Rating: 
Summary: The reason I go to the movies
Review: Truly one of the greatest epics to have graced the screen! Pete Jackson did the impossible, making a film that pleases die-hards, but doesn't alienate the non-reading moviegoer crowd. A triumph of acting, storytelling and special effects. The cast is perfect! Jackson hit all the right notes of the novel, highlighting the themes of friendship, honor, temptation, the passing of a culture, the horrors of war and industrialization, and so much more... The music too is a triumph and gets only better with repeated listenings. Not for the little ones, the film is at times terrifying and exceeds most horror films on that level. Yet it is so much more -- beautiful, elegaic, majestic and grand! Everyone involved with this should win many awards, especially the cast as they are so fantastic! I can't wait for the next two!
Rating: 
Summary: For Once, More Liberties Should Have Been Taken
Review: I read the books and always thought that they could've been better. The movie adheres pretty well to the books which is a rare thing. However this is one book trilogy that could stand to have much of the repetitive scenes deleted. The fights were ridiculous with Frodo seeming to be near death multiple times. This little Fellowship of the Ring was no match for the hordes of warriors & creature out to get 'em, but lousy aim and apparently blind enemies make for triumph. My reaction: Oh come on now! I didn't believe it when I read the books and I believe it less from watching the film. I would have accepted our heros managing to dodge, run, maybe fight a little and survive--but the Indiana-Jones-type of narrow misses gets to be a bit much. I'd like to see all the useless charactors (Merry and Pippin especially) eliminated, as well as the endless run-fight-run-fight scenes condensed or re-worked. This done, one could put all the movies into one film that might run long but it would be great. Those are the bad things. The good things are the special effects, the New Zealand landscapes, the sets, Ian McKellen as Gandalf was perfection, Christopher Lee was perfection, Elija Wood was okay but I too must agree with one of the other reviewers by saying that Frodo was such a crybaby I wanted to slap him...then about 2 hours into the movie I just stopped caring about him. So, people will like this film, especially those who have posters and statues of unicorns and sorcerers in their homes and are overall found of the genre. This is about the best in that genre. Yes, and also kudos are due for Peter Jackson who made sure that this trilogy of films was made and completed all at the same time. I do agree that it is far better to have the films come out every year rather than wait for few years for a movie to made-or-not-be-made with-or-without the same director, stars, and production values. So if you are a fan, sure--see the movie because you will probably like it and buy the toys & collectables. To me, I'd say it was pretty to look at and certainly ambitious (and that is what almost makes me feel guilty about being so critical of this film) but that's about it.
Rating:
Summary: This is a Must See ...
Review: Lord of the Rings is by far one of the best movies I have seen in years...this movie is great for any Sci-Fi fan...makes a great movie to see with the family...and is visually pleasing...the acting is top rate as well
Rating:
Summary: My new favourite movie
Review: Alright, I've heard both the negative AND positive review, but I still think this is the best movie ever made. I'm a huge Tolkien fan, and have read the books more times than I could count, so when I first heard the movie was going to be released, I got tremednously excited. 2002 had THREE movies I HAD to see (Unbreakable, Hannibal, and Lord of the Rings). The prior two were a bit of a dissappointment, but Lord of the Rings saved the year.Two weeks prior to it's inital release, I pre-ordered tickets, and seriously grew more and more excited as the days went by. Thank god it was not for nothing. The movie was far better than I ever dared to expect (Even though it didn't stick to the book as well as I'd hoped), and the soundtrack was truly amazing. The choir-part in Moria (when the company is being chased) was magnificent! The special effects are gorgeous as well, and the actors were each acting as if they were born for the parts. Two of them excelled actually: Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom. Expect to see more of this guy. He was (in my opinion) the best one in the whole movie). Liv Tyler, when speaking Elvish is absolutely incredibly sexy :) Four things that bugged me about the movie though: - Galadriel was portrayed a little sinister; In the book, she's the embodiment of good. The movie made her look more or less evil, if you ask me
- No Tom Bombadil; My favourite character in the book (And from what I heard, Tolkien's favourite character) didn't make it to the big screen
- Narsil didn't get reforged; A key issue in the book. Maybe in part 2?
- We have to wait a fricking year for the next movie :) I've seen the movie 5 times so far, and I can only hope that next December, (If the worldwide release-day is the same again) the cinemas will do as they did with this one; Start at mindnight exactly, but then WITH The Fellowship shown RIGHT before the Two Towers. Looking forward to the DVD (I heard there'll be an Elvish 'speech'-version. EVERYTHING IN EVLISH!), and a trip to New Zealand to actually SEE the wonderfull (and often jaw-dropping) scenery :) -Vf-
Rating:
Summary: An almost complete waste of time.
Review: I'm just going to start right off, and I know I'm going to get a lot of flak for this, but I DID NOT ENJOY THIS FILM. There, I said it. I had never read the books by Tolkien, but didn't feel I should have to in order to enjoy the film. Apparently I was wrong. It appears that the vast majority of those who voted it the best film ever on the IMDB are those who have read and reread the books ad infinitum. And I like the work of Peter Jackson. Bad Taste, Dead-Alive, The Frighteners, and Heavenly Creatures. I was even able to look past the ultra-offensiveness of Meet the Feebles (a film that disturbs me even as I remember it) to see that there was a level of imagination within to admire. "Fellowship" is, however, technically brilliant. I found that I had difficulty telling what was CGI sometimes (and Gollum was breathtaking in that sense), but the story did not hook me, I didn't care about any of these people, and I just kept wondering when Cate Blanchett was going to show up. Her scene was my favorite, only in part because of her lime-green breakdown. Ian McKellen as Gandalf is brilliant as always, and Ian Holm is incredibly charming as Bilbo, but these are great actors and can overcome the tedious material. My favorite character of all, though, was Christopher Lee's evil wizard Saruman. He apparently reads the trilogy every year, and is the only cast member to have actually met Tolkien (and even I know that's cool). All in all, I considered a complete waste of time, and I doubt if I will spend the money to watch the other two in the projected (and already filmed) trilogy. Sorry, Peter. Make another gorefest and I'll be right there, man. But I can't support you on this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Loard of the Rings; the fellowship
Review: If there was anything to complain about it was to short, the 3 hours went by much to quickly. As a reader of the books it was wonderfully done. An excellent job bring the book to the film. Would be great to have seen a version of the Hobbit done this way prior to the Trilogy being done. Will see it a few more times in the movie and for sure will own a copy! GREAT!!!
Rating:
Summary: I have traved to Middle Earth and back in only 3 hrs.
Review: This movie was wonderfull and expressed the true meaning of the book. You acually feel like your there. Some people will try their best to make it look bad but they arn't worth listining to. Your favorite charicters are played out beautifly by a great cast. And emotions run high as the movie progresses. It is definatly worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly good because it is amazingly true to the book
Review: I saw this film on the opening day, and, when it was over, a scowling man walked past me, saying out loud, "That elf who rescued Frodo was not Arwen, it was Glorfindel." Evidently this guy makes a living reading JRR Tolkien, or something, because my reaction, like many others, was "Who could possibly care?!" If you're watching the movie and living the story, you have just finished the dreadful battle on Weathertop. Frodo has just been cruelly stabbed by a Nazgul with a morgul blade, and everyone is desperately trying to save his life. Strider points out that Elvish medicine is the only thing which can possibly save Frodo...and a real life Elf shows up with a fast horse! There is a thrilling chase on horseback to the river, an incredible scene where this courageous Elf makes the river itself rise in a rage against the slaves of Sauron.... ...and the only thing you can notice is that the Elf is a female, not a male, and moan about it? I'll give you a clue: most studios, actors, and directors would give their right arms to be able to make a film this good. And PJ's secret, which he has talked about all the way, was to be slavishly faithful to the book and to Tolkien. Everybody involved in these films felt the same way. The attention to detail, the numinous acting, the wonderful cinematography -- all of it was done by people who always referred to the book before doing ANYTHING. And it appears to me that, by putting the scenes with Saruman INTO the storyline (rather than saving them to be recounted later as a long flashback by Gandalf) that they have clarified and even enhanced the story! Sure, some cuts were made. Tom Bombadil works in the book, but in the movie would have been a fault that everyone would have jumped on: who is this guy in the forest who never shows up in the story again? Why are we wasting time with him? And, in the case of Arwen, two characters were carefully and skillfully blended to streamline the story and enable greater character development. I have my own criticisms of this film, I guess, but they pale into insignificance before my awe of what these people have done. This may not be the greatest film ever made (who knows? tastes differ!) but it sure is a candidate and a lot of people seem to have decided already that it is. Well, artistic quality is not usually put to a vote, and I'll gladly leave that question for posterity. The only thing I can add is that it was really worth my [money]
Rating:
Summary: Quite Possibly The Greatest Film Of All Time
Review: Oh My God. This is the best film of the year, no century, yeah, that's good. This is one of the most breathtaking movies I've ever seen. The acting is perfect. Special effects are top notch, and it's based on the greatest fantasy of all time. Harry Potter had the top spot but then this little beauty came along and blew it away. If you haven't seen this movie yet, GO! RIGHT NOW! IT'S THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR!
Rating: 
Summary: It's getting out of hand
Review: Lord of the Rings is a good movie, even great in parts. But the praise has gotten way out of hand. It isn't perfect, I don't think a faithful book adaptation ever really is. It is extremely well-made, it feels epic which is huge, and something most larger-than-life movies fail to convey, Gladiator being one of them. My criticisms begin with the relentlessly annoying Hobbits except for Elijah Wood, they are the Jar Jar Binks of this movie, they are so relentlessly stupid, I just wanted to smack them. The Hobbits in the book were more interesting and consequently I felt for them more. Elijah Wood is the exception, he comes across as a highly emotional hobbit who is intelligent and he is the only hobbit I rooted for. The other criticism is the beginning, it is tedious and tries to be funny and fails, miserably at times. I just wanted to get to the good parts. Now I will start with the gushing. The battle scenes are intense and extremely cool and involving. All the characters mean something, and you don't want to lose one so seeing them live is in your interest. Also, since the characters have well defined characteristics and motivations they inherently become interesting and the quest they are involved in becomes interesting as a result. The biggest thing is that the movie seems epic, it seems like these people are on a world-changing quest, and everything is huge, I especially the statues of the Gods by the lake, that was just ridiculously cool. The last thing about Peter Jackson's direction of this movie is that he makes the ring become evil, it never moves or speaks or does anything, but it has a presence on screen. That is quite an accomplishment, at least I think so. I don't think Lord of the Rings is a bad movie, but it is no Star Wars. It's well made, well-acted, and entertaining except for the beginning. But let's get realistic here, some critics are calling it the movie of the year, that's a little ridiculous.
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