Rating: 
Summary: Ah... Well. What did you expect?
Review: Disapointment? Nobody really expected an epic of such power and scope to be faithfully reproduced on screen. So I walked in making an effort to be open-minded. I've worn out one copy of LOTR in hardback and who knows how many in paperback. I'm one of the biggest Tolkien heads around. I wanted this to be stupendous, yet I was doubtful. It turns out I was overly optimistic.Okay, the movies is cheesy, uneven, and disjointed. I doubt that anyone could follow the plot had they not read the book repeatedly. And the characterizations! That was Aragorn? Hardly. Frodo and Sam were acceptable. I liked Gandalf, even though a lot was missing there. But where is the hidden nobility and power of Aragorn? These qualities are not hidden in the movie, they are lost. Elrond was not true to the book, but awesome nonetheless. And what is Borimir? He was not the nobleman Tolkien portrayed. Did anyone figure out what he was? I could go on and on, but the real crime is Lothlorien and Galadriel. Did anyone come away from the movie with the feel that Galadriel is the high queen of the elves who lives in a timeless land of peace and beauty? I guess I missed it. Arwen combined with Glorfindel? I swallowed that one. It was early on in the movie. I truly missed Tom Bombadil. His elimination was saddning. And what happened to the Sword of Elendil?! Then there was Sauron. What was up with that? Sauron is the mysterious, unseen symbol of total evil. I didn't expect to see him in the flesh, much less as a central character. The eye was good. At least at times. I don't think anyone could have produced a physical reality that would resemble to Tolkien's Middle Earth. But the movie was hardly faithful to the spirit. Tolkien's Shire was a fastidiously neat place, a vast parkland that was quite tame and completely gentled to the hand of hobbit kind. The Shire of the movie was true to medivial England perhaps, but it hardly reflected my image of the Shire. Location were portrayed more grandiose than described, such as Rivendell, or too plain, as was the gate of Moria. Moria was fair, but I'd hoped for better. Every place seemed slightly derilict in the movie. I didn't get that from the book. Hmmm... Finally, I'd rather have seen less action and more explanation throughout the movie. Much was left out that was needful to support the later story. Much was left out that was needful to support this story! But instead, we were shown a confusing and unneccessary battle between Gandalf and Saruman, and a silly scene of peril on the stairs leading from the Chamber of Mazarbul. Okay, the whole bit about the Chamber of Mazarbul was silly. I guess I could go on forever. But in closing, if the second installment isn't a significant improvement, I doubt I'll ever see the final installment. I couldn't bear to see the events on the Field of Cormallen mangled the way Lorien was. And they'd better have the Ents right!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good stuff
Review: I was not disappointed by the film and it lived up to my expectations (which, after waiting over a year to see it, says a lot). It is well directed, well acted, and generally just well done. It is not a perfect film, but considering the difficulty of the written material and the loyalty of the fans, I cannot (realistically speaking) envision a better adaptation of the written story. After the film, I was not falling all over myself with utter adoration for the film, but I am very pleased with the job all those involved have done with it. I cannot say more than that until I have seen all three films, considering that it is one story in three-parts (written as such and filmed as such). Here's to another long year of waiting!
Rating:
Summary: 12 months of torture!
Review: 12 months of torture until the second part will play! This is not one it's the milestone in entertainment history! The atmosphere is so book-like, I had to get the book back out and re-read it. I was extremely hyped up with huge expectations, but they were more than met.
Rating:
Summary: The GREATEST MOVIE EVER
Review: This is the best movie I have ever seen and will probably ever see. It is incredible - better then I expected and worth the three tortous years of waiting and listening to rumours. I plan on seeing is again and again and again. It was beyond description wonderful. Jackson was so loyal to the book there were scenes almost word for word from the book. And the acting was wonderful. Gandalf was soooo great. The Hobbits were so great! Everyone was great!
I CANT WAIT UNTIL PART 2!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best sets of any movie EVER - A Visual MASTERPIECE!
Review: Disclaimer: I had not read any J.R.R. Tolkien books or had any preconceived ideas going in to this movie, but I certainly intend to now. I have watched about 150 movies this year (mostly DVD's) and this is without question one of the most impressive movies I've seen this year. The casting, story, sets, sound (effects and score), picture, special effects and acting were all superb. I HIGHLY recommend this film for people who really love movies.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This movie was absolutely amazing. I have never seen better casting. I reread the books this summer in anticipation of the movie, and all of the actors fit exceptionally well with the characters in the book as I would have liked to have seen them. My only complaint is I believe it is cruel and unusual punishment to hold the other pictures until 2002 and 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Oh...boy....
Review: Okay, listen to me....do not see this film.
Really, do not see this film. BECAUSE...if you do....you'll end up watching the most astounding, beautiful, superbly acted fantasy adventure film EVER. The world of Middle Earth in this film is so vividly portrayed and so gorgeous to watch and experience that you'll swear you were in the film. And the acting, the casting...wow. Everyone is just so...GOOD! Honest. And the block-busting length of 3 hours for this film will fly by so fast that you'll wonder where the time went. By the end of the film, I was begging for more. (What? That can't be all! Please, just another 10 minutes, pleeeease!!!) So why shouldn't you see this film? Because if you love movies as much as I do, it will drive you CRAZY to have to wait another 12 months for the next installment of the Lord of the Rings. I absolutely fell in love with this film, and I haven't even read any of the 3 books (ok, well, I did read the Hobbit about 15 years ago...) and I usually find fantasy films to be weak (remember the Dungeon and Dragons film a year ago?). So, I'm just trying to save you from insanity, that's all. For those who are old enough to remember Empire Strikes Back back in 1980, remember the anguish and agony of waiting THREE years for the next Star Wars film to find out what happened next? Well, same thing here. At least it's only one year, but those days will take a loooong time. Perhaps this may even be blasphemous to say, but I think the Lord of the Ring films will, in time, match if not surpass the Star Wars movies in popularity. Frankly, this film is better than any of the Star Wars films, and I love those films, so I know what I'm talking about. And Harry Potter? Hah....doesn't even compare, and I love the Harry Potter books, too! So please, spare yourself the misery and don't see this breath-taking movie. Of course, you won't listen to me and you'll be GLAD you didn't...but you'll also be soooo sad (another year to wait? Noooooo.....)
Rating:
Summary: Amazing interpretation of Tolkien's vision
Review: What can I say? Wow! Even knowing the story by heart, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The film captures the excitement and scale of Tolkien's work superbly. Scenes such as Rivendel and the Shire are filled with the same joy that I experienced when reading Tolkien's work. The darker scenes (Isengard, Moria) capture the sheer horror with the same exactness. My only complaint about the movie is that I have to wait a year to see the Two Towers!
Rating: 
Summary: It could have been awesome
Review: but instead its merely boring hollywood crap dressed up in "magical" special effects. The acting is subpar for the most part and many of the characters are really non-existant. The book is ten times better. If your idea of a good movie is the Matrix than you'll love this. This is my own opinion so dont freak out because I dont fall for hollywood garbage.
Rating: 
Summary: No.......
Review: Saw the first installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy last night and just have to say...it isn't the masterpiece everyone's saying it is. I'm not a huge fan of either Tolkien or fantasy, but I read (and enjoyed) both the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy a few months back, and thought the film fell far short of its source. It doesn't have the same flavor the books did. It is faithful to them only in its numbingly endless string of inconsequential plot points - attacks and incidents that work in a large novel but not a film. And it's long. I went in knowing it would be 3 hours and came out feeling like it'd been 4. There's no joy. Just violence, laughable CGI, and a script that only kicks in between action sequences. It's like they were trying to compete with The Matrix or something. Pretty disappointing. The film's strength lies in its casting...almost everyone here gives their all, especially Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen.
It's funny, because all the geeks that are praising this film now were complaining about The Phantom Menace a few years back...and both films share the same faults. Poor pacing, too much emphasis on special effects, lack of heart. Neither "episode one" succeeded in my book. I'm hoping Peter Jackson has enough material in the can to work on these problems for the next two films, but considering that primary filming on all 3 has been completed, I'm guessing parts 2 and 3 are just gonna be more of the same. I am not excitedly anticipating more mediocre product. At least George Lucas has a chance to redeem himself with Star Wars episode 2. Jackson's fate seems predetermined.
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