It is really truly sad when Hollywood double and triple dips with their multitude of movie releases. First comes the theatrical version, then the 'special' edition. Then, after everyone has spent all of their money, out comes the special Extended Edition; the way the film was SUPPOSED to be, before it was tragically chopped to satisfy corporate suits and an attention deficit American crowd. In most cases the scenes cut from films are of no consequence and in essence really don't do much for the over all picture and feel, but in the case of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', the extra and extended scenes really flesh out the main characters and make the film that much more enjoyable. Especially if you are a fan of the film and the book...



Though still not an exact representation of the book, 'The Fellowship of The Ring' extended edition is an amazing masterpiece, a true landmark in film making. There is over 30 minutes of extra and extended material, all seamlessly integrated into the picture. No, Tom Bombadil is still MIA, and a couple of other things are still absent, but certain characters and situations are largely fleshed out and make much more sense. Where as in the theatrical version things were made short and chopped, the extended edition feels like a finished product, and it is very satisfying to see the new material. A great portion of the songs from the book are present, though I assume they were originally cleaved out to appease more to the general public (who may or may not enjoy song in their action/drama/fantasy film); they do very well to complete the atmosphere and mythology of Tolkien's world. The extra material pushes the film well over 3 hours, and spans across two discs.



Of course, no special edition would be complete without bucket loads of special features, and this edition delivers in spades. 2, count them, 2 discs of special features come with this wonderful edition, chock full of behind-the-scenes shorts, making of featurettes, commentary and a whole host of stuff that will surely please the die hard fan. All of this comes in a really cool box that resembles a leather-bound book.



Director Peter Jackson's gift of his extended version of 'The Fellowship of The Ring' is a true treat and easily makes the theatrical cut obsolete. I cannot stress enough how truly complete this film feels with the extra material. While I do not agree with 2 or 3 different versions of a film, I do feel that THIS version of 'The Fellowship of The Ring' is well worth a double or triple dip.



Now, if we can only get 'The Fellowship of The Ring' Extended Edition on Blu-Ray...