Product description

2-tape VHS special extended edition

Amazon.com

In every aspect, the extended VHS edition of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring blows away the theatrical version. No one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original version again. Well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version, because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13). But the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship and Aragorn's burden of lineage. And some additions make more sense to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still no Tom Bombadil). The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two tapes, but that's a minor inconvenience. The extended VHS edition is the Fellowship video to rule them all. --David Horiuchi

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
• Package Dimensions : 7.5 x 3.9 x 2 inches; 1.2 Pounds
• Media Format : VHS
• Studio : New Line Home Entertainment
• Number of discs : 2