Lord of the Rings, The: Book I - The Return of the Shadow

Review by juden — June 15, 2009 @ 8:11 pm

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Review by joebshmoe — March 5, 2009 @ 11:49 pm

I enjoyed all of the creative decisions in this “book cut”, and as a whole this works very well. Many of the scenes now have a different *feel* and meaning, and much of the *oh my god are you kidding* rolling of the eyes moments are now gone. Thank you kerr!

On a technical note, I did not find any audio or video issues to report, and the two “features” on the dvd were an added bonus! The presentation of this edit and the following execution is impressive. I look forward to each part in your book cut series.

The only issue that could have been made better would be a 5.1 audio mix instead of the included 2.0 mix. Regardless, this is a fantastic edit.

9/10

Review by stubbs20 — June 21, 2009 @ 9:17 am

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

Review by GeneralNerd — September 3, 2010 @ 1:19 am

I’ve watched all 6 parts now and I really liked a lot of what you did to change it. Here’s a simple list of what I liked and didn’t like.

Liked:
The improved pacing. Watching my extended edition, I usually find myself bored, distracted, or falling asleep by the time Arwen is trying to escape the Black Riders on horseback. With your version, I was riveted.

The Black Riders seemed more threatening. It was mostly the small cuts you made that achieved this; they came across as more mysterious and harder to beat. It really made the whole thing feel more tense.

I was worried about how Arwen would come across when you’ve downplayed her more action filled moments, but it actually worked out fairly well.

Disliked:
The length. This isn’t really long enough to be its own movie. Not really your fault, though. You didn’t have much to work with in that regard.

The climax felt a bit too understated to me.

There’s a bit too much humor cut out. I know you were going for increased tension, but this really was one of the more lighthearted parts of the book, especially Pippin.

That said, I really liked it. I give it an 8/10.

Review by Adabisi — March 7, 2009 @ 9:44 pm

*This rating was given before reviews were required*