The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [WS] [2 Discs] [DVD] [2001]

A tradition of excellence from New Line Home Video continues with the first release of 2001's epic The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, a DVD that quite simply takes sound, and especially picture, to a new level. The image on this disc, framed at the original aspect ration of 2.35:1 (but also available in a separate severely cropped pan-and-scan version) is stunning. Stunning might not even be enough to describe how good it looks. The Oscar-winning cinematography is perfectly realized, with solid and deep blacks and lush, wonderfully saturated colors. The sound is equally impressive with a 5.1 EX Dolby Digital English track that is startling strong. Recorded loudly, this track will certainly put all sound systems to the test with vibrant use of the surrounds and deep bass. Also available are a surround track and subtitles in English. As for supplemental materials, they are a mixed bag. The focus is on three documentaries, but there is far too much repetition among them. The longest, "A Passage To Middle-earth," at 40 minutes, is really the only one that needs to be watched, as all the information, from interviews to behind-the-scenes segments, are basically the same. A real plus are 15 featurettes taken from the original website for the film. Each lasts only a few minutes, but adds in its own distinct way. Also included is a music video from Enya, a preview of the video game for the second film, theatrical trailers and television spots, and a look at the four-disc special extended set, released three months after this two-disc set. In addition to some online DVD-ROM content is a ten-minute preview for the second film in the series, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Granted, there is a supplement-heavy special edition of this film (if you want a commentary track from director Peter Jackson, among others, better look for that one), but this release is still a outstanding presentation of a spectacular film.