The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) poster

4.4

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Adventure, Fantasy, Action • 2h 58m

Director: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian Holm, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Marton Csokas, Craig Parker, Lawrence Makoare, Brent McIntyre, Sala Baker, Peter McKenzie, Mark Ferguson, Harry Sinclair, Noel Appleby, Megan Edwards, Sarah McLeod, David Weatherley, Ian Mune, Michael Elsworth, Cameron Rhodes, Martyn Sanderson, Billy Jackson, Katie Jackson, Alan Howard, Victoria Beynon-Cole, Lee Hartley, Sam La Hood, Chris Streeter, Phil Grieve, Jonathan Jordan, Semi Kuresa, Clinton Ulyatt, Paul Bryson, Lance Fabian Kemp, Jono Manks, Ben Price, Peter Jackson, Chris Ryan, Bret McKenzie, Betty Adams, Timothy Bartlett, Bob Blackwell, David Houma, Jo Surgison, Liz Merton, Zo Hartley, Norman Cates, Jeff Kingsford-Brown, Marta Martí, Riley Brophy, Phoebe Gittins, Taea Hartwell, Shane Rangi, Jed Brophy, Paul Shapcott, Alan Lee, Larry Rew, Gino Acevedo, Xander Forterie, Richard Maybery, Sabine Crossen, Gareth Jensen, Ben Britton, Kester Fordham, Jarl Benzon, Sam Kelly, Matt Appleton, Blair Morton, Ray Henwood, Ralph Johnson, Jonathan Harding, Jørn Benzon, Ben Fransham, Tim Kano, Sacha Lee, Thomas Robins, Randall William Cook, Rachel Clentworth, Lani Jackson, Sharon Maxwell, David J. Muzzerall, Winham Hammond, Mana Hira Davis, Warren Green, Stu Johnson, Peter Lyon, Peter Daube, Samuel E. Shore, Rodney Bane, Siaosi Fonua, Ken Stratton, Lynden Berrymen, Ryan Carey, Tack Daniel, Shane Dawson, Branko Dordevich, Greg Lane, Tim McLachlan, Dean Morganty, Greg Morrison, Andrew Munro, Grant Roa, Vincent Roxburgh, Mike Stearne, Andrew Stehlin, Tim Wong, Daniel Andrews

4.4

Best English-friendly & video release

Video notes:

Caveat: mostly great video but the 4K Blu-rays have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & Blu-rays

The 2020 Blu-ray (the one without the green tint) may be better than the 4K Blu-ray?

Updated 5 months ago

Best audio release

New Line Blu-ray

New Line Blu-ray have the original 6.1 mixes

Additional info

4K Blu-ray set is missing extras from the old Blu-ray/DVD releases

The 2011 Blu-ray notoriously had a green tint, the 2020 one removes it.

UHD tiers

WB:

caveat: mostly great video but the UHDs have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & BDs

About the film

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Featured Lists: Lord of the Rings
National Film Registry
Year of Induction: 2021
AFI 100 Years 100 Movies
TSPDT: 2026: #591
2025: #596
2024: #594
2023: #591
2022: #591
Alternative Titles: LOTR1- The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings I: The Fellowship of the Ring

Part of Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

Caveat: mostly great video but the 4K Blu-rays have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & Blu-rays

The 2020 Blu-ray may be better than the 4K Blu-ray?

Best Audio:

New Line Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

New Line Blu-ray have the original 6.1 mixes

Additional Info:

4K Blu-ray set is missing extras from the old Blu-ray/DVD releases

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

4K Blu-ray caveat: mostly great video but the 4K Blu-rays have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & Blu-rays

The 2020 Blu-ray may be better than the 4K Blu-ray?

Best Audio:

New Line Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

New Line Blu-ray have the original 6.1 mixes

Additional Info:

4K Blu-ray set is missing extras from the old Blu-ray/DVD releases

Featured in National Film Registry

Blackboard Jungle (1955)

Director: Richard Brooks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras

Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)

Director: George B. Seitz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

A New Leaf (1971)

Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Best Audio:

Olive Films Blu-ray / Masters of Cinema Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

12 Angry Men (1957)

Director: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Best Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Easy Rider (1969)

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony UK 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1

Audio Notes:

MoC audio is better https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=225532&page=3

Spartacus (1960)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Plaion Germany Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K Blu-ray said to be coming from Criterion, per Bill Hunt

Video Notes:

Includes Director's Cut and Roadshow Version

Same master as old WB Blu-ray but better encoding

North by Northwest (1959)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

More from Peter Jackson

The Frighteners (1996)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow US/UK 4K Blu-ray or Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Both will look identical in motion but the Turbine looks marginally better due to a higher bitrate allocation by each cut being given its own disc, whereas Arrow had FiM seamlessly branch the two onto one. However, Arrow has both cuts in Open Matte (on Blu-Ray) and corrected the opening Universal logo's aspect ratio. https://slow.pics/c/McvVcYDG

Best Audio:

King Kong (2005)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Worse Than BD

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Old Universal Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Old Universal Blu-ray is better than new 4K Blu-ray which has excessive DNR

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray is significant upgrades compared to the BDs, but has noticeable artificial sharpening

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray is significant upgrades compared to the BDs, but has noticeable artificial sharpening

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray is significant upgrades compared to the BDs, but has noticeable artificial sharpening

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tyyuxvanshadyJojoTheMovieOtterHydra Spectre

· last reviewed 5 months ago

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