The Lord of the Rings — The Fellowship of the Ring: Platinum Series Extended Edition
New Line Home Entertainment ($24.99)Still no Tom Bombadil. There’s more than 30 minutes of extra footage added to the theatrical release, but still there remains the myriad episodes skipped from the book between Brandybuck Ferry and Bree, including Tolkien’s deliberately enigmatic leprechaun-like sprite. Beyond this, the Platinum Edition has improved on virtually every aspect of the film, in addition to stockpiling loads of fascinating extra features and commentary from the director, cast, and more. Sometimes-scant character development has been generally the only criticism of director Peter Jackson’s masterwork. The two characters that benefit dramatically from this expanded treatment are Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel, who comes across closer to Tolkien’s warm matriarch figure, and Boromir, whose multifaceted dilemmas make him a stronger character. There’s also a beautiful opening exposition about hobbits, and a priceless scene showing the elves exiting Middle-Earth. Discs three and four contain six hours of inside cast anecdotes and detailed breakdowns of balrogs, beards, and battle scenes.
This article appears in December 13 • 2002.