Adding 30 minutes to an already three-hour-long movie runs the risk of making it too long and having it drag on in some areas with new footage. Luckily, this is not the case with the soon-to-be-released “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” Extended Edition.

The 30 minutes the Extended Edition adds is not only worthwhile to the film, but entertaining material as well.

None of it is truly necessary to the advancement of the overall story, but instead serves as background material or are important scenes in the book that add to the world of Middle Earth, both of which add to the environment of the film.

Most surprising, is how well all the material is integrated throughout the movie. Scenes are short enough to fit perfectly into the existing material, yet long enough to be informative, and the whole film is still well-balanced and moves at a nice pace. This all adds to enjoyment of “Fellowship,” and makes this version of the film as good as, if not better than, the theatrical release.

Just like the theatrical release, New Line again presents the film in anamorphic widescreen. However, they have managed to slightly outdo the previous release with a higher quality transfer of the film, making it nearly flawless. The sound also goes a step further, this time offering a 6.1 DTS ES track, as well as the previous Dolby tracks. This push towards a higher- quality film makes “Fellowship” even more enjoyable at home with its wonderful visuals and aggressive sound.

The extras presented throughout the four discs are entertaining and well done.

Along with the movie, you get four full commentaries, which can be a tad too much, but are great for people who enjoy commentaries. Not to mention it gives you a new way to watch the film four times over.

Each commentary is a different collection of people, divided into cast, director and writers, design team, and production/post-production crew.

While none are extraordinary commentaries, with commentators lagging in some areas or being slightly uninteresting, each commentary does have its moments and is entertaining for its own reasons.

Filling out the last two discs is a massive assortment of production pieces, ranging from the digital effects used or the sound and music production, to in-depth design documentaries about the film, props and characters and translating the world of the books.

There’s even a feature with the history of J.R.R. Tolkien and a great documentary about the cast coming together and working as a team, both of which are absorbing pieces.

The extras truly cover every aspect of the film and really dig into the world of filmmaking and the overall theme of bringing Tolkien alive.

All extras are presented with the same high production value and include many behind-the-scenes elements, peeking into the film’s intricacies and great interview pieces.

Even though this set, with all its extras and additional footage of favorite book moments, is a fan’s dream come true, it is also a well-rounded set for anyone wanting a good version of the film.

The extras range in interest from simple to in-depth and the movie is still a wonderful adaptation of the book, offering three and a half hours of solid and very enjoyable entertainment.