Don't believe the hype. 6 out of 10.

Rating: 4/10 (8 August 2002)

This movie is WAY overrated. After sitting through 3 hours of this sludge, I failed to see what all the hype was about. Sure the special effects and cinematography are above average, but that's where it ends. The dialogue is weak, convoluted, and at times verges on hilarity. For example, the last line of the film, SPOILER (and I use this term very loosely) `Sam, I'm glad you're with me.' Give me a break! I waited 3 hours for this ending? There is absolutely no payoff for the viewer; it's just a longwinded journey with a fizzle for an ending.
I understand that this movie is based on a book and that it's the first part of a trilogy, but movies should be judged as single entities. For a movie to be considered a classic, it should be able to stand on it's own two feet. Example: `The Godfather II' is still a great film even if you've never seen `The Godfather' or know who Mario Puzo is. `Lord of the Rings' fails to transcend without the help of a series of books, and the rest of a trilogy of movies (which haven't come out yet). The plot just moves from one occurrence to another, there is little cohesion here. Some events are just completely irrational. SPOILER Why didn't anyone reach out a hand to Gandalf when he was hanging on the ledge? He's just hanging there for a while, and no one even makes a minor attempt to help him up. Why?

The character development is also terrible. Little time is spent in letting the audience get to know these individuals. Maybe they should have cut a few of them out. They tried to cram too much into 3 hours (a fourth of which was spent repeating the scene with the finger getting chopped off over and over and over.). The acting is decent though Elijah Wood just has the same troubled, incredulous expression on his face the whole time. Does this guy ever blink? And also, why didn't Frodo just put the ring on, become invisible, and take the darn thing to the dumping point. He could have skipped the whole way whistling Dixie. Can I get a witness? So anyway, I rate this movie a 6 out of 10. It would have been more suitable as one of those 3-part TV mini-series, and doesn't deserve to be rated as high as the classics. Don't believe the hype. Peace.