So, I got the opportunity to watch the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring DVD. No, I haven't bought it yet. The thing is, the expanded version is coming out in November (apparently, a 4 DVD set) and my budget doesn't yet allow me to have 2 copies of the same DVD. Luckily, a friend of a friend had one they were willing to lend out.

I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth (I actually try to stay away from looking in horses' mouths altogether) but the copy I got to view was the fullscreen version. That means no widescreen. That means pan and scan. I'm not a big fan of that, especially with movies possessing the grandeur evidenced by Fellowship of the Ring. However, it did allow me to judge the transfer and get a look at the extras.

And the extras are pretty cool. There are three "making of" style documentaries, one that had been broadcast on Fox, one from Houghton Mifflin, the publishers of Lord of the Rings, and one from (I believe) the SF Channel, or maybe it was SciFi.com. In any case, all three are pretty neat to watch, if you like that sort of thing, and I do. Also, there were two to three minutes shorts about different aspects of the filming and special effects process. Again, if you like behind the scenes stuff--and being a movie junky, I do--these are great, ranging in subject from certain of the characters (like Aragorn and Legolas) to scenes (Bree and Hobbiton). Lots of good stuff there.

Now, the two parts I really freaked over were the two previews. The first was for the expanded version, with scenes like the four Hobbits seeing the elves travelling through the Shire to the Grey Havens, and the blossoming of Gimili's love for Galadriel. There is a lot added in, more than half an hour of new footage! Just seeing that these scenes were shot gave me goose-bumps. Knowing they will actually be in the movie makes me salivate in anticipation. I am so hyped about the expanded version. Peter Jackson doesn't like the term Director's Cut as it implies that the movies that reached theatres was not what the director had intended, and Mr. Jackson states this is simply not the case. Therefore, he has decided to dub this the expanded version.

The second part of the extras that had me shaking with glee was a behind the scenes preview of the Two Towers. Wow, this looks good. One of the interviewees actually said that it will have a grander scale and scope than Fellowship. From seeing Helm's Deep and scenes from the battle, I don't doubt it in the least. This looks even better than the opening battle montage from Fellowship. Oh man, I am ready for December!

There are also the regular trailers, both theatrical and television, as well as a preview of a video game that it indicates is titled "The Two Towers", but the screen shots and information presented were all from Fellowship of the Ring. It looked pretty cool, but I don't think I'd invest in it (of course, I haven't bothered with video/PC games in about five years). Others more interested in games might get excited by this. The screen shots looked good.

The transfer was crisp and the sound actually seemed better than what I remembered from the theatre (and I saw it twice at "Silvercity" style cinemas--for those not from Canada, that means stadium seating, kick-@ss sound systems, massive screens, the whole kaboola). I can't speak for the widescreen version, which is what I'll be purchasing when November comes around, but on our 27" TV, the image was great. I'd say if you can afford or want to buy both versions, definitely run out and grab this release. I'm waiting for November and the expanded version, and I'm hoping in doing so I won't miss any of the extras.

Oh, and every breath I draw, which brings me closer to the Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers, makes me even more excited.

Sometimes, life is good.