A Good Start; let the waiting for parts II and III begin!

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 2002)

"One film to lure them all, one film to woo them, One film to bring them all and in the darkness glue them."
Well, maybe...
I found it pretty well impossible to think about this film without considering the book.
If you've read it recently enough to remember it, then you'll probably find the film an almost entirely satisfactory rendering of Tolkien's flat, detailed, humourless, occasionally superficial narrative prose style (there were a few little muckings-about, cuts and additions but these were mostly harmless). But as with Potty Harry, you might still think (as I did) that a film should be a lot more than merely a cinematographic rendering of a linear sequence of words; then again you might think that suitable homage has been paid to a book that brought the idea of the mythic epic narrative form back into the mainstream (thereby unfortunately spawning an orc-ish horde of poor imitations that didn't bother with Tolkien's attention to sub-structure; remember that The Lord Of The Rings was just skimming the surface of the complete mythology that The Silmarillion revealed more of).
If you haven't read the book but the idea of "a mixed bunch of adventurers who don't really like one another but have An Important Mission to carry out" appeals to you then you'll probably enjoy Our Heroes' struggle against overtly Evil forces and covertly Disruptive influences; you might even find the brief nod to "Back To The Future" amusing rather than cheesy and pointless.
If you haven't read the book and you don't fancy the film, then ask yourself this: did you like Star Wars? Because if George Lucas didn't find inspiration in the likes of Tolkien then I'll eat my light sabre.
Regardless of where you're coming from, it's certainly a visual feast. Spectacular computer animation plus the lovely New Zealand scenery (not been there? Go!) mostly managed not to distract from some fine acting and excellent costumery. (I said *some*; the ubiquitous Cate Blanchett got a bum deal here: looking soulful and sad didn't really capture Galadriel's sense of impending loss of her own power, but perhaps the fault lay more with the dialogue and direction at this point.)
Oh, you want a rating? Sorry, you'll have to wait a couple of years until I've seen all the installments. It's all based on one big book really; practical considerations of time and economy are what have split it into three films.