Over-rated

Rating: 5/10 (22 January 2002)

Firstly I would like to say that on the whole I enjoyed TFOTR, it wasn't a bad film by any stretch of the imagination it just wasn't all that good, certainly not good enough to be called a classic. This film has been touted by all and sundry as the Ethereal One's gift to the film watching public, sadly it isn't even close.
I suppose the best way to start a review/critique is to look at the beginning. The film took a good 40-60 minutes to get going, the pace wasn't even quick enough to be described as languid. I appreciate that it has to provide a solid basis for the rest of the film + 2 others but this was far too slow and monotonous, the film should be able to stand alone in its own right, book or no book and this extended opening distracts to much from the great adventure we, the audience, have been promised.
The other 2 hours and 20 minutes or so is by far better, the pace scales from one extreme to another, which on the whole provides a good mix as neither is too fast nor too slow. However the film does seem patchy, it seems to take the audience from one set piece to another without a by or leave as to how or why our heros got there, one second they are in an enchanted kingdom and in the next they've scaled half way up a mountain wearing nothing but the odd cloak and a pair of tights. It is as if the screen writers/director have read the book and gone "this is a good bit, we must use that and then we will use this bit here" without thinking about how and why the characters have gone from one place to the next place. Each scene is in its own right very good, but I could not easily accept them due to lack of visable motivation.
Sequencing aside I found the acting to be very good especially from Viggo Mortensen who provided a mix of heroism combined with a mysterious nature that leaves the audience wondering whether or not Aragorn should be taken at face value or not. Wood is also well cast as the young man/hobbit who must face his destiny.
If I had to choose, the one thing that really lets the film down for me is some of the very dodgy effects that are used. I realise that the use of computer technology in films is still a relatively young beast but given the effects that have been seen so far in films like The Mummy Returns, and the Star Wars releases of the more recent variety, the computer generated scenes of the main characters running along with the audience viewing from upon high are laughable to say the least, as is the obvious use of vertically challenged people to act in place of the stars when characters need to be seen as differing heights, I'm sorry but a better way should have been found. Some of the cgi is undoubtedly world class which is why the bits that aren't are so glaring in their blatancy and what makes parts of the film so disappointing.
Going over what I've written it seems as though I hated the film, I didn't, I enjoyed it and I would happily view the film again, I will probably buy the DVD and one day will get round to reading the books. However I cannot say I will buy the LOTRs T-shirt nor will I be joining the fan club. The acting from some quaters was great, some just plain good others average, the action sequences are joyous to behold and I look forward to viewing what will happen next to the heros whose lives I have glimpsed. What I would like people to realise who get around to reading this is that this film is not the film to end all films, cinema will not crumble because no better can ever be made, all I ask is that you don't get carried away with the hype.