Customer Reviews
Good... but not that great - By: , 19 Sep 2005 
This soundtrack is certainly a popular one today butin my opinion, highly overrated. When I saw the movie, I thought that the hobbit music was a standout but remembered little else & the same is true for the CD. It excelsin atmosphere & size but (apart from the hobbit music) has very little character; something that I feel is essentialin a soundtrack of this sort. If you're hoping to hear the 'Ring Theme' (which is repeated over & overin the first film), it appears only once on the CD & the Nazgul music is a little dominating & repetitive for just one disc (even though the choir does send a nice shiver down the spine). The best thing about this soundtrack is the fact it has given Howard Shore's profile a much-needed push & I hope he can return to top-notch work like "The Fly". If you're a big fan of the movie, then you probably already have it. Otherwise, there are better soundtracks out there.
The greatest soundtrack ever - By: Paul Macdonald, 22 Mar 2005 
The film, The felloship of the Ring was a masterpice. Peter Jackson's new film wouldent have been the same without the masterfull score composed by the genius that is Howard Shore. Every track has been carefully crafted with bueaty but I have my favorites. Allin all this is a brilliant soundtrack for anyone who appreciates good music.
Great - By: D. Bennett, 11 Oct 2004 The three lord of the rings soundtracks could be amongst the best movie soundtracks available. The Return of the King CD is perhaps the most rounded of the three, it has loud battle music & really quiet music, where the fellowship of the ring is more quiet & the two towers louder.
I like the two towers CD better than the fellowship of the ring CD because it is generally more interesting, but that does not take away from the talent to be found here. The Enya songs are real highlights & the orchestra sounds really great.
Although not the best of the three, this is light years ahead of your normal soundtrack CD.
4.5 stars (5 stars one way; 4 stars another way) - By: Christian McCallister, 29 Feb 2004 
When I review a musical score for a film, I look at itin two ways: How well did the music enhance the film? How well does the music stand alone?
The music for all of the "Lord of the Rings" films does an admirable jobin regard to enhancing the films. The epic, fantasy atmosphere is evoked by the music, & the individual pieces or sections fit the scenes extremely well, from the friendly, pastoral peace of the Shire, to the skulking trickery of Gollum, to the dread doom & gloom of Mordor. The score for "The Fellowship of the Ring" accomplishes the enhancement task admirably. There are definite trendsin the music, starting with lightheartedness, a touch of melancholy, then sudden danger & terror, moving on to constant toil & risk, & ending with dread & resignation; all fit the story perfectly. That's where the score gets the "5 stars" I mentionedin the title.
How well does the music stand alone? It is technically well-done, & it is imbued with that ethereal feel of fantasy mixed with a sense of grandeur that makes it reminiscent of Wagner, but it just does not stand out as original or distinctive for me, although it is striking. Hence the "4 stars" of this review's title.
Finally, it is a surprise to me that, for a series of films that are truly well-done & memorable, I do not find the musical scores to be memorable. There are dozens of films that have musical scores I can clearly recall & hearin my imagination (e.g., "Jaws", "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly", "Star Wars: A New Hope"), but this is not true for the scores of any of the "Lord of the Rings" films. When I watch the films, I enjoy the scores & feel they enhance their films, but that is all they do for me.
Buy the Boxed Set CD - By: Richard Douglason, 20 Feb 2004 I am someone totally sold on Lord of the Rings, both books & films, & subsiduary texts. You can rest assured that Peter Jackson & team knew what they were doing & have delivered a true to Tolkein rendition of the saga.
The point of adding yet another review to this cd? Simply this, don't buy it! Buy the trilogy boxed set. For just a few more pounds you'll get the full work, & can listen through the full development of the themes of the Fellowship, Rohan, Loss & Hope.
