A classic but....

Rating: 1/10 (25 December 2001)

Very good fantasy movie that is so good,it is definitely as of now (Dec.2001) the greatest MAGIC AND DRAGONS fantasy movie all time,beating out LEGEND and WILLOW easily.I would also say that as of now,this movie is also the SECOND greatest CGI movie ever made right after EPISODE I:THE PHANTOM MENACE.Not because the CGI effects in THE PHANTOM MENACE was better,it is because AS A WHOLE overall,THE PHANTOM MENACE was still a better movie.And we all know that compared to the greatest films of all time,THE PHANTOM MENACE would not be found anywhere at the TOP 20. when I say this dear reader,I mean to say that as great a FANTASY MAGIC/DRAGON/CGI movie LORD OF THE RINGS is,it still is a long way from being even at the top 50 of the all time greatest movies.Why?The characters were dull!I did not care for the characters at all!Even the greatest character in the movie which happens to be the good old wizard hardly got a whimper out of me when he fell into a deep crevice inside the dwarf's mountain!I did not buy it because a few minutes before he was already defeated by the evil wizard(nicely played by CHRISTOPHER LEE) and got out of it unscratched.The second time around,his tragedy looked silly and something he might get out of again.Nothing compared to the chills I got when OBI-WAN was struck down by DARTH VADER in STAR WARS for example(a true big leagues movie).And also,the movie does not know whether to be cartoonish or hardcore(much like the mistake of RETURN OF THE JEDI).The battle scenes were incredible but then it has those silly Saturday morning cartoon scenes like when there was those scenes at the Elves territory as the good characters were forming the brotherhood of the ring.Those scenes were so amateurish in script and too dragged out as well.This movie was really helped by the improvements of CGI technology and also by the realistic,little compromise battle/combat sequences.Probably,the next installent will be even better.I hope so at least in the area of characterisation.Still this is one great fantasy movie that must not be missed by any fan of the genre.The CGI displayed here really excites me because I am sure it can only get better and better for the movie industry.......