Orlando

Starring:Tilda Swinton, Quentin Crisp, Jimmy Somerville, John Bott, Elaine Banham, Anna Farnworth, Sara Mair-Thomas, Anna Healy, Dudley Sutton, Simon Russell Beale, Matthew Sim, Jerome Willis, Viktor Stepanov, Charlotte Valandrey, Mary MacLeod, Barbara Hicks, Aleksandr Medvedev, Toby Stephens, Oleg Pogodin, George Yiasoumi
Director: Sally Potter
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

From producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PEARL HARBOR) comes PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, the thrilling high-seas adventure with a mysterious twist. The roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow's (Academy Award(R) Nominee Johnny Depp) idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the governor's beautiful daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightley). In a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl, Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) joins forces with Jack. What Will doesn't know is that a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead. Rich in suspense-filled adventure, sword-clashing action, mystery, humor, unforgettable characters, and never-before-seen special effects, PIRATES is a must-have epic on the grandest scale ever.

Amazon.com

You won't need a bottle of rum to enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, especially if you've experienced the Disneyland theme-park ride that inspired it. There's a galleon's worth of fun in watching Johnny Depp's androgynous performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, a roguish pirate who could pass for the illegitimate spawn of rockers Keith Richards and Chrissie Hynde. Depp gets all the good lines and steals the show, recruiting Orlando Bloom (a blacksmith and expert swordsman) and Keira Knightley (a lovely governor's daughter) on an adventurous quest to recapture the notorious Black Pearl, a ghost ship commandeered by Jack's nemesis Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), a mutineer desperate to reverse the curse that left him and his (literally) skeleton crew in a state of eternal, undead damnation. Director Gore Verbinski (The Ring) repeats the redundant mayhem that marred his debut film Mouse Hunt, but with the writers of Shrek he's made Pirates into a special-effects thrill-ride that plays like a Halloween party on the open seas. Aye, matey, we've come a long way since Jason and the Argonauts! --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

An action movie to top the rest.......2007-06-27

The first time I watched this I fell asleep...so I didnt watch it for about 2 years then my fiance made me again and I loved it. I guess I aquired a love for pirates in the two years :). This movie takes you on a wild ride on various ships until leading up the black pearl. There were twists and turns the whole way with alot of subtle details thrown in there. All three of the main actors acted beautifully. Johnny Deep played a good role as aiding in much comedic relief. All in All a great buy.

Captain Jack Sparrow The Flamboyant Pirate........2007-06-25

I am one of those rare folks who didnt get around to seeing this movie until years after it came out. Being as the name of the movie is Pirates of the Caribbean I was expecting tough guy pirates stealing and plundering and having sword fights. I did not at all expect Captain Jack Sparrow to be a flamboyant and quite amusing pirate. Johnny Depp completely made this movie for me. His acting is fantastic and so weird you just can't look away. The story line was well thought out and the special effects are fabulous. I highly recommend you check this movie out even if you think you might not like it.

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition).......2007-06-09

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)~ Johnny Depp is a truly grand adventure/fantasy/pirate movie. Johnny Depp is amazing in the part of Jack Sparrow and he is the best and wackiest charachter in the entire movie. The special effects are right on the money and the action scenes are filled with loads of fun. The script is well-written and the movie never drags and one is not left with meaningless scenes that could have been removed. I love this movie and I can not wait to see the sequell.

Aar ye mattes.......2007-06-08

Once started out as a ride at disney world now became a hit movie. Which in my oppinion is an awesome movie. This is a movie the whole family will enjoy.

Ahoy Mates.......2007-06-02

Love Johnny Depp in this movie, what a hottie. Great special effects. LOVE IT. Funny, Entertaining, Great for the family.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Average customer rating:

awesome movie
Another great movie to add to your collection
Stands alone!
With a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum - this show's a lotta fun!
Not As Good As The First But Still Fun To Watch.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Starring: Orlando Bloom , and Keira Knightley
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Cars (Widescreen Edition)
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Ice Age - The Meltdown (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00005JP0F
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Amazon.com

Take the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, add a dash of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a lot more rum. Shake well and you'll have something resembling Dead Man's Chest, a bombastic sequel that's enjoyable as long as you don't think too hard about it. The film opens with the interrupted wedding of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), both of whom are arrested for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the first film. Their freedom can only be obtained by getting Captain Jack's compass, which is linked to a key that's linked to a chest belonging to Davy Jones, an undead pirate with a tentacle face and in possession of a lot of people's souls. If you're already confused, don't worry--plot is definitely not the strong suit of the franchise, as the film excels during its stunt pieces, which are impressively extravagant (in particular a three-way swordfight atop a mill wheel). It may help to know that Dead Man's Chest was filmed simultaneously with some of Pirates 3, so don't expect a complete resolution (think more The Empire Strikes Back) or the movie will feel a lot longer than it really is.

Bloom shows a tad bit more brawn this time around, but he's still every bit as pretty as the tomboyish Knightley. (Seriously, sometimes you think they could swap roles.) Bill Nighy (Love, Actually) weighs in as Davy Jones and Stellan Skarsgård appears as Will's undead father. But the film still belongs wholly to Depp, who in a reprise of his Oscar-nominated role gets all the belly laughs with a single widened eyeliner-ed gaze. He still runs like a cartoon hen and slurs like Keith Richards--and he's still one of the most fascinating movie characters in recent history. --Ellen A. Kim

More Pirates at Amazon.com

Johnny Depp DVDs
Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Buy the Soundtrack

Description

Charming rogue pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back for a grand, swashbuckling, nonstop joyride filled with devilish pirate humor, monstrous sea creatures, and breathtaking black magic. Now Jack's got a blood debt to pay -- he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghostly Ruler of the Ocean Depths . . . but ever-crafty Jack isn't about to go down without a fight. Along the way, dashing Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the beautiful Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) get caught up in the thrilling whirlpool of misadventures stirred up in Jack's quest to avoid eternal damnation by seizing the fabled Dead Man's Chest!

Customer Reviews:

awesome movie.......2007-07-02

awesome sequel to the first one! i love the special effects in this one with Davy Jones and the Kraken! also, jack sparrow was hilarious as always! :D

Another great movie to add to your collection.......2007-06-27

This movie had me sitting on the edge of my chair throughout it. Once again, all of the cast plays an outstanding role. The whole object of this movie is to get the keys from Davy Jones to get to Dead Mans Chest. Its an awesome movie. I recomend it to everyone.

Stands alone!.......2007-06-27

FUN! I always look at sequels from at least two angles: as a sequel and as a movie without a predesessor. This movie can easily stand alone.

With a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum - this show's a lotta fun!.......2007-06-26

I finally sat down and watched this DVD - I have no idea why I waited so long, I'm a Johnny Depp fan and love the way he lives and breaths his characters. He is especially believable as Jack Sparrow - lovable despite his tendency to think predominantly of his own well-being or how to line his pockets.

A good bit of time has passed since the previous movie and the East India Trade company has moved into the area; bringing with it the detestable Lord Beckett, who has Will arrested on his wedding day and drags him to the site - where Elizabeth forlornly sits in the rain, in her wedding dress - in chains. And proceeds to arrest Elizabeth as well. What does he want? He wants Jack Sparrow's compass and he's willing to make a deal to get it - he will send Will out to find Sparrow and get the compass in exchange for a pardon for Sparrow and leniency for Will and Elizabeth.

The movie has amazing special effects - like the first movie, the crew of the antagonistic ship is completely crewed by "monsters," requiring extensive special effects. Personally, I liked the special effects in this movie better - I was fascinated by the constant movement on many of the characters. The kraken was also pretty cool, especially toward the end where you get to see the main body and mouth of the "beastie," as Jack puts it.

This movie does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger, with a bit of a surprise thrown at us right at the end that I certainly didn't see coming. I will definitely be looking forward to watching "At World's End" once it is released to DVD. A recommend from me for anyone who enjoys a good adventure flick, some fun sword fights (love the water-mill scene - shades of a hamster wheel, anyone??) and terrific special effects. Not for the people who prefer to be intellectually challenged or go to "theatres" to see "films" - this is definitely a movie ;-) Get it, watch it, enjoy it!

Not As Good As The First But Still Fun To Watch........2007-06-25

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest is not as good as the first but still worth watching. The story is full of holes and slightly hard to follow at times but the acting is still great. I just cannot get enough of Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow as a flamboyant pirate. If you saw the first movie you need to see this one. If you havent seen the first yet, go back and view that one before this movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]

Average customer rating:

Awesome!
Good Blu-ray
Must Have on Blu-ray!
Amazing picture and sound quality
Disney Obviously Loves Blu-ray and So do I

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl [Blu-ray]
Starring: Lee Arenberg , Johnny Depp , Trevor Goddard , Kevin McNally , and Jonathan Pryce
Director: Gore Verbinski
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Comedy | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Kids & Family | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Science Fiction & Fantasy | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest [Blu-ray]
Casino Royale [Blu-ray]
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto [Blu-ray]
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]
The Departed [Blu-ray]

ASIN: B000N6UERA
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Product description

Set sail for adventure with Disney's Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl on Blu-ray's high definition disc. This revolutionary new format brings the thrilling tale of the high seas to life like never before! Legendary pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and young sword-maker Will Turner join forces to rescue a governor's daughter from a band of bloodthirsty fellow pirates. Only Jack knows the dark secret the crew of the Black Pearl harbors. See the glint of each sword in eye-popping 1080p, and experience every cannon blast with spectacular 5.1 48kHz, uncompressed audio. It's entertainment quality so intense, you'll almost feel the sea mist in the air with the magic of Blu-ray high definition.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-07-02

The last time I saw this was when it first came out on DVD. Bought the Blu-Ray and all I can say is Wow!
The clarity of the picture along with the Uncompressed Audio track, I now use this Movie to show off my Home Theatre!

Good Blu-ray.......2007-07-01

This is a pretty good movie to start the Pirates series. I did notice that this movie was a little grainier than the second part since I own both movies. So as far as the graphics go, it's not too bad, but still a bit grainy. The uncompressed sound is always amazing, and will really rock if you have a surround sound system. By far, it's a collectible movie...so it's in my books.

Must Have on Blu-ray!.......2007-06-27

I scooped up this and PoC:Dead Man's Chest right before PoC:At World's End was released in theaters and WOW! The movies look fantastic Johnny Depp is great as Capt. Jack with all the oddities. Geoffrey Rush is brilliant as Capt. Barbosa. Keira Knightley is just stunningly gorgeous 1080p.
As stated before this blows the dvd away.

Ignore the low rating given by the other reviewer and his "hectic weekend" get a firmware upgrade if you need it and buy the movie.

Amazing picture and sound quality.......2007-06-26

Even if you own this movie on DVD, sell it and get this blu-ray disc! If you need a firmware upgrade on you BD player, it's easy and free to download and install.

This is by far one of the finest HD transfers to date. Thank you Disney, and I can't wait untill the Pixar movies start to show up.

I don't understand the person that gave it a low star rating, your rating the MOVIE not your player.

Disney Obviously Loves Blu-ray and So do I.......2007-06-11

Holy cow! What a release! Even for those like me who have seen this movie a dozen times, Disney found all kinds of new ways to make the movie fresh again.

First off:

Awesome Picture - one of the best I've seen on Blu-ray and I have at least 20 in my collection.

Awesome Sound - The foundation of my house was shaking!

Really cool special features! My favorite was the choice to have pirate facts pop up as you watched the film, and some of the facts could be banked so that at the end of the film, a documentary (that you have created by banking the facts you are interested in) plays. I mean, getting to custon make your own documentary? Only on Blu-ray my friends.

My family and I had a great time watching this film and I highly recomend it!

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

awesome movie
Another great movie to add to your collection
Stands alone!
With a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum - this show's a lotta fun!
Not As Good As The First But Still Fun To Watch.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Johnny Depp , Orlando Bloom , Keira Knightley , Jack Davenport , and Bill Nighy
Director: Gore Verbinski
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Comic Action | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

All Disney Titles | Disney Home Entertainment | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Cars (Widescreen Edition)
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Ice Age - The Meltdown (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000I0RQVI
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Product Description

Amazon.com

More Pirates at Amazon.com

Johnny Depp DVDs
Buy Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Buy the Soundtrack

Customer Reviews:

awesome movie.......2007-07-02

awesome sequel to the first one! i love the special effects in this one with Davy Jones and the Kraken! also, jack sparrow was hilarious as always! :D

Another great movie to add to your collection.......2007-06-27

Stands alone!.......2007-06-27

FUN! I always look at sequels from at least two angles: as a sequel and as a movie without a predesessor. This movie can easily stand alone.

With a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum - this show's a lotta fun!.......2007-06-26

Not As Good As The First But Still Fun To Watch........2007-06-25

Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut (Four-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great way to waste your money !!!
Kingdom of Deeez
Outstanding!!!
And then some
Well worth it.

Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut (Four-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Martin Hancock , Michael Sheen , Nathalie Cox , Eriq Ebouaney , and Jouko Ahola
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Batman Begins [HD DVD]
Star Wars - Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)

ASIN: B000EHSVQ4
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Amazon.com

It's hard to believe Ridley Scott's handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following Balian (Orlando Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam Neeson) place in the center of the universe circa 1184: Jerusalem. Here, grand battles and backdoor politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking kings, Baldwin (Edward Norton in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people. The look of the film, as nearly everything is from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting cast, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis, also help make the head and heart of the film work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't have the gravitas of Russell Crowe in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's the underdeveloped character and not the actor that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian isn't given much more to do than be sullen and give an occasional big speech, alongside his perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose seems to be to put a love scene in the movie). Note: all the major characters except Neeson's are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized. --Doug Thomas

On the DVD
The Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut is truly a DVD set of biblical proportions. If you are familiar with Ridley Scott's excellent, albeit massive, extended DVD sets for Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, you have a pretty good idea of what you are in for with this set. The biggest difference--unlike the Gladiator Director's Cut, which had some nice new scenes that really didn't add much to the film--is that this cut of Kingdom of Heaven is a drastic improvement over the theatrical release. This extensive 194-minute version brings the film back to Scott's original vision, maintaining an impressive balance of history, plot, and believable period reenactments and battle scenes. The best way to describe the improvements on the extended version is the film is now able to breathe a bit more, it's less choppy, and it has stronger character development. In addition to the extended scenes (which now span two discs in a clunky Road Show presentation), there is an exhaustive three-hour, six-part documentary detailing every aspect of filmmaking from the development of the "idea" through post-production and release. Also included are three feature-length commentary tracks, the best being the first with Ridley Scott, writer William Monahan, and actor Orlando Bloom. Included on the original release but missing from this set are the A&E/History Channel documentaries, the theatrical cut of the film, and "The Pilgrim's Guide," the fantastic text commentary which pointed out the historical anecdotes as the film played. Fans of the film and completists will probably want to hold onto both versions. However, those picking up Kingdom of Heaven for the first time need only to look to this definitive version. --Rob Bracco

Description

Among the best directors of our time, Ridley Scott (Gladiator), contributes generously to this extraordinary Collector?s Edition of Kingdom of Heaven. Featuring his Director?s Cut of the film and hours of fascinating extras including a six-part tour from conception to completion of filmmaking this definitive set makes what Variety called a "genuinely spectacular" film even more so!

An epic marvel that's as beautifully acted as it is visually awesome, Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a Jerusalem blacksmith who has lost his family and his faith. But when his father (Liam Neeson) shows him his destiny, Balian vows to defend his country, and in the process, falls in love, becomes a formidable leader, and steps forever into history

Customer Reviews:

Great way to waste your money !!!.......2007-06-28

This is one of the worst films ever made, maybe even worse than "Waterworld," if that's possible. The scenery is excellent, the costumes are great; but it all goes downhill from there. The story is this convoluted ridiculous farce about a blacksmith who suddenly becomes a knight and then falls in love with the Queen of Jerusalem...um...I think. Actually the story is so poorly told it's not clear who is who...but more importantly, I don't care because the story and the acting is so superficial I ended up hoping everybody would end up dying in a mass apocalyptic attack on the walls of Jerusalem. The script read as if it was written by a 7th grader who read a couple Skakespeare plays, looked at a couple "Medieval History" websites one night, and wrote a script, full of the most predicable trite cliche's ever written. The director has NO understanding of the crusades, and what they were about. He has the main character saying some trendy politcally correct jargon like "Jerusalem does not belong to one religion, but to all." There is not a single crusader who would have said that! And then at the end he vows not to surrender to the invading army, and then goes out and surrenders, and then everyone hails him as a hero because he surrenders. This movie is indicative of the whole mindset of the country where giving up fighting for something noble is better than fighting for what you believe in. Total trendy liberal ideology disguised as a historical epic. Don't waste your time or money on this silly over rated farce.

Kingdom of Deeez.......2007-06-27

The amount of development that went into this movie was amazing. I thought this movie was good in theaters...until I saw the directors cut which should have been in theaters...As a whole the movie made more sense in the directors cut...it made a good movie even better...longer but better... If you are into these types of films this is a must have...
Check it Fooo!

Outstanding!!!.......2007-06-27

Absolutely amazing! The Director's cut is like an entirely new movie!! It doesn't matter what faith you claim, this movie does not choose sides. Truly one for the shelves.

And then some.......2007-06-27

When I saw this movie for the first time un cut it was fantastic. The HD version is far more than I had anticipated. The story is much more complex and makes much more sense. It seems the original release was a dumb-down version of the real story. Picture quality is amazingly clear with lush colors. Even if you have this movie on DVD it is worth getting for Blu ray. You dont know what you are missing

Well worth it........2007-06-27

The addional footage makes this a whole new movie. It explains the ties to Balian and the village better. The queen and her son. Much, much better!

Average customer rating:

Director's Cut coming!!!
A good addition to the epic film category
One of the better war movies
An (almost) great movie
HOW DO YOU DISCRIBE EXALINTS

Troy (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Julian Glover , Brian Cox , Nathan Jones , Adoni Maropis , and Jacob Smith
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Two-Disc Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Alexander Revisited - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
King Arthur - The Director's Cut (Widescreen Edition)
Gladiator - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Special Edition)
Kingdom of Heaven - The Director's Cut (Four-Disc Special Edition)
The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0002Z0EYK
Release Date: 2005-01-04

Amazon.com

There are many reasons to recommend Troy as a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially if you've never read Homer's The Iliad. Dispensing with Greek gods altogether, this earnestly massive production (budgeted at upwards of $200 million) will surely offend historians and devoted students of the classics (for them, there's the History Channel's Troy). But there's politics aplenty in the grand-scale war that erupts when Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) makes off with Helen (blandly beautiful German model Diane Kruger), wife of Spartan ruler Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother, the Greek king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) prods him into enraged retaliation. Greek warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) brings lethal force to his battles (and there are many of them, mostly impressive), and his Trojan counterpart, Paris's brother Hector (Eric Bana), adds even more buffed-up beefcake to a film so chock-full o' hunks that there's barely room for Peter O'Toole (doing fine work as Trojan king Priam) and even less for Julie Christie, appearing ever-so-briefly as Achilles's melancholy mother. The drama is nearly as arid as the sun-baked locations (Mexico and Malta) that stand in for the Aegean coast, and many critics suggested that Pitt (who valiantly tries to give Achilles some tormented dimension) was simply miscast. But when you consider that Wolfgang Petersen also made The Perfect Storm, there's nothing wrong with enjoying Troy as a semi-guilty pleasure with a touch of ancient class. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Brad Pitt picks up a sword and brings a muscular, brooding presence to the role of Greek warrior Achilles in this spectacular retelling of The Iliad. Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger play the legendary lovers who plunge the world into war, Eric Bana portrays the prince who dares to confront Achilles, and Peter O'Toole rules Troy as King Priam. Director Wolfgang Petersen recreates a long-ago world of bireme warships, clashing armies, the massive fortress city and the towering Trojan Horse.

DVD Features:
Easter Eggs
Featurette:3 Featurettes: 1.In The Thick of the Battle: Discover how Troy's epic battle sequences were created--from thousands of warrior-extras training in the scorching heat of Mexico to fierce, one on one duels to the death. 2.From Ruins to Reality: Explore how the ruins of ancient Troy were unearthed, and how Troy's production design magicians created their own version of this breathtaking, legendary city. 3.Troy: An Effects Odyssey: The secrets of Troy's stunning visual effects are revealed--fro
Photo gallery:Gallery of the Gods: Take a computer generated, 3-D tour of Mount Olympus and meet the fabled Gods of Ancient Greece
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Director's Cut coming!!!.......2007-05-03

This news is about a month old as of this writing, but DavisDVD reported on April 3rd that director Wolfgang Peterson is getting $1M and his chance to go back and put out his definitive version of this historical epic film, much like Ridley Scott did with Kingdom of Heaven and Oliver Stone with Alexander.

Apparently, this new cut will be about a half-hour longer and be much more violent along with more sex. (Rubs hands together...)

It'll probably be released on home video in Sept. 2007.

A good addition to the epic film category.......2007-04-17

I know I learned all about Greek history and mythology in high school, but that was too many years ago so I didn't know what in this movie was true to history and what was altered. Maybe my ignorance helped me enjoy the movie more than some. I thought the battle sequences were well done and the costuming excellent. Some of the characters didn't have much to do, while others we were given a good amount of depth to understand their motivations. Peter O'Toole owned the screen in his scene with Achilles asking for his son's body to be returned. Brad Pitt did a nice job with Achilles. The only complaint I have is the nihilistic way the character was written became a little irritating to deal with as the movie went on. Brian Cox is his usual nasty self as Agamemnon and it would have been nice to see Brendon Gleason have a bigger role as Menelaus.

My biggest trouble with Troy is the almost 3 hour length. It didn't need to be that long. A few scenes cut out or shortened would have made a tighter movie. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Troy and would recommend it.

One of the better war movies.......2007-03-18

If you are looking for a great rendition of Homers tale the Iliad then dont bother with this movie. If you are looking for an entertaining movie about warfare during the time of the Greek city states then this is right for you. Not like many other Hollywood war movies where all the good guys live at the end and are able to defeat armies many time their size with little problem...cough...cough...Lord of the Rings. This movie is somewhat realistic where you have the good guys as your fighting soldiers and the higher ups numb or fighting for corrupt or concealed motives (if they are actually fighting at all). The losses of warfare are apparent as some of the more noble and likable characters in the movie lose their lives. It leaves the viewer of the movie wondering if the cost of that war was worth the sacrfices.

An (almost) great movie.......2007-03-09

If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would. For the most part, I thought Brad Pitt was an excellent Achilles, although there were a couple scenes where he spontaneously forgot how to act. The battle-scenes are impressive and the personal dual between Hector and Achilles was very well-done: I'd never seen such a well-choreographed fight with spears.

O.k., so they had to condense ten years of war into two weeks (or whatever), but what can you expect for a 2 hour movie? The Trojan Horse is somewhat underwhelming (but I guess that's to be expected since you know how the story ends).

As long as you're not a Homer purist, then "Troy" will not disappoint.

HOW DO YOU DISCRIBE EXALINTS.......2007-03-09

THIS IS THE BEST OR 1 OF THE BEST THAT WAS EVER SENT

Average customer rating:

"Jaws"+"King Kong"+"Hotel Rwanda"+"Broadcast News"+"Lake Placid"="Primeval
The actual story is more intriguing than this mediocre film
Where is the Crocodile Hunter when you Need him?
Great probally best CROC movie
Better than "Crocadile", but worse than "Lake Placid"

Primeval
Starring: Dominic Purcell , Brooke Langton , Orlando Jones , Jürgen Prochnow , and Gideon Emery
Director: Michael Katleman
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ghost Rider (Two-Disc Extended Cut)
The Messengers
Shooter (Widescreen Edition)
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition)
The Hitcher (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000OCZ9WS
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Amazon.com

Who would have thought that Primeval, a movie about a giant man-eating crocodile, would turn out to be closer in spirit to Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond than to the average slasher-movie horror flick? Perhaps it doesn't aim at the social-issue heights of those more prestigious films, and the acting is uneven to say the least, but give this monster movie credit for trying to get in the smart, edgy vein of some of John Sayles's early scripts for Roger Corman. A cable-TV news crew travels to Burundi to capture footage of (and, if possible, just plain capture) the enormous crocodile that's been terrorizing the local landscape. Making things more complicated: the local landscape is also being terrorized by a civil war. The film does a clever job of weaving the two scourges together, and the script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris pays surprisingly explicit attention to the way the West has been slow to acknowledge human-rights disasters in Africa, calling out Rwanda and Darfur by name. Now if only the characters were more than cardboard-thin; only Orlando Jones, doing the standard-issue wisecracking black sidekick, makes any particular impression. (Poor Jurgen Prochnow, glowering about in the Great White Hunter role--you'd think the guy who commanded Das Boot could knock off a giant reptile, no problem.) Pedestrian direction doesn't bring the human element to life, but give it up for a fine crocodile--his name is Gustave--who exists in a nifty, hungry computer-generated frenzy for most of his performance. And the script even provides Gustave some behavioral motivation that recalls the it's-not-their-fault-it's-man's-fault spirit of 1950s monster movies. Not a bad effort at all. --Robert Horton

Description

Inspired by the true story of a legendary 25-foot man-eating crocodile comes the intense, terrifying horror movie PRIMEVAL, starring Dominic Purcell (TV's PRISON BREAK) and Orlando Jones (RUNAWAY JURY, EVOLUTION). An American news crew, determined to capture this voracious monster and stop his demonic rampage, travel deep within the darkest reaches of Africa to hunt their prey. But Gustave, as the natives call him, is also on the hunt — always on the move, always elusive, always hungry for human flesh. Heart-pounding fear is nonstop in this edge-of-your-seat nail-biter about the cunning killer who continues to blaze his blood-soaked trail of terror.

Customer Reviews:

"Jaws"+"King Kong"+"Hotel Rwanda"+"Broadcast News"+"Lake Placid"="Primeval.......2007-07-04

"Primeval" is another one of those movies where you can have fun working out the movie equation where you name the films that were cannibalized to come up with the formula for this one. What if "Jaws" came out of the water? Okay, yes, you would have one scene in "Deep Blue Sea," but you would also have "Primeval." The nature guy in this film even claims it is the crocodile that is the most perfect killing machine on each, so take that, Matt Hooper. What if the expedition in "King Kong" was really trying to bring back a giant crocodile alive? You would also have "Primeval." What if you sent a news crew concerned with ratings like in "Broadcast News"? What if you use a goat for bait just like in "Jurassic Park"? What if you just took "Lake Placid" and moved it to Africa so that you can play it against the backdrop of civil war like in "Hotel Rwanda?" Add up all of these films and what you get is "Primeval." Do not be surprised as you watch this movie that time and time again you mind wanders to those other, much better films. Even the characters in this one acknowledge they are trapped in "Jaws," although they are way off base on the "Godzilla" analogy and I must note with pleasure that the natives are not willing to start singing a song in English like they did in "Congo."

The opening scene is somewhat interesting. A United Nations group is checking out what they think is another mass grave in Africa when it turns out to be something different namely a giant killer crocodile named Gustave (Really. He is supposedly still out there dinning up and down the Rusizi River that is his home: this film is inspired by true events as opposed to being a true story). This 2007 film is ill-served by the gaudy post-modern opening credits because the whole point is that somewhere out there is a real monster eating hundreds of people and this looks like it is setting up "Se7en" or something grittier like "Hostel."

Using the "Jaws" typology, news producer Tim Manfrey (Dominic Purcell) is the Chief Brody character who does not want to be there when he is sent to Africa to bring the monster back alive, Mathew Collins (Gideon Emery) is the Matt Hooper science geek with the gadgets, and Jacob Krieg (Jurgen Prochnow) is the Quint character who everybody should be listening to before people start dying. Instead of town fathers concerned about taking the "summer dinks" for everything they can on the 4th of July, we have soldiers going around lopping off heads and killing civilians for essentially the same reason. Where Manfrey is different is that he brings his romantic interest, Aviva Masters (Brooke Langton) along for the ride, and has a wisecracking cameraman, Steven Johnson (Orlando Jones) who always has something to say on every subject from halitosis to Darfur. But you worry about him because the funny guy is usually one of the first to go in a monster movie.

There is an interesting sub-text to this film that would have been well worth exploring, because Gustav has eaten literally hundreds of natives and it is not until a white woman become the entree that the "world" takes an interest and decides to go do something about it. But instead the film puts the characters between a rock, in the form of the giant croc, and a hard place, namely the Brundi-Rhwandi border, where every thug has a gun. The dynamic is that if you are worried about the croc, the guys with the guns show up, and when things get ugly with the thugs, expect Gustave to save the day. To put it another way, every time you forget the other half of the movie, it comes back into play. Eventually the idea of capturing Gustave is forgotten as the survivors try to avoid both the croc and the thugs, and I swear I was going to round up on this film until Manfrey articulates a link between the genocide and the monster. The ending is fairly predictable once you understand the three sides involved, but let us not pretend that the irony is a divine solution to the situation.

The movie was filmed in South Africa and all I can say is that things sure have changed since John Huston took Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn to Africa to shoot "The African Queen." You travel thousands of miles to make THIS movie? I did think that drirector Michael Katleman and especially film editor Gabriel Wrye did above average work here, much better than I would have expected and probably better than the production deserved. However, ultimately, there simply is not enough of the croc in this film and when it does show up the special effects are not up to the challenge. I just watched "Jaws" again earlier this week and, yes, the shark is suggested rather than seen for the first half of the film, but once we finally see Bruce he is an integral part of the action. For me the special effects are problematic because Gustave moves so damn fast, in or out of the water, that I have trouble buying it. After all, this is supposed to be the biggest croc in the world. The lower your expectations, the more you can enjoy watching "Primeval," and it really is a beter "Jaws" rip-off than all of the actual "Jaws" sequeles combined.

The actual story is more intriguing than this mediocre film.......2007-07-02

Despite being based on a "true story", primeval is still a story that kind of gets pulled down by the production, marketing and DVD cover of a B-grade horror flick. Although the story is somewhat interesting, the CG crocodile and the somewhat hokey dialogue and overall production are lacking for this film to be taken too seriously. I found the special features section that covered the actual case of the story much more compelling than the fictional counterpart that was trying to represent it.

Primeval is based on a large crocodile that is sometimes referred to as a "man eating" crocodile. I wasn't aware that some crocodiles were man eating and some are not, and although I am no expert in the field I would assume that if one is hungry enough and finds something edible in the water, it is probably going to eat it without a second thought of whether that dinner is accompanied by a Rolex and cell phone or not. The film does have some familiar faces from other corners of films and TV with the screen presence of Orlando Jones, Brook Langton and Dominic Purcell. After an initial introduction of a separate incident involving the croc, the movie gets rolling into the main course of our main characters playing a team of people with varying skill sets in journalism and crocodile hunting being assembled to travel to Africa to capture the crocodile. Throw in some corruptive baddies who carry AK-47 rifles and the back-story of genocide and you have a good plot that involves two major ongoing subjects who both have carnage as the end result.

Orlando Jones character is perhaps the most intriguing, and his compassion for an orphaned boy does add some good sentiment within the main storyline. Although promising given the background of facts this story was based upon, I found it overall to be marketed too much as a film that falls along the lines of a "Lake Placid" or perhaps "Anaconda". At times I found the set production to be lacking some basic elements although it was being filmed on location in Africa. Despite our team of characters being exposed to Searing heat and swampy water, they are rarely shown drinking water or sweating profusely. One particular scene that struck me as odd was after an attack at a boat house with an adjoining dock in which it gets mauled to splinters by the crocodile. The following morning the team is shown laying out on the remnants of this facility in the sun trying to figure out what the next plan of attack is, since the croc (monitored electronically by now) is out in the grass somewhere near shore. Everyone is relatively calm and even joking somewhat, with nary a scratch on them despite surviving a collapsing wooden structure. Aviva Masters (played by Langton) even seems to have makeup on and looks more like a girl who just walked through a park, including hair that isn't the slightest out of place. I know it may seem like I am nitpicking here, but if you are going to show people in the wild, at least make it somewhat believable with some dirt on their face and sweat soaked clothes for a little more believability.

The chase scenes of the team trying to escape and deal with the armed militants who are caught up in a civil war are done well, and I found the particular use of camera angles and slow motion of Steven Johnson (played by Jones) making a valiant attempt at escaping the croc towards the end very haunting. Overall the director did not do a bad job of mixing in the civil war strife with the nuisance of the giant crocodile, but in the end it is not something that would be regarded as a keeper in my own collection, perhaps good to rent if you have nothing else of interest on the shelf. I try to judge a film like this for what it is, and not what it is not when it comes to lower budgets and such. The main issue is that despite the actual stories that come from Africa, this film is a combination of "shock and awe" CG tactics and mediocre fictional storytelling.

Where is the Crocodile Hunter when you Need him?.......2007-07-01

Seriously, this movie is really not good. If you want a great Crocodile movie, go see "Lake Placid". Better actors, much better acting, and a more realistic crocodile... but not by much!
People have gone over the plot, so I will not rehash it here.
The plot is not very good as it intermixes the horror Crocodile and the African political storylines. And as with most bad horror movies, stupid decisions are made at times that wind up killing the actors.
Jurgen Prochnow's talents are wasted in this film as the big-game hunter who is supposed to help the film crew. Dominic Purcell once again proves he has no acting talent. I wish they would kill him off on "Prison Break". The only talent here is Orlando Jones. He does a relatively good job, but we do not even see him being killed. He just pops up dead later on.. What a waste!
The bonus features on the DVD are thin. There is one "deleted" scene that is pretty amusing, where they show a scene on how the Warlord was supposedly to be killed originally. The "Making of" is not very interesting.
I did give the movie 2 stars, because it did keep me watching for 90 minutes.

Great probally best CROC movie.......2007-06-30

Probally only second to Lake Placid, this Killer Croc film is creppy, great chatacters, and awesome effects, not to be missed.

Better than "Crocadile", but worse than "Lake Placid".......2007-06-28

Was this movie about a 25 ft. croc,
or the state of affairs in Africa?
Was there some sort of message
about America's apathy toward African Civil War
where the deathtolls number in the thousands,
as opposed to our being intrigued by the sensationalism
of a 25 ft. man-eating croc, whose body count numbers only in the hundreds?
Should this have been marketed as a horror movie?
Certainly it shouldn't have been marketed as a serial killer flick.
Cause it's essentially "Lake Placid" meets "Blood Diamond"
Except it's not as good as either of those films.
And the most frustrating part is not how they marketed it,
but that you never really get a clear view of Gustave.
(The Croc with the same name as the countries dictator)
Whether it was night or day, it was either too dark, or too blurry with quick, violent movements, to see the beast.
(Probably because they wanted to hide the bad CGI)
(*Sidenote* - While I was on vacation in Florida last year,
I saw the stuffed body of a 25 ft. Croc' named "Gomek".
Impressive isn't the word.
The sheer sight of the predator was enough to believe monsters do exist. And it was a real personal shame this film couldn't clearly capture the enormity of the lizard.)
Orlando Jones is the movies only saving grace,
sinle-handedly keeping the dialogue alive.
Even while he's alone, he keeps it going, by making one the most powerful statements of the movie.
I'm not going to ruin it for you, so don't worry.

Definitely rent before buying.
Especially if you're a horror fan.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Everything in Africa can, & will kill you.

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)

Average customer rating:

Orlando! Bloom! can't! act!
An ok adaptation for the classic but not on par with the other two films
Excelente aventura
Gotta Have All 3
"The DVD box #2"

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
Starring: Sean Astin , John Rhys-Davies , Brad Dourif , Bernard Hill , and Christopher Lee
Director: Peter Jackson
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Extended Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition)
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Widescreen Edition)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 2)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 1)

ASIN: B00009TB5G
Release Date: 2003-11-18

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

Description

Not seen in theaters, this unique version of the epic adventure features over 40 minutes of new and extended scenes integrated into the film by the director. DVD set consists of four discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries, commentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the film. Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship continue their quest to destroy the One Ring and stand against the evil of the dark lord Sauron. The Fellowship has divided and now find themselves taking different paths to defeating Sauron and his allies. Their destinies now lie at two towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupted wizard Saruman waits and Sauron's fortress at Baraddur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Documentaries
Interactive Menus
Interviews
Photo gallery
Production Sketches:Four discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries, commentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the film.
Scene Access

Customer Reviews:

Orlando! Bloom! can't! act!.......2007-06-12

I first saw this when it came out and like many people I was quite excited to see a full length live action (ie non animation) version of books that were a big part of my growing up years.

Although back then I enjoyed the film, looking back at it for the first time in many years later, I was surprised at my reaction to it. The visuals are still great, and the CGI still holds up pretty well. But the main problem I had with the film was the acting. It ranges from good to poor, but for me it's this inconsistency that stops me from getting immersed in the film. The film has a glaring conflict of acting styles from the quite old school Shakespearean of Ian McKellans Gandalf, to the "Method" acting of Aragorn, to just plain wooden-ness. There's an obvious problem with accents too, so we have American's trying to sound English, Australians trying to sound English, Australians trying to sound Irish, Londoners trying to sound like they're from Cornwall, and nobody really getting it totally right. For such a big budget movie, this lapse of quality is surprising. And, as my review header may suggest, I think Orlando Bloom is the worst screen actor I've yet seen. He's not just mediocre or okay, he's sometimes so bad, so woodenly earnest in his delivery that I actually laughed out loud a few times. "You would die before your stroke fell!" ranks up there with some of the all time worst acting performances in film history. If he was told to show grief he would furrow his brow a bit and frown. If it was surprise he was trying to convey he'd widen his eyes a bit and open his mouth a bit. It's all there in the movie.

The "comic relief" scenes with Gimli are only slightly less annoying than Jar Jar Binks too.

I can look back on this and enjoy some bits in this film and the other films of the trilogy but I don't believe that this series of movies is going to ever be classics of the future. Classics don't have you squirming in embarrassment at the acting.

An ok adaptation for the classic but not on par with the other two films.......2007-05-15

**Warning this review contains many spoilers** For staters I personally love the Lord of the Rings. This includes the movies but more so the books. I thought The Fellowship of the Rings was as near perfect an adaptation as a movie could have come to the book and I feel the same way about The Return of the King. Both are among the best movies I have ever seen. The Two Towers, however, falls short of it's antecessor's and predecessor's near perfection. When I first read the book I was amazed and fell in love with the powerful story and characters Tolkien had created but when I saw the movie I was very dissapointed. I have thought long and hard about what I don't like in this film and in fact I just finished watching it again. I also want everyone to understand that I'm not some crazed fan who is upset that they didn't include everything in the movie that was in the book. I am somewhat of a film maker myself and I know all to well how important pacing is. So here is my review from a film student's perspective.

The movie starts out very strong. The opening flashback to the fight in Moria is a masterpiece and probably the films strongest momment. We then meet up with all the old characters from the first movie. These opening scenes are very well done with some amazing cinematography, music, and special effects. These scenes are also very well paced. Jackson keeps the movie moving along and manages to introduce the new characters without ever getting off topic (something that plagues him later on). To be honest I have no complaints about these early scenes.

However, the film starts to go downhill about halfway through. To make Lord of the Rings more politically correct Jackson needed more female characters. So he expanded the role of Arwen. This worked great in the first one and I think her inclusion adds a lot to The Return of the King also. But in this one she just seems tagged on. There is a flashback sequence where we see her and Aragorn in Rivendell. At first this seems to work but it just goes on and on. It could have easily been cut down. To drag the story down even more right after the flashback we are treated to the films most unnecessary scene were Jackson totally gets off topic. We flash to present Rivendell where Elrond convinces Arwen to leave for Valinor. I was pretty sure that that was what Aragorn just did in the flashback. I simply became bored with the scene's redundency. To drag this vital middle section of the movie down even further Jackson cuts to some kind of weird flashforward to Aragorn's death. This is completely redundant to the point of the scene which is itself unnecessary. But this wasn't enough to get me to dislike the entire movie I was still looking forward to watching the rest.

However, my hopes were soon destroyed for the movie's second most unnecessary scene came right after it. Instead of simply having some nice and much needed character development as they march to Helm's Deep Peter Jackson decided to throw in probably the dumbest plot twist he could have: Aragorn dies... well not really but you think he does. For some reason Jackson felt it was important to throw a battle in and for some reason (God knows why) he thougth it would help the movie to make everyone think Aragorn was dead. At this point I totally started to lose interest in the movie. In a film the middle is one of the most important points for that is when you start building to the climax. Instead we get 15 minuets of slowmotion shots of everyone mourning Aragorn's death only to have him show up a little while later. I was just so bored at this point I could hardly stand it.

Luckly the pace starts to pick up but instead of getting exicted in anticipation for the big battle I just found myself thinking get on with it. All the very necessary character develoment before the battle could have easily taken the place of the unnecessary mess of scenes that didn't even appear in the book itself. But at last the battle arrived. Despite the King's long and boring monologue before it the battle was great... at first. The problem: it was just too long. It took away far to much from Fordo and Sam. To make things worse Jackson decided to trash Tolkeins wonderful ending with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. Instead we get some poorly written scene that takes us way way off topic, farther off topic than any of the pointless scenes Pater Jackson wrote for the movie thus far. It is a scene that features a character no one cares about: Faramir. So what is this scene, well Faramir takes Frodo all the way back to Gondor! At this point I realized that Peter Jackson is quite possilbly one of the worst writers in Hollywood (an opinion that King Kong supports). The only reason the other two movies were so great was because he stuck more closely to the source material. Any auhtor or writer could have told him that this was a big mistake and totally off topic but apparently the other people who helped him write the script were either amazingly stupid or in a big hurry to finish the script in time. I just don't understand why someone would scrap a classic ending to a classic novel written by a master storyteller in favor of some poorly written, uncreative, and redundent garbage. I have been pretty supportive of all the changes Peter Jackson made but this crosses the line. Never have I seen a director with the ego to alter a beloved story so profoundly in favor of his own ending. When you choose to adapt a novel you lose some degree of creative freedom and this is just the most unbelievable example of a director going to far.

My last bit of criticism is directed at the way Jackson decided to end the film. He some reason thought that he needed some closure for the movie (despite the fact that there's a sequel) so he had Frodo and Sam make up only to have them start fighting again at the start of the third film. This was a poor choice but since he completely ruined the cliffhanger ending I guess he needed some kind of closure to end it with. But once again his poor ability as a storyteller shows because now we find ourselves with a fade out almost exactly like the ending to the first one and it seems like Fordo and Sam have made no progress whatsoever in the journey. A poor ending to a dissapointing followup to one of the best movies of our time. The only thing that saves this film from becoming analogous to The Matrix Reloaded is what little remains of Tolkien's masterpeice inside this shell of egotism that Jackson poorly constructed.

Excelente aventura.......2007-05-13

A mi modo de ver fiel a la version escrita, aunque le hayan cortado la parte final para insertarla en el retorno del Rey. Como las otras dos pelicuals recomendable!.

Gotta Have All 3.......2007-04-27

the ring trilogy is the ultimate battle between good and evil...and the same struggle within, that we all must face...
if i could choose a character out of middle-earth, and become that character, i would choose king theoden...i watch his parts over and over..like "where is the horse and the rider?" and i love some of his other lines...like when his men say,"but we cannot defeat them" ...and theoden replys, "no" ... "but we will meet them in battle, none the less" or somethin' like that.(but that is in the third movie) :-)
...he's so dang tuff! and wears really cool armor.
i happen to like those hollywood battle scenes, alot, so i enjoy watching the battle at helm's deep, over and over.
and, of course, at the same time, we have little frodo...where the internal conflict resides...different kind of battle...but same problem...
"good 'vs' evil".
but i don't wanna be frodo...i want to be theoden.
who would you choose?

wake.

"The DVD box #2".......2007-04-11

Well, this is by far the BEST DVD box that i ever bought, as a fan of tolkien those extra cenes just blown me away, i feel like it was a new Lord of The Rings movie.If you're a fan of Middle Earth this dvd is a "must have" in the dvd section.

One of the extra scenes show the relationship of Boromir and his brother Faramir back at Gondor, and what happens before Boromir travel to Rivendell to join the Council of Elrond and the Fellowship of the Ring, just stunning.

Buy the Return of the King and Fellowship of the ring too, you will not be dissapointed.

Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]

Average customer rating:

Great way to waste your money !!!
Kingdom of Deeez
Outstanding!!!
And then some
Well worth it.

Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
Starring: Orlando Bloom , and Liam Neeson
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Batman Begins [HD DVD]
Star Wars - Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (Widescreen Edition)
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
King Kong - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition)

ASIN: B000ICLRIE
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Amazon.com

Description

Among the best directors of our time, Ridley Scott (Gladiator), contributes generously to this extraordinary Collector's Edition of Kingdom of Heaven. Featuring his Director's Cut of the film and hours of fascinating extras ? including a six-part tour from conception to completion of filmmaking ? this definitive set makes what Variety called a "genuinely spectacular" film even more so!

An epic marvel that's as beautifully acted as it is visually awesome, Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a Jerusalem blacksmith who has lost his family ? and his faith. But when his father (Liam Neeson) shows him his destiny, Balian vows to defend his country, and in the process, falls in love, becomes a formidable leader, and steps forever into history

Customer Reviews:

Great way to waste your money !!!.......2007-06-28

Kingdom of Deeez.......2007-06-27

Outstanding!!!.......2007-06-27

Absolutely amazing! The Director's cut is like an entirely new movie!! It doesn't matter what faith you claim, this movie does not choose sides. Truly one for the shelves.

And then some.......2007-06-27

Well worth it........2007-06-27

The addional footage makes this a whole new movie. It explains the ties to Balian and the village better. The queen and her son. Much, much better!

Average customer rating:

A fine early cold war submarine movie.

Hell and High Water
Starring: Richard Widmark , Bella Darvi , Victor Francen , Cameron Mitchell , and Gene Evans
Director: Samuel Fuller
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video