentary tracks [1) Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens; 2) Design Team: Grant Major, Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, John Howe, Dan Hennah, Chris Hennah, and Tania Rodger; 3) Production/Post Production Team: Barrie Osborne, Mark Ordesky, Andrew Lesnie, John Gilbert, Rick Porras, Howard Shore, Jim Rygiel, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Mike Hopkins, Randy Cook, Christian Rivers, Brian Van


 DVD General Information

(Studio/Distributor): New Line Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number): N5549
(MPAA Rating): PG13
(Rating Reason):

Epic battle sequences and some scary images
(Retail Price): $39.99
(DVD Type): Four DVD-9 Discs
(Widescreen Edition): Yes
(Full Screen Edition): No
(Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
(Running Time In Minutes): 228
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Regional Coding): 1
(Theatrical Year): 2001
(Theatrical Release): Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release): No
(DVD Release Date): 11/12/02
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

 Credits Information

(Director): Peter Jackson
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  DVD Picture Information

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  DVD Sound Information

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  WSR Narrative Review
Special Notes:
Also available in a Collector's DVD Gift Set.

Story Synopsis:


DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.40:1 DVD exhibits virtually the same great image quality as the previously released DVD, with the addition of seamlessly added scenes for this expanded edition. Hues are rich and vibrant, with color schemes that suit individual locations throughout. While The Shire is filled with inviting, fully saturated greens and golds; Moria has a dank, dark, and cold feeling with lots of blue and grays; and Rivendell glows with golden autumn hues under a soft, hazy light, offering an appearance that is easy-on-the-eyes. Of course, a softer focus is used at times, along with lighting and smoke effects to create an aura specific to scenes dedicated to the Elves of Rivendell and the High Elves of Lothlori

Soundtrack:
The DTS-ES 6.1 soundtrack offers slight yet quite noticeable refinements over the Dolby Digital version, itself already an excellent audio presentation. The DTS-ES audio sounds slightly more open and refined in the midrange, and spatial coherence seems a little better defined for a greater level of holosonic spaciousness. The team at MiCasa Multimedia, who worked with the remix and mastering of the first DVD release, as well as the original creators of the soundtrack, have done an excellent job with the new segments relevant to the special edition, and dovetailing them into the original film version. The soundtrack presentation is superb, with an open, airy soundstage presence throughout and exemplary fidelity. An outstanding aspect of this production is Howard Shore's music score, which has been very well-recorded, and has a dimensional character that just seems to convincingly encircle you, providing for a downright effective visceral foundation to each setting. In Chapter 37, there is a key moment for which sound effects actually take a back seat to the music, and it is here that you can really appreciate the emotional momentum imparted through both the melodic theme and the spatial character. The dialogue is also a fine recording, with voices having particular distinctiveness. Spatial integration of the dialogue is remarkable throughout. Overall, this is a very dynamic, loud, and powerful soundtrack, with caution advised at or near reference level, as there are instances of extreme sound pressure levels and energy at the lowest frequencies. The deep bass comprises extension to well below 25 Hz in all channels. In addition to the many effects that call for substantial low-end content, the music score also has a very generous, rich, articulate deep bass character. The myriad sound effects throughout have all been very well-crafted and recorded, with those that are poignant imparting a particularly visceral presence through their sheer creativity (such as the nearly fatal arrow

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
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