(Soundtrack)
This isn't the actual movie, but rather this is simply just the soundtrack album. Moreover, this isn't for all three movies in the trilogy; but rather only contains Howard Shore's compositions from the first film: "Fellowship of the Ring". I imagine there are some ordinary (and cheaper) CD-only sets, but this particular deluxe version comes in a fancy book style case and adds a bonus DVD-Audio disc. The music is presented in both dolby digital and high-resolution surround sound. I suspect the multi-channel mix is often taken directly from the movie, but I can't say for sure. Similarly, the music itself is essentially the same as what was heard in the movie. That is, except for the fact the DVD-Audio forces the listener to wade through the less-impressive music before hearing the good stuff. Or at least that's my opinion. It's certainly not bad, but there isn't anything particularly wonderful about this release other than the exceptional packaging. As such, I'd recommend buying it only if found for a decent price. Or unless you just need to have everything LOTR-releated. Personally, I bought it in a store---on a whim---for the steep price of $60.00 plus tax. I've seen it elsewhere for closer to half that price, and I do regret not shopping around first. I would have put the difference in cost toward the deluxe extended editions of the movies, instead. (I've rented those, but currently only own DVDs of the theatrical releases.)
