Reviews (7)

Wonderful Series!
I haven't read the series yet, but being very fond of historical dramas involving period-wear, uniforms, and swordsmanship, I gave this a try. My curiosity was originally piqued by the mentions of Sharpe surrounding Sean's character in Lord of the Rings. So after discovering it was a completely me series to watch, I went hunting for the dvds. Even Ebay was selling them for around $200 a pop, so I went the smart route and went through amazon.uk, where you'll save about $150 if you have a multi-region dvd player as they are Region 2. I was NOT disappointed.

Sharpe may be a low budget series by some accounts, but it delights regardless. In fact, that very aspect lends a particular earthiness and a more authentic feel to the series. The stories are good and the historical aspects wonderful. The folk songs of John Tam were particularly delightful and I fully plan on getting the soundtrack. I came to love all the Chosen Men and wanted to fight for them when snobbery or betrayal reared their ugly heads. Harper is both reliable sidekick and comic relief with his wit and good Irish sensibility. Sean Bean IS Sharpe, he truly makes you believe in the rough'n'ready soldier, capable of doing what needs to be done, yet completely honorable, often showing he is a better man than those considered his 'betters'.

It will truly be wonderful to now go find the novels and hear in my head Sean's rich voice as Sharpe, the lovely brogue of Sgt. Harper, and the myriad of other accents involved. I would definitely recommend this series if you enjoy period-piece dramas, military/historical dramas, or just a helluva good time with action, adventure, and a dash of romance.

Through Flanders, Portugal, and Spain
Expensive? Sure. But if you're not impatient, you'll find a good price. Is the wooden crate important? No, of course not. But you'll probably love it even if it doesn't fit on your DVD shelf.

Price and production values are not what Shape's about. There are heroes and terrible villians, high lords and lowlifes, horseguard and rifemen, buffoons and ballads. It's about the stories! Wonderful stories you'll enjoy seeing again and again. Follow Sharp's climb through the ranks, through dangerous, impossible missions, and you'll end up caring about every ragtag rifleman in his company, even Isaih Tongue. And every time you hear these lyrics, you'll be so glad you bought it:

Ore the Fields, and Ore the Maine
Thru Flanders Portugal, and Spain,
King George commands, and we obey.
Over the hills and far away

Too little, for too much $$, and way too late.
I am a big fan of the entire Napoleonic historical fiction genre, and of the Sharpe's book series in particular. (I actually saw the entire film series before I cracked one of the books.)

These movies are LOW budget TV efforts, but they do allow you to put a face, or a uniform, or a tactic in a new perspective, and to understand a little more about history. Sean Bean is a perfect choice for Sharpe. He manages to convey just the right mix of jaded, seen-it-all expert, with the fish out of water bumpkin, and then layers on a "screw-you-guys,-I'll-do-it-anyway" vibe to top it all off.

The movies deviate significantly and unnecessarily on many of the major plot points. Sharpe's Gold in particular is a dissappointment, doing away with the books plot entirely and substituting something that plays like a bad, back-fitted Star Trek episode.

However, my big complaint is with the pricing point for the series. There are 14 installments (the 15th DVD is apparently a montage-type review of the whole series) of about 9-100 minutes each of low-budget, TV-quality viewing, or only about 23 hours. Plus these movies are already pretty old. I don't think you can name another similar vintage TV offering that is asking for this kind of cash/hour. (Heck, the Monty Python set has older material, twice as much stuff, almost the same number of DVD's and all for only about 60% of the price).

The set fails to even be a bargain compared to buying disks individually. This is a drawback for people who have already purchased just one or two of the movies individually (and most of the fans of the series already have). I don't think I'd be out of line to suggest that this set shouldn't be more than 150-175$US.

I'll put a plug here in opposition to creative packaging. If I can't fit it on my DVD shelves, it gets thrown away. Spare the stupid crate, and save us all $10.00 and some wasted effort.

Still, these movies manage to be worth watching if you are in any way interested or even curious in the era, and I do recommend watching them, but I can't honestly say that they're worth this price.

FANTASTIC!!
Ok, so some of you guys who read the books first, were disapointed with this miniseries. GET OVER IT!

As a person who was introduced to Sharpe via these movies, I have to say they are absolutely FANTASTIC! Sean Bean IS Sharpe! They are a great way to get to know the period, the characters, and the history. The cast is fantastic, the costumes are authentic, and yes the production is low budget, but so what. That "BBC Charm" is part of the over all effect, and adds to that dirty, desperate, rag-tag feel that was authentic of the British army at that time. A big buget "Lord of the Rings" production isn't always the way to go, and would have harmed more then helped in this case. Film brings many pluses, that books can't. For example, the many songs and accents which only a cast of top british, irish, french, spanish, etc can provide.

These movies have produced a fantatical Sharpe fan in me, and if they can do that, then they are definately worthy of the Sharpe name.

"Over the hills and faraway..."

BBC production
This is a BBC TV mini series based somewhat loosely on Bernard Cornwall's Sharpe's series of Napoleonic war fictional history. This is not a large budget Hollywood production on the lines of Lord of the Rings. If that's understood and you enjoy war fictional history I'm sure you will find it an entertaining series. Perhaps the best way to characterize the series is as a play shot in locations over eastern Europe. Despite the minimal budget, the cast of actors do well in portraying life in Wellington's army. Sean Bean as the main character "Richard Sharpe" makes an especially convincing portrayal. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As the triumphant start of a trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring leaves you begging for more. By necessity, Peter Jackson's ambitious epic compresses J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings, but this robust adaptation maintains reverent allegiance to Tolkien's creation, instantly qualifying as one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. At 178 minutes, it's long enough to establish the myriad inhabitants of Middle-earth, the legendary Rings of Power, and the fellowship of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and humans--led by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the brave hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood)--who must battle terrifying forces of evil on their perilous journey to destroy the One Ring in the land of Mordor. Superbly paced, the film is both epic and intimate, offering astonishing special effects and production design while emphasizing the emotional intensity of Frodo's adventure, and ends on a perfect note of heroic loyalty and rich anticipation.

After the breaking of the Fellowship, Frodo and Sam journey to Mordor with the creature Gollum as their guide in The Two Towers. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) join in the defense of the people of Rohan, who are the first target in the eradication of the race of Men by the renegade wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the dark lord Sauron. Fantastic creatures, astounding visual effects, and a climactic battle at the fortress of Helm's Deep make The Two Towers a worthy successor to The Fellowship of the Ring, grander in scale but retaining the story's emotional intimacy.

With The Return of the King, the greatest fantasy epic in film history draws to a grand and glorious conclusion. The trilogy could never fully satisfy those who remain exclusively loyal to Tolkien's expansive literature, but as a showcase for physical and technical craftsmanship it is unsurpassed in pure scale and ambition, setting milestone after cinematic milestone as Frodo and Sam continue their mission to Mordor to destroy the soul-corrupting One Ring. While the heir to the kingdom of Men, Aragorn, endures the massive battle at Minas Tirith with the allegiance of Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf, Frodo and Sam must survive the schizoid deceptions of Gollum, who remains utterly convincing as a hybrid of performance (by Andy Serkis) and subtly nuanced computer animation. Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have much ground to cover; that they do so with intense pacing and epic sweep is impressive enough, but by investing greater depth and consequence in the actions of fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), they ensure that The Return of the King maintains the trilogy's emphasis on intimate fellowship and remains faithful to Tolkien's overall vision. By ending the LOTR trilogy with noble integrity and faith in the power of imaginative storytelling, The Return of the King, like its predecessors, will stand as an adventure for the ages. --Jeff Shannon and David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (105)

An epic for our times
J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was considered unfilmable for a very long time -- the story was too big, too fantastical. But in the late 1990s, New Zealand director Peter Jackson got the green light to shoot the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy. The rest is film history.

"The Fellowship of the Ring" introduces us to the hobbits. Eccentric old Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) leaves the peaceful Shire at his 111st birthday, leaving all he has to his young nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) -- including a golden Ring that makes the wearer invisible. But the grey wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) reveals that it's actually the One Ring, which is the source of power for the demonic Dark Lord Sauron. Horrified, Frodo and his best pals leave the Shire and join a band of elves, men, and dwarves to take the Ring to the only place where it can be destroyed.

"The Two Towers" picks up immediately after "Fellowship" ends. Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) are lost on the path to Mordor. Worse, they're being stalked by Gollum (Andy Serkis), who owned the Ring for centuries and is enslaved to it. But because he knows safe ways into Mordor, Frodo lets Gollum come along. Elsewhere, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) make a desperate stand against the orc armies with the kingdom of Rohan....

"Return of the King" brings the trilogy to a head. Frodo and Sam's friendship is threatened by Gollum's trickery -- and Frodo is led into a deadly trap. Elsewhere, Gandalf rides with Pippin (Billy Boyd) to Gondor, the kingdom that Aragorn is heir to. Aragorn summons an army of ghosts and attacks the heart of Mordor -- as Frodo and Sam arrive at the volcanic Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged. But can Frodo bring himself to destroy the Ring?

A lot of people were nervous when first hearing that "Lord of the Rings" was being translated onto the big screen. There were just too many things (goofy scripting, bad special effects, mutilated characters) that could go wrong. Those fears turned out to be pretty much unfounded. Some characters are different from what they are in the book (Faramir and Arwen, for example), and some are gone altogether.

Jackson and Co. outdid themselves with nearly every aspect of the films. The scripting is impeccable, a good balance of dark and light, humor and horror. The sets and New Zealand landscapes are breathtaking. The battle scenes are bloody and exciting. All the trappings -- clothes, jewelry, even beer mugs -- are realistic. And the special effects are almost entirely convincing-looking, especially the gruesome Gollum. He's the first fully convincing CGI character!

Elijah Wood is outstanding as Frodo Baggins. He runs the emotional gamut: fear, pain, horror, happiness, resignation, rage, love, lust and emptiness. Sean Astin is equally good as the steadfast Sam, Frodo's best friend. Supporting hobbits Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd get to grow up into mature hobbits, and Ian McKellen is excellent as the grandfatherly wizard Gandalf. Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean are only part of the amazing supporting cast, all of whom give excellent performances.

The movie adaptation of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy has been accepted by most fans and critics alike. Why? Because the trilogy is among the best movies ever put to film. A stunning achievement.

The Best Book Trilogy Becomes the Best DVD Trilogy!
LOTR is without a doubt the best trilogy ever created. Each movie, FOTR, TTT, ROTK, are excellent on their own and as a united piece are unstoppable. None of the movies have major faults, like bad acting or Ewoks or crappy plot, but stand on their own as amazing features. Really meant to be watched as one very long epic, the Lord of the Rings is the best thing to ever happen to cinema. No more Hollywood garbage, but instead passionate filmmaking from both cast and crew. The eternal themes of JRR Tolkien are fleshed out, and as opposed to other recent trilogies, the amazing special effects (which garnered three academy awards) do not distract from the storytelling, but augment it. Peter Jackson and his crew spent seven years doing a phenomenal job bringing to life the unimaginable. The casting was perfect. The ensemble shines on screen. Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen are particularly magnificent. Sean Astin does a superb job throughout the trilogy going from sidekick to heartfelt hero in the final installment. Elijay Wood does an exceptional job portraying a peaceful, happy hobbit descending into madness, ultimately ending up in a conflicted state where his former peace is gone. There is a reason why all three of these movies are in imdb.com's top 10 films of all time. No sane person would want to miss out on the movie adventure of our time.

Boring *3
Fine, the movies of LOTR are really beautifully done. Beautiful scenes and breathtaking angles. Its all so beautifully dont, with costumes and effects but you can't help feel bored with each movie. Its like well, sometimes someone in the film cries. You take pity right? Well you won't after 20 minutes of crying. It gets boring. Its not really action packed and just goes monotonously in a straight line. Unlike the better series for me Harry Potter, which is not boring at all but very engaging and climactic. The lord of the rings series is so unticlimactic i often pray for it to end quickly in the cinema. And Elijah Wood is so over acting with the eye flutter an all. And at the end he won't just let go of the ring into the volcano. Its all boring. With this special bundle pack, its boreddom times three

The Lord Of The Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy to own!
The Lord Of The Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy is a beautiful box set that showcases these three amazing films: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. From the captivating story to the gorgeous cinematography this trilogy sweeps you off of your feet and takes you along for one heck of a journey. The Lord Of The Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy has to be one of the most anticipated DVD releases ever. I encourage any one who appreciates great movies to purchase this wonderful box set. This is what great movies are about!

Finally The Trilogy Comes to a Close
The Lord of the Rings should be the yardstick on which all other fantasy epics should be measured on. 8 years in the making this movie did not dissappoint. Masterfully directed, this trilogy has it all, it will make you laugh and it will make you cry. I reccomend this set for all. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The James Bond Collection, Vol. 1 collects the same feature-packed DVDs that appeared in previous Bond boxes, but in a new combination of titles, one with a decidedly golden gleam. In 1962 Sean Connery defined the cinematic James Bond as a tough, charming, and thoroughly professional cold war spy with a license to kill in the lean, hard-edged Dr. No. With Ursula Andress (as the original Bond girl Honeychile Ryder, who makes her entrance in a bikini), Bond battles a renegade supervillain with little more than his wits, his cunning, and his Walther PPK. In Goldfinger (1964) Connery's steely presence helped forge the formula of tongue-in-cheek wit, wondrous secret agent toys created by Q, and megalomaniac supervillains bent on world destruction.

Roger Moore brought a light tone and a suave assurance to the series, and in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), he battles million-dollar assassin Christopher Lee, one of Bond's most magnetic adversaries. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), perhaps Moore's finest hour, is a return to the extravagant set pieces and cold war thrills of Connery's pictures and introduces Richard Kiel's steel-dentured Jaws to the series. Timothy Dalton made his second and final appearance as Bond in Licence to Kill (1989), the toughest of the Bond films since Connery's early efforts. Though not a fan favorite, it's a sleek, solid adventure with an edge missing from the Moore pictures.

Pierce Brosnan is the latest to take on the 007 mantle, combining the best of Connery's cool and Moore's humor. GoldenEye (1995) is a grand globetrotting adventure with lovely Bond girls and a tough new M (Judy Dench). Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) doesn't recapture that magic mix of action, gadgetry, and romance, but does feature the first Bond girl to match 007 blow for blow: Hong Kong action superstar Michelle Yeoh. The DVD editions of the films each feature audio commentary tracks by the director and key members of the crew, making-of documentaries, and a host of stills, TV spots, and trailers. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Volume 1 of a classic line of Spy films
"The name is Bond, James Bond." With these words a franchise was born. In 1962 Ian Flemming launched a franchise that would forever change the action film genre. Starting with Dr. NO, one really couldn't tell that it was really a Bond film until that famous line was uttered. Now then, the Bond series has gone through no less than 5 different actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, finally Pierce Brosnan. Each having their own style. In my opinion, Pierce Brosnan is about as close to the original Sean Connery Bond as you can get. He's got the same pizazz and pinache as Connery did.

This first set of a re-issue contains seven of the soon to be twenty installment franchise. The first is the 1962 release "Dr. NO". This was Connery's first, and Bond's first official appearance.

Then comes '64's "Goldfinger", the 3rd Bond film. This film had one of the cleverest lines in a Bond film that I can recall. Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?" Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."

Then comes '74's "The Man with the Golden Gun". The 9th Bond film and Roger Moore's 2nd appearance as Bond. This film stars Christopher Lee as the villian who we now know as Count Dooku from Star Wars Episode II.

Then we have '77's "The Spy Who Loved Me". The 10th Bond film and Moore's 3rd appearance. This film stared Curt Jurgens as the villian and introduced the character Jaws played by Richard Kiel.

Then let's skip way forward and stop at '89's "License to Kill". This is the 16th Bond film which was Timothy Dalton's 2nd appearance as Bond. This film also stars Robert Davi as latino drug cartel leader.

Next comes '95's "GoldenEye". The 17th Bond film and also Pierce Brosnan, the modern Bond's first film. This film spawned one of the most popular N64 video games ever. Stared Sean Bean as 006 who turns traitor.

And finally '97's "Tomorrow Never Dies". The 18th Bond film and Brosnan's 2nd film. Stars Teri Hatcher, TV's Lois Lane from The New Superman Adventures.

And so completes the first Volume of DVD reissues. Hopefully Volume 2 will come out sometime early next year.

A Very Good Addition to any DVD Collection
I originally bought this box set and the others when they were done to conicide with the release of Tomorrow Never Dies. Sadly that was not included in the box set so I had to buy it separately. While Tomorrow Never Dies is not the best, the others do not disappoint. You get some of the best Bond films Connery did. Dr No, Goldfinger. Licence to Kill with the dashing Timothy Dalton does not disappoint. Also included is Goldeneye, the first Bond with Pierce Brosnan. While it sometimes seems far fetched, the highlight of this film is really is Sean Bean who plays Alec Trevelyan. He is 006 turned bad. To watch Bean play this deliciously evil baddie is interesting and fun as he anticipates Bond's every move.He is perhaps one of the best Bond baddies in a long time because he is an intellegent bad guy who knows Bond better than anyone. The others included Man With The Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me, like many of the Bond films may seem far fetched but are great fun to watch.

Not closed captioned in English
I bought this box set as a birthday present for a friend who is hard of hearing, thinking that he could use the closed caption option.

I was shocked to find that all the DVD's in all of the James Bond boxed sets are NOT closed captioned in English!
They are only closed captioned in French and Spanish.

How can they sell these these DVDs in the USA, label them as "closed captioned" and not state on the box that they are NOT closed captioned in English?

An Endearing Man of Action and Honor
Only one person can stop the maniacal villains trying to monopolize the world: Bond, James Bond. The groundbreaking DR. NO is one of the best James Bond films of the series. Sean Connery's performance is that of the no-nonsense dedicated civil servant entrusted with a "licence-to-kill" when he chooses, where he chooses and whom he chooses. His screen presence alone conveys the physical, intellectual and moral conviction of the character. Many elements that distinguish the James Bond series were introduced in this film. The opening gun barrel trademark, "The James Bond Theme," M played by Bernard Lee, Miss Moneypenny played by Lois Maxwell, Ken Adam's distinctive melding of modern and futuristic production designs, Maurice Binder's unique main titles, the "Martinis shaken not stirred," exotic locales, just to name a few are all here. Bond is sent to Jamaica, land of the Undertakers Wind, to investigate the elimination of British field agents and strange signals that have been interfering with the American space program. Joseph Wiseman as DR. NO is one of the best villains of the series. His steel mono-toned performance is eerily unsettling. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder leaves the most indelible image of the series as she emerges erotically from the blue waters of the Caribbean clad in her white bikini. Along with Felix Leiter and Quarrel, Bond must uncover the trail that all leads to DR. NO's mysterious Crab Key. GOLDFINGER contains a well-balanced level of depth and action leaving one emotionally charged. This is Sean Connery's finest James Bond film. The golden girl, Oddjob's bowler hat, Goldfinger's lethal laser, the Astin Martin DB5 with modifications introduced by Q, and Shirley Bassey's legendary rendition of the theme song belted out over the titles immediately became an integral part of the James Bond lore and remained in the psyche of the public. Production designer Ken Adam and art director Peter Murton gave the production a stunning and lavish distinction. The Fort Knox set and Goldfinger's playroom at his stud ranch was a testament to imagination and achievement. John Barry finally honed his distinctive style to perfection with this memorable score. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN contains one of Roger Moore's best performances as James Bond as he injects Bond's virility, worldliness and sardonic wit back into the character. Christopher Lee's performance as the enigmatic Scaramanga is refreshingly energetic giving the assassin an amiable quality on the surface hiding a darker side beneath. Bond sets out to find the person responsible for sending him a golden bullet with his 007 number on it. Maud Adams' is Andrea, Scaramanga's beautiful mistress. She brings genuine compassion to the role as the tormented individual who can not escape her master. There is also great location cinematography in this film that inspired John Barry to compose a lush exotic score. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is a big-budgeted opulent film with effective screenplay and editing delivering one of the most succinctly structured films of the series. Roger Moore clearly re-established his approach to the role as the good-natured British agent. His Bond is suave, debonair, never condescending and resorts to seriousness only when confronted with malevolence. The globetrotting THE SPY WHO LOVED ME featured a gadget laden Lotus Esprit as its centerpiece and a demented villain Stromberg whose immense wealth featured an aquatic empire aimed at global domination. Great action sequences and chases abound. LICENCE TO KILL has Timothy Dalton as an avenging James Bond turned rouge agent out to eliminate drug lord Sanchez in Isthmus City. There are many great action scenes on the land, on and under the sea and in the air. The best element of the story line is having Bond place doubt in the mind of Sanchez that henchmen in his organization were plotting against him. The film's greatest asset is Benicio Del Toro's performance as Dario, a Sanchez henchman. GOLDENEYE is Pierce Brosnan's first film as James Bond and seems more like a hybrid of Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton, combing the best elements that each brought to the role. He possesses intelligence, wit, charm and dedication and delivers these with no-nonsense passion and drive. GOLDENEYE is a great looking film beautifully filmed for mood and action. Some of the film's high points are the miniatures by Derek Meddings; probably his best work in the series, the return of the Astin Martin DB5 and Eric Serra's original if controversial score. Serra's interpretation of "The James Bond Theme" over the opening gun barrel trademark is powerful and very innovative. One can not appreciate Serra's contribution to this film unless the DVD is played through a surround stereo system with a good amount of bass and volume pumped up. In TOMORROW NEVER DIES Pierce Brosnan delivers a more definitive interpretation of James Bond above and beyond his excellent portrayal in GOLDENEYE two years earlier. In this film Brosnan has honed in on his maturity and a physical presence that consummates his overall performance of Bond when combined with his intelligence, wit and charm that he delivers flawlessly with assured confidence. This film brings a realistic and gritty look to the series that LICENCE TO KILL attempted to achieve. This is one of the best films of the series combing an integral plot with rich characters, action and suspense. Director Donald Spottiswoode never diverted the focus of the film away from the main plot, yet he gave a sense of real depth to the characters. He has a good understanding of how to deliver action with emotional impact. He did a brilliant job and has been highly underrated for his efforts. Also, the producers finally discovered a composer that could combine the traditional and highly personalized sound of John Barry with today's trends in scoring for this genre in the talented David Arnold. Arnold much evidently has a good understanding of the series and the character of James Bond.

Not Good
I bought this collection from a company called Digitaleyes.net off this site as a birthday present to a friend. Problem is half of the disc's do not play (ie) "No Disc inserted" error message on my Sony DVD player.
I'm still waiting for a response back from the Digitaleyes.net about this. I would not recommend using Digitaleyes.net to order through. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towers adds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are valuable additions to the film.Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil.Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son.And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King.While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor.But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version.Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration.Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut).The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (1869)

Stupendous!
"They don't make movies like that any more." This is reference to Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular remake of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I mention one of the few universally acclaimed film epics of all time because with THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS,
Director Peter Jackson has staked unchallengable claim to motion picture immortality. Visually the movie is staggering in technological excellence. It seamlessly combinines sweeping photographic grandeur with superlative integration of CGI and modelwork(Claymation & Superdynamation)that humbles even the work
of IL&M, and would have made Ray HarryHausen proud.

Thematically, the story is truly grand and has raised film making--again--to the level of Mythological. Those familiar with Tolkien's literary epic--with rare exception--have been astounded by this director's monumental artistry in cinematically incarnating one of the greatest "stories" ever written.The cast(humans;creatures; monsters;)is brilliantly essayed.(Sean Astin deserves particular recognition as Frodo's "guardian" friend, SAMWISE). The complex plotting is clearly delineated;and ACTION(quest development;battles; epic romance interludes)ranges from apocalyptic to majestic. THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS magnificently continues what was begun in THE FELLOWSHIP of THE RING. Peter Jackson has created a unique work of film making that is both artistically wonderous and breath taking entertainment.It is a stupendous achievement.(10 Stars)

Incredibly, once again, Peter Jackson does the impossible
From gliding through the Misty Mountains and reliving Gandalf's battle with the Balrog to the Battle of Helm's Deep, the climactic scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, I think that, even though Frodo Baggin's (Elijah Wood) quest is still unfulfilled, a group of hard-working New Zealanders have once again created an epic adventure confection of a movie, full of fantasy, courage, imagination and flair. J.R.R. Tolkien would not have been disappointed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, since is a continuing of a story, doesn't stop to introduce us to the quest or the characters from the first part, The Fellowship of the Ring. Beginning right where the first left off, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) must continue their quest to Mount Doom and destroy the evil One Ring. Hunting them done is the rascal Gollum (Andy Serkis) but promises to lead them in to Mordor secretely. In Fangorn Forest, captured hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from the Orcs and are rescued by Treebeard (voiced by John Rhys-Davies), an ancient ent.

Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) enter the country of Rohan. After the miraculous return of Gandalf (Ian McKellan), the four see King Theoden (Bernard Hill). But the king isn't doing too well. He's doing practically everything his servant Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) is telling him. Wormtongue is in league with Saruman (Christopher Lee) and therefore is kicked out of Rohan. Aragorn, Gandalf and Theoden must discuss Rohan's plans to counter Saruman and Sauron.

Saruman is preparing for war, as we've also seen in The Fellowship of the Ring. He has been crossing orcs with goblins, breeding the dreadful Uruk-Hai to launch against Men of Gondor and Rohan. Gondor has it's own problems holding off Sauron's evil army. It all comes down to Saruman against the country of Rohan: A war of 10,000 Uruk-Hai against hundreds of Rohan people. Can Men claim a victory against Barad-dur and Orthanc, the union of the Two Towers?

The Two Towers, for me at least, had a quicker pace and sharper sense of movement than the more-episodic Fellowship of the Ring. Peter Jackson easily presents a film that will keep your attention for the full three hours. In many ways, The Two Towers is a much livlier film than it's predecessor. It takes a deeper look into it's character's own problems, dreams and future, covering many subjects: The war for Rohan, the war for Gondor, the war for the ents, and possibly the most important, the fate of the One Ring.

If The Fellowship of the Ring was a beautiful-looking movie, The Two Towers easily surpasses it visually. With the use of a program called MASSIVE, Peter Jackson and company takes flawless computer animation and simplistically adds it to real-life to create a stunning world. The Battle of Helm's Deep is one of the most memorable scenes of all time, while it uses a fantastic blend of live-action and computer animation. I say it's already got the Best Visual Effects Oscar in the bag. Not just because of the CGI, but with the camera trickery to make the hobbits small and the great backdrops.

I am appalled by the number of reviewers saying that this isn't faithful to Tolkien's book. Everyone should know that books and film are two different media, and should be treated as such. Many things in Tolkien's story would've gone horribly wrong on screen. As Peter Jackson said, if you were to film LOTR page by page, faithful to everything, what you would get is a mess. Many don't realize that what works in a book will NOT work on film. Be happy that you actually have a LOTR movie. Many filmmakers would not have been up to transferring Tolkien's story to the big screen. Jackson did make a few unnessesary changes, but he's a brave filmmaker to actually take on LOTR and still make something this good. Quit whining.

It might need a bit more humanity, but I'd say the chemistry between characters is much more alive and vivid in The Two Towers than with The Fellowship of the Ring. The relationship shared by Gollum and Frodo, or more importantly, Gollum and Sam, works wonderfully. Aragorn trying to convince King Theoden to go to war and the characterization involving Gimli was exceptionally. The Return of the King will see a lot more of this.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers continues Tolkien's trilogy with very few missteps. It is on every count as good as the first, and in many ways, even better. It could possibly be the most sinister film ever, a banquet of monsters and beasts. It's doing so much better at the box-office than the first, and it easily surpasses it in spectacle. It's still unclear how it will do at the Oscars. Being a sequel, it might not get nominated for Best Picture. However, I'd say it has already sweeped the technical awards. It certainly deserves it.

This is the best of the three!!
Usually, the second movie in a trilogy is the weakest. It doesn't have the freshness of the first movie or the finality of the final movie. The Two Towers, however, is the exception to the rule. For lack of a better phrase, it rocks!!! The extra material included in this extended version DVD really fleshes out the movie. After you watch it you'll wonder why Peter Jackson left it out; it makes the movie complete. The fight scenes at Helm's Deep are great, and you forget that a lot of what you're seeing is computer generated. Several new characters are introduced, but you feel like you've known them all along. The best part of the movie is the addition of a Boromir/Faramir scene. Of course, I could be biased. I love Boromir (Sean Bean). This movie is a cinematic masterpiece. It's great!!!

Excellent
Not just pasting in deleted scenes, this version was assenmbled from scratch with additional material that add to the depth of this movie. THIS is the version to buy for watching at home.

You haven't seen LOTR until you've seen this!
OMG! I love this movie so much, I never put it back in the case...it's always in the dvd player. If you at all liked the original theatrical version, you HAVE to get the extended version. The addded footage completes the story and fills in character developement. And you HAVE to listen to the cast commentary. Dom and Billy are hilarious. And the bonus disks are well worth the money. Forget that...added Viggo footage makes it WELL worth it. Plus, the box is beautiful. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sean Connery casts a long shadow over the James Bond legacy. He created the movie persona and starred in six of the first seven features, all but establishing the cool cold warrior as the world's most suave secret agent. The second Bond collection celebrates the Connery Bond with three of his classics, including From Russia with Love, 007's second and perhaps finest outing. A blond, buff Robert Shaw plays Bond's most ruthless nemesis, and Lotte Lenya and the great Pedro Armindáriz costar in this sleek, high-energy trip through the Iron Curtain. Connery travels to the Far East in You Only Live Twice, which introduces the international criminal conspiracy SPECTRE and its cat-loving mastermind, Blofeld (Donald Pleasence). After a brief retirement, Connery returned for Diamonds Are Forever, his final "official" appearance in the Bond series (15 years later he played Bond for a rival studio's Never Say Never Again). This more tongue-in-cheek adventure takes 007 to Las Vegas, where he battles Blofeld (this time played by Charles Gray) and his minions--namely, a pair of fey, sardonic henchmen and a team of bikini-clad karate killers.

Roger Moore took over the role and his fourth effort was Moonraker, a misguided sci-fi entry that takes Bond to space for a physically impressive but dramatically lackluster adventure with Richard Kiel's steel-dentured Jaws. After that brief digression, For Your Eyes Only returned Bond to globetrotting high adventure and teamed him with his most endearing ally (Topol as a gregarious smuggler). The torch was passed to Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights, an attempt to clear away the camp elements of Moore's portrayal and return to a lean, hard-edged spy thriller for the post-cold war era. It lacks the larger-than-life characters and spectacle of previous Bond pictures, but Dalton was a tough, ruthless 007 and a worthy inheritor of the legacy, which was then passed on to Pierce Brosnan. In The World Is Not Enough, Bond takes on post-Soviet geopolitics, with Robert Carlyle as the villainous Renard and Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards as love objects. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Superb Collection
Let me just say, I am pleased with MGM's decision to release all of the Bond films for this holiday season.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is my third favorite Bond film. I felt that this was Sean Connery's finest hour. John Barry's score is perfect for the chilling felling that this film gives off. I would buy this set for this movie alone.
****

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE has great locales and a heart-pumping plot. However, it is not that special. This film overdoes the whole Japanese theme too much. But, the last half hour is back in the Bond tradition. Donald Pleasance is fantastic as the super-villan Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Even because of the comic-book-like scenes, this is a great 007 flick.
***

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is more like a Republic serial than a movie 007 film, but, it is great fun to watch. Probably, the most raunchiest one out there, but it is great. The homo-sexual henchman, Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd make the movie as well does Charles Gray as the final Blofeld. A great film in the first half but it does bog down at the end. Great fun though!!!
***

MOONRAKER is silly, over-the-top, has poor special effects, and I love it. This is probably the poorest Bond film but it is an awesome treat on a rainy day. However, this Bond film is big and I mean big! It covers three continents and space. It definitley shows that the cast had an awesome time making this. Once again, silly but entertaining.
**1/2

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY is like watching the grass grow compared to Moonraker. But it is not bad. A very realistic film which covers many aspects of the early Connery Bonds. However, is slow at many points and can be boring for people who watch the Bonds for the action scenes.
**1/2

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS has possibly the most realistic plot. This is Timothy Dalton's first appearance as 007. After reading the Ian Fleming novels, I find him to be most similar to the way his creator viewed him. I expected this movie to have a great Russian plot but is doesn't, you'll have to wait until GoldenEye for that. Definitely the most forgettable.
**1/2

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH has an intresting plot, a brilliant villan, and a delicious villaness. Sophie Marceau plays the disturbed Elektra King brilliantly. I feel that in this film Pierce Brosnan finally feels comfortable in the role of 007. However this is a sad hour for Bond lovers. This is Desmond Llewellyn's last time for playing the gadget wizard "Q".
***

Good Selection
Like the third boxed set, a few titles you can live without, but some good movies are in here:

From Russia With Love - slow by today's movie standards but an excellent Bond film. Bond's gadgets are very practical and he's only human in this one. Don't miss the gypsy girls fighting or Tatiana getting ready to meet Bond!

You Only Live Twice - not as interesting as the novel although the girls and the custom Toyota were good to look at. Bond finally meets Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Diamonds Are Forever - the funniest Bond of them all. I enjoy this one even though there were some glaring questions like how does a car on two wheels suddenly go up on the other two wheels and why would diamonds around a laser make it more powerful than if they were in the laser?

Moonraker - the outerspace battle is as boring as the underwater battle in Thunderball and Jaws is as inept as he is indestructible in this one. Plot is certainly more up to date than that in Fleming's novel, but didn't have much to offer except women in skimpy outfits and a good fight scene in the glass museum.

For Your Eyes Only - decent movie, often played for laughs. Teaches you not to mess with women wielding crossbows.

The Living Daylights - Timothy Dalton attempted to bring Bond more in line with Fleming's down to earth, human spy. Although Dalton may have been just a bit too serious as Bond, this is one of my favorite Bond films. The opening is terrific and we see a Bond with his own moral code doing what he must.

The World is not Enough - Bond's family motto and a good film. Brosnan's line as he kills the true villain of the piece is reminisent of some of Connery's better lines. Most fantastic opening sequences of any movie!

A Set Worth Getting
Contains:

From Russia With Love - Terrific Bond film that keeps you entertained. ****/5

You Only Live Twice - One of my favorite Bond films with my favorite score by John Barry. *****/5

Diamonds are Forever - A little too Moore-ish for Connery but nothing takes away the fun. ****/5

Moonraker - Very underrated Bond film is the first one I saw and I always will remember it most. *****/5

For Your Eyes Only - Set's only real downside goes on forever and there's barely a plot. Kept me awake, though. ***/5

The Living Daylights - Great movie. I thought Dalton would blow it as Bond, but this is ranked in my top 5 Bond movies. It just needs to end a bit sooner. ****/5

The World is Not Enough - Best Brosnan Bond puts you at the edge of your seat. *****/5

Very good set, but I'd see all the movies in it before buying it.

The Greatest Entertainment On Earth
Who on earth is dumb enough to have veiwers skip Moonraker!
Moonraker is so outrages, like the gondola racing onto land in Venice, is sheer fun.
Not to mention the most beautiful Bond music of all. And don't overlook Dr. Goodhead. Moonraker is wacky enough to be several movies in one. i always enjoy the fun of it's locals.
Bring on the rest of Bond especially after a hard days work

Not closed captioned in English
I bought this box set as a birthday present for a friend who is hard of hearing, thinking that he could use the closed caption option.

I was shocked to find that all the DVD's in all of the James Bond boxed sets are NOT closed captioned in English!
They are only closed captioned in French and Spanish.

How can they sell these these DVDs in the USA, label them as "closed captioned" and not state on the box that they are NOT closed captioned in English? ... Read more

Description

The Battle of the Bulge: Nazi Panzer forces stage a last-ditch Belgian front offensive that could turn the tide of WWII. Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw and Robert Ryan in the spectacular recreation of a crucial campaign.

Battleground: Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy star in this remarkable war film, nominated for six Oscars(R) (including Best Picture) about courageous American G.I.s caught up in the battle at Bastogne.

The Big Red One Special Edition: "The real glory of war," Samuel Fuller said, "is surviving."A decorated combatant with the famed U.S. First Infantry in WWII, Fuller survived.His 1980 film version of his war experiences did not...until now.Working with 70,000 feet of vault materials and Fuller's shooting script, critic/filmmaker Richard Schickel heads a reconstruction that adds over 40 minutes and transforms a truncated but admired war film into an epic masterwork.Lee Marvin, in a richly layered performance now revealed as one of his finest, stars as the sergeant of peach-fuzzed riflemen fighting from North Africa to Normandy and across Europe.The film is the squad's combat diary, war as it's fought and sweated and bled, and, maybe, survived.

The Dirty Dozen: Twelve jailbirds will earn their freedom...if they survive a suicide mission against the Nazi brass. Tough-as-nails Lee Marvin leads a nothing-to-lose convict squad of Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Trini Lopez, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker and more in the all-time action trendsetter.Where Eagles

Dare: The mission is clear. Get in. Get the general. Get out. Commandos charged with freeing a U.S. general from an Alpine fortress should also be told to trust nothing - including the search-and-rescue orders just issued. Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood go Where Eagles Dare in this twisty World War II thriller written by action master Alistair MacLean (The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra) and directed by Brian G.Hutton (Kelly's Heroes). Known for fiery dramatic roles, Burton ventures into the realm of movie pyrotechnics with dynamic efficiency. And Eastwood's cool-fire presence heightens one searing action sequence after another. The film became Eastwood's then-largest hit and its studio's #1 moneymaker of the year. ... Read more

Reviews (402)

One of the greatest film trilogies of all time
Steven Spielberg directed all three films in the Indiana Jones trilogy and he had help from George Lucas in making these comic-like fast paced action films primed for mainstream success. Taking place between the 1930's and 40's, all three films feature professor and adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford in the role he was born to play; hard to believe Tom Selleck was originally considered for the role) on various death defying adventures all over the world. The first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, features Jones attempting to stop the Nazis from getting the Lost Ark of the Covenent. This film is probably the most exciting of the three, with some cleverly imaginitive special effects and all around spookiness. The second film, Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom, is a prequel which finds Jones and two comrades (a young Asian boy and Kate Capshaw who is Mrs. Steven Spielberg) fighting against a cult who is enslaving Indian children. This film wasn't too well received because of it's surprising violence, but it is my favorite of the trilogy and is loaded with suspense. The third film, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, finds Jones trying to save his father (Sean Connery) from a Nazi regime who are hellbent on finding the Holy Grail. This installment is the most comic like of the three, and Ford and Connery are great together. This much hyped about DVD set is definitely worth owning, but the DVD extras are extremely lacking (then again, this is Paramount after all). A fourth film is rumored to be in the works, but until that ever sees the light of day, you should definitely pick up this set.

classic trilogy finally available on dvd
Finally, Indiana Jones has been released to DVD. I'm sure a lot of movie lovers have been awaiting for this as much as the original Star Wars trilogy. First reviews of the films themselves.

Raiders : (10/10). A true movie classic. Harrison Ford added another iconic role to his pedestal along with Han Solo. Every scene in the film, from the classic opening prologue to the opening of the Ark is thrilling. Jones is sent by the US government to stop the Nazi's from recovering the Ark of the Covenant. Karen Allen, as Marion Ravenwood remains THE Indy heroine and Paul Freeman is great as the slimy Belloq. John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliot are great support as Sallah and Marcus Brody. They even return for the third movie. Not much more to say here that hasn't been said before.

Temple of Doom: (8 1/2 /10). Not up to Raiders, but still a great, underrated movie. Come on people, this was a great movie!I've always found the constant bashing and dislike for this film to be ridiculous. Some of Indiana Jones's best moments are in this film, such as the minecar chase, voodoo doll fight, spiked room and the final scene on the bridge. True, Kate Capshaw's character, Willie Scott is irritating but the movie has a lot of strengths to make up for her constant screaming. Short Round is amusing and Molaram is a great villain.

For all you haters of the movie; buy the used dvds of Raiders and Crusade somewhere such as E-Bay or a video store. It's not like Temple was THAT bad. Grow up and get a life people,you sound like a bunch of whiny 5-year old kids.

Last Crusade: (9/10). The opening scene with the late River Phoenix as the young Indy is an exciting opening scene. It's nice to learn about Indy's origins this time around as well. Sean Connery's addition to the series was a great idea. The father-son relationship between Ford and Connery is memorable and adds humor and drama to the movie. In fact, Connery's presence is what keeps Crusade from being a sort of-retread of Raiders. This movie is a little too similar to Raiders such as involving Indy racing the Nazi's to find an artifact,Indy meeting up with somebody he has been estranged with, both take place in deserts, similar ending, etc. Also, the Nazi villains this time, while adequate, aren't memorable. They feel like recycled versions of the Nazi's in Raiders. Still, Crusade was a great third installment to a wonderful trilogy.

Bonus Disc: The interviews and makings of- were fun to watch but there should have been more on this disc. Such as deleted scenes. The Godfather and Back to the Future dvd sets had plethoras of bonus material. The lack of bonus material on the set might leave one unsatisfied.

I hope Lucas will bring out the other great trilogy of his on dvd soon.

Hopefully, Indiana Jones 4 will be awesome.

Great set
Indiana Jones has been one of my fave series of movies since I was little. Raiders of the Lost Ark is so great, it's so exciting and I really liked the female lead. I always had a crush on Indiana, and the movies have a great blend of humor, action and adventure. Last Crusade is also excellent, I love Indy's scenes with his father, they're so funny together. I really love the opening scene too, with the late River Phoenix (who was extremely talented, check him out in Stand By Me as a boy). It shows how Indiana became afraid of snakes and how an old rivalry started. Temple of Doom is my least favorite Indiana movie, Kate Capshaw wasn't my fave of the girls and it was kind of strange but I'd still rewatch it, just not as much as the other two. To tell the truth, even if there were commentaries and stuff, I wouldn't listen to them. Sometimes extras are really cool to me and sometimes they aren't, and for most movies I don't really care why the director lit a scene the way he did, or what an actor thinks of how he said his line. These movies are grea and stand on their own. I have the bonus disc though, not the one in the set but the other one that was taped outside the package. I'm not sure but I heard they aren't being sold that way anymore.

Can we call these "classics" yet?
I'm not much of a fan of "Temple Of Doom", but I think "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" and "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" are excellent. The 4th disc contains extras like trailers and documentaries (which are really well done -- check out Alfred Molina, the guy with the spiders in "Raiders": funny guy, and now he's Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2). The films all look very good and the packaging is nice as well. It would be nice to have commentaries for the films, but from what I hear Spielberg doesn't like to do them, and they would've just repeated what was in the documentaries on disc 4. Great set, highly recommended.

Aged like a fine wine - but we wanted more DVD extras!!
Far be it for me to presume to evaluate these films. They are seared into my consciousness, as the first was released in 1982, when I was but a wee lad of 12. Harrison Ford and George Lucas were at the heights of their popularities in the midst of Star Wars, and Spielberg was rapidly closing (soon to top the A-list of Hollywood directors). With such a pedigree, it's surprising that Raiders of the Lost Ark did not disappoint. Instead, it remains the gold standard of action movies - fast paced and fun, with wall-to-wall stunts, all the more impressive pre-CGI.

I will, however, make a comment on my impressions upon watching these films again after having purchased the DVD set. The prints are crisp and clean, the sound is clear, and overall the films look and sound fantastic. As for the content - Raiders and Last Crusade are still highly enjoyable. Compared to more recent action series (e.g. the Batman films, the Terminator films), you'll find the Indy movies are more exciting and more fun. Unfortunately, Temple of Doom, which was not well-received even when it was first released, did not age well. The overall feel is ponderous, Kate Capshaw is given little to do but scream, and the action set-pieces border on the rediculous.

Unfortunately, we've waited years for these films to come out in this format, and we expected loads of extras - if not on the Lord of the Rings level, at least on the Star Wars (Episodes I and II) level. This set does not deliver - there are no cut scenes, no footage of premiers or awards ceremonies, no original promotional materials (other than theatrical trailers), etc. There are a few documentaries, which are mostly "making of" features filmed on and around the sets of the films, with some modern interviews/reflections from Lucas, Ford, Speilberg, Ben Burtt, John Williams, and many more. These docs are fantastic - well-written, interesting, and at several hours, very satisfying. But still, having waited 10 years for DVD versions of these films, I would have been willing to wait a few more years to get more of the extras I want. I hope the Star Wars set due out in the fall is more complete! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up, The Two Towers, proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towersadds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are significant, valuable additions to the film.Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil.Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son.And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King.While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor.But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version.Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration.Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut).The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (1869)

Stupendous!
"They don't make movies like that any more." This is reference to Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular remake of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I mention one of the few universally acclaimed film epics of all time because with THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS,
Director Peter Jackson has staked unchallengable claim to motion picture immortality. Visually the movie is staggering in technological excellence. It seamlessly combinines sweeping photographic grandeur with superlative integration of CGI and modelwork(Claymation & Superdynamation)that humbles even the work
of IL&M, and would have made Ray HarryHausen proud.

Thematically, the story is truly grand and has raised film making--again--to the level of Mythological. Those familiar with Tolkien's literary epic--with rare exception--have been astounded by this director's monumental artistry in cinematically incarnating one of the greatest "stories" ever written.The cast(humans;creatures; monsters;)is brilliantly essayed.(Sean Astin deserves particular recognition as Frodo's "guardian" friend, SAMWISE). The complex plotting is clearly delineated;and ACTION(quest development;battles; epic romance interludes)ranges from apocalyptic to majestic. THE LORD of THE RINGS-THE TWO TOWERS magnificently continues what was begun in THE FELLOWSHIP of THE RING. Peter Jackson has created a unique work of film making that is both artistically wonderous and breath taking entertainment.It is a stupendous achievement.(10 Stars)

Incredibly, once again, Peter Jackson does the impossible
From gliding through the Misty Mountains and reliving Gandalf's battle with the Balrog to the Battle of Helm's Deep, the climactic scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, I think that, even though Frodo Baggin's (Elijah Wood) quest is still unfulfilled, a group of hard-working New Zealanders have once again created an epic adventure confection of a movie, full of fantasy, courage, imagination and flair. J.R.R. Tolkien would not have been disappointed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, since is a continuing of a story, doesn't stop to introduce us to the quest or the characters from the first part, The Fellowship of the Ring. Beginning right where the first left off, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) must continue their quest to Mount Doom and destroy the evil One Ring. Hunting them done is the rascal Gollum (Andy Serkis) but promises to lead them in to Mordor secretely. In Fangorn Forest, captured hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from the Orcs and are rescued by Treebeard (voiced by John Rhys-Davies), an ancient ent.

Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) enter the country of Rohan. After the miraculous return of Gandalf (Ian McKellan), the four see King Theoden (Bernard Hill). But the king isn't doing too well. He's doing practically everything his servant Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) is telling him. Wormtongue is in league with Saruman (Christopher Lee) and therefore is kicked out of Rohan. Aragorn, Gandalf and Theoden must discuss Rohan's plans to counter Saruman and Sauron.

Saruman is preparing for war, as we've also seen in The Fellowship of the Ring. He has been crossing orcs with goblins, breeding the dreadful Uruk-Hai to launch against Men of Gondor and Rohan. Gondor has it's own problems holding off Sauron's evil army. It all comes down to Saruman against the country of Rohan: A war of 10,000 Uruk-Hai against hundreds of Rohan people. Can Men claim a victory against Barad-dur and Orthanc, the union of the Two Towers?

The Two Towers, for me at least, had a quicker pace and sharper sense of movement than the more-episodic Fellowship of the Ring. Peter Jackson easily presents a film that will keep your attention for the full three hours. In many ways, The Two Towers is a much livlier film than it's predecessor. It takes a deeper look into it's character's own problems, dreams and future, covering many subjects: The war for Rohan, the war for Gondor, the war for the ents, and possibly the most important, the fate of the One Ring.

If The Fellowship of the Ring was a beautiful-looking movie, The Two Towers easily surpasses it visually. With the use of a program called MASSIVE, Peter Jackson and company takes flawless computer animation and simplistically adds it to real-life to create a stunning world. The Battle of Helm's Deep is one of the most memorable scenes of all time, while it uses a fantastic blend of live-action and computer animation. I say it's already got the Best Visual Effects Oscar in the bag. Not just because of the CGI, but with the camera trickery to make the hobbits small and the great backdrops.

I am appalled by the number of reviewers saying that this isn't faithful to Tolkien's book. Everyone should know that books and film are two different media, and should be treated as such. Many things in Tolkien's story would've gone horribly wrong on screen. As Peter Jackson said, if you were to film LOTR page by page, faithful to everything, what you would get is a mess. Many don't realize that what works in a book will NOT work on film. Be happy that you actually have a LOTR movie. Many filmmakers would not have been up to transferring Tolkien's story to the big screen. Jackson did make a few unnessesary changes, but he's a brave filmmaker to actually take on LOTR and still make something this good. Quit whining.

It might need a bit more humanity, but I'd say the chemistry between characters is much more alive and vivid in The Two Towers than with The Fellowship of the Ring. The relationship shared by Gollum and Frodo, or more importantly, Gollum and Sam, works wonderfully. Aragorn trying to convince King Theoden to go to war and the characterization involving Gimli was exceptionally. The Return of the King will see a lot more of this.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers continues Tolkien's trilogy with very few missteps. It is on every count as good as the first, and in many ways, even better. It could possibly be the most sinister film ever, a banquet of monsters and beasts. It's doing so much better at the box-office than the first, and it easily surpasses it in spectacle. It's still unclear how it will do at the Oscars. Being a sequel, it might not get nominated for Best Picture. However, I'd say it has already sweeped the technical awards. It certainly deserves it.

This is the best of the three!!
Usually, the second movie in a trilogy is the weakest. It doesn't have the freshness of the first movie or the finality of the final movie. The Two Towers, however, is the exception to the rule. For lack of a better phrase, it rocks!!! The extra material included in this extended version DVD really fleshes out the movie. After you watch it you'll wonder why Peter Jackson left it out; it makes the movie complete. The fight scenes at Helm's Deep are great, and you forget that a lot of what you're seeing is computer generated. Several new characters are introduced, but you feel like you've known them all along. The best part of the movie is the addition of a Boromir/Faramir scene. Of course, I could be biased. I love Boromir (Sean Bean). This movie is a cinematic masterpiece. It's great!!!

Excellent
Not just pasting in deleted scenes, this version was assenmbled from scratch with additional material that add to the depth of this movie. THIS is the version to buy for watching at home.

You haven't seen LOTR until you've seen this!
OMG! I love this movie so much, I never put it back in the case...it's always in the dvd player. If you at all liked the original theatrical version, you HAVE to get the extended version. The addded footage completes the story and fills in character developement. And you HAVE to listen to the cast commentary. Dom and Billy are hilarious. And the bonus disks are well worth the money. Forget that...added Viggo footage makes it WELL worth it. Plus, the box is beautiful. ... Read more

Reviews (135)

The Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection is the best!!!
The Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection may be the best action/adventure series of the last two decades (vastly more enjoyable than the sporadic Bond films, and the self-indulgent Lethal Weapon movies), and a lion-share of the credit must go to Bruce Willis, the wise-cracking, superhuman yet humane hero. Willis became a superstar with the first Die Hard, and he is riveting as John McClain, the New York cop in L.A. With the always watchable Bonnie Bedelia as his wife, and the flashy Alan Rickman as the mercenary/entrepenour, the film is a non-stop rollercoaster ride! Die Hard 2 lacks Rickman's charisma as the villain, but Willis again gives a dynamite performance, and Bedelia is even better than in the first film. Spectacular special effects abound! Die Hard With a Vengence, the weakest of the trio, was originally intended as Lethal Weapon 4, but was rewritten for Willis and Samuel Jackson. Bedelia's absence hurts the third film a great deal, but Jeremy Irons (as Rickman's equally greedy brother) is an excellent villain. Incredible pyrotechnics highlight this film, and Willis is still a joy...And rumor has it, there WILL be a Die Hard 4!

"One of the greatest action trilogies ever made"
The Die Hard trilogy is quite in fact action-packed but you can't really say that it is the best. Overall, it is great and never boring even if you watch it 200 hundred times. Bruce Willis was perfect for the role as the crime-fighting, trash-talking John McClane, a cop who always finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. I enjoyed these movies and had to watch them over several times before quitting but anyway, here's the review:

Die Hard: In the first one, made in 1988, McClane, the NY cop, is coming to visit him wife Holly in an Los Angeles building. He soon finds himself in a room on the top floor filled with parties and drinks and begans to relax. However, at the lobby, something is wrong. The guards have noticed an unknown truck entering the parking lot. They don't know that inside this truck is a ruthless gang of terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman in his best role). Well, you know what happens. They kill all security and try to break into a vault to steal a couple million as well as rounding up some hostages. However, they don't know that they haven't caught McClane. And now it's up to him to save his wife and the hostages in a brutal and bloody battle against Alan Rickman! Very fast-paced. You won't know where the time went as well. Great directing by John McTiernan. Overall, the best movie of the series.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder - It seems that McClane is in trouble again when a group of terrorists take over an airport that is threatening to blow up all the planes (one plane has McClane's wife) if they don't receive a wide load of cash. Once again, it's time for McClane to grab his guns and save the day! This movie was much worser than the previous two (probably because it wasn't directed by John McTiernan) but Renny Harlin. I mean, Cliffhanger and Deep BLue Sea was good but every other film was hardly interesting. It's a very edge-of-your-seat thriller though I recommend not seeing this first because you will think the whole Die Hard series is a waste of time.

Die Hard with a Vengeance - McClane is back in New York City working with Samuel L. Jackson! After Simon Gruber, (I think) the brother of the main terrorist in the first Die Hard, blows up a local building, cops send John McClane to check it out. However, they discover that this man doesn't want revenge, he just wants money! A brutal deadly game of cat-and-mouse follows with plenty of action that will keep you gripped.

Well, that's it!

Three Of The Greatest Action Films Ever Made
With action films all the rage in the 1980s', director John McTernian took a stab at it and struck gold with "Die Hard". This was the film that made Bruce Willis a star and proved that action films could be more than rediculous, overblown shootouts. It inspired two smash sequels. All three are in this boxed set.

1988's "Die Hard" is where it all began. Hardened New York City cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) just wants to fly out to L.A. and spend Christmas with his kids and his estranged wife Holly (Bonny Bedelia). But when he goes to meet his wife at her work station at Nakatomi Plaza, things go awry. A group of Russian terrorists led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman in his best pre - Harry Potter role). They kill the office's head boss and hold everyone hostage - including Holly. McClane goes out on a limb with only his gun and his cunning to protect him. What ensues is nonstop, heartstopping action and some great moments of humor. Also in this film is Reginald VelJohnson, the star of the longrunning tv show "Family Matters".

McTernian was absent for 1990's "Die Hard 2: Die Harder". so Renny Harlin was tapped to direct. Willis, Bedelia and VelJohnson were the only original castmemebers for this one. In this one, McClane is at a Wshington D.C. airport waiting for Holly's plane to land. While waiting, he gets involved in a shootout that results in death and has an argument with an imcompetent police chief (Dennis Franz). Worse, he gets word that a group of terrorists are planning to take over the airport and free a drug lord. All this chaos throws McClane back into action. This causes flights to be delayed, and many planes are running low on fuel - including Holly's. While not as good as the first one, this one has enough thrills and comedy to satisfy.

After a five - year absence forom the screen, 1995 saw "Die Hard With A Vengeance" released. This is one is my personal favorite. Willis once more plays McClane. This one is quite different from he first two. First, the plot has nothing to do with Holly (Bonny Bedelia). In fact, Holly isn't even this film at all. Second, this film has McClane in his official city of work, New York. Still, it's a great movie. In this one, a bomber named Simon (Jeremy Irons) is targeting McClane for a delightful game of cat and mouse (wait until you find out why). So McClane once again goes out on a limb to risk his life for innocent people. Only, this time he has help from a reluctant civillian (Samuel L. Jackson). Once more, heartstopping action and hilarious humor fills the movie.

Extras include documentaries, tarilers and comentaries. This a great collection movies that I highly recommend. Also recommended is the "Lethal Weapon" boxed set and the "Dirty Harry" boxed set.

4.5 STARS
I could have chosen the Lord of the Rings box set, Star Wars box set, or the Die Hard box set and in the end I chose this one. I love this set. What your getting hear is 6 discs, 3 movies, 3 hours 44 minutes of featurettes, trailers, interviews, "making of" documentaries, ONE AWESOME SET, and much more. I'm not going to explain that much about what happens in each movie because either you already know what happens or you have seen other reviews that tell you about the movies. This is a great set though. I'm very proud to own it.

DIE HARD (1988) Length-132 minutes 2 DISC SET (Rated R)
-Cast-(Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, and more)
-Widescreen, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Commentary, Subtitle commentary, scene Specific commenatry.
-Branching Version of movie with Extended Power Shutdown Scene put back in movie.
-2 Extended scenes, Editing room where you can re-edit- and re-mix scenes.
-Deleted Lines and Sequences reel, gag reel (12:49)
-3 trailers (4:54), 5 TV spots (3:37)
-Featurette (7:22), Slide Show (9:24)
-Whole script
-DVD-ROM-Script to Screen Comparison, Links, Game Demos.
-more

DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER (1990) Length-124 minutes, 2 DISC SET (Rated R)
-Cast-(Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedilia, William Atherton, Franco Nero, John Amos, William Sadler, more)
-Widescreen, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Commentary
-Making of Die Hard 2 (23:05)
-Featurette (4:00)
-4 Trailers (6:26)
-TV Spot (:32)
-4 Deleted Scenes (:51, 1:05, 2:50, 3:47)
-Interview (6:41)
-Villians Profile (6:36)
-3 Behind the Scenes Vignettes (4:07, 7:50, 2:56)
-5 Visual Affect Breakdowns (3:06, 1:45, 1:26, 3:26, 2:03)
-more

DIE HARD 3: WITH A VENGENCE (1995) Length-131 minutes, 2 DISC SET (Rated R)
-Cast-(Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons, Colleen Camp, Graham Greene, and more)
-Widescreen, English 5.1 DTS, English 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Commentary
-Behind the Scenes Vignettes, making of documentaries (21:44, 21:35, 8:45, 10:22, 7:50)
-Featurette (4:09)
-Alternate Ending (6:01)
-Storyboard sequence (2:14)
-Bruce Willis Interview (6:10)
-Villians Profile (4:22)
-Visual Affect Breakdowns (6:42)
-2 Trailers (3:51)
-10 TV Spots (5:17)

-more

PROS about movies:
-GREAT action, acting.
-Awesome Cast of characters.
-Cool Explosions.
-Movies are 2 Hours long each.
-Great story

CONS about movies:
-Vulgar
-In Die Hard it looks like McKlanes shirt changes color around middle of movie.

PROS about DVD box set:
-Cool Case
-Contains all 3 movies
-6 DVD's
-LOT'S of Special features

CONS about DVD box set:
-too expensive
-Nothing Extra comes with the set if you buy the 3 movies as one set.

I don't recommend this set to anyone who is younger then 16 because the movies do contain STRONG language, nudity, and graphic violence.

One of the classic action trilogies!
For me, this will always be one of the classic action trilogies. John McClane is a great action-movie hero---a domestic James Bond in the guise of everyman---and Bruce Willis will forever be linked to the character. As for the movies: DIE HARD is an influential action classic, now and forever; DIE HARD 2 is not quite as good but still a worthy sequel, and a lot of fun to watch; and DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE is the least of the series, generic and incoherent despite its skillful action sequences. Still, the DIE HARD trilogy will always have its place in action-movie history, and this Ultimate Collection is the definitive DIE HARD DVD collection, with all three Special Edition releases in a box that is slightly less expensive than buying all three separately. For fans of the trilogy, snap it up while it lasts! ... Read more

Description

This collection includes: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: George Clooney (THE PERFECT STORM, THREE KINGS) and Quentin Tarantino (PULP FICTION) star as the Gecko brothers –- two dangerous outlaws on a wild crime spree! FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 2: TEXAS BLOOD MONEY: It’s nonstop action when a bank-robbing gang of misfits heads to Mexico with the blueprints for the perfect million-dollar heist! FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3: THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER: The riveting prequel -– set 100 years before the original! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

a bit slow...but kept my interst....