Of Hobbits and Orcs. And Elves. And Wizards. And Fairies, and.....

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2010)

Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is a monumental achievement, I won't argue with that. The sheer scope of the project and the fact that Jackson was able to wrangle it into three blockbuster and seamless films is cause for admiration.
But it's a monumental project that left me cold, and if you're a movie goer who's made to feel like a pariah by the series' idolatrous fanboys for not thinking it's the greatest thing to ever befall our civilization, give me a shout, because it would give me comfort to know there are others out there.
After nine hours of Elijah Wood's one expression of wide-eyed bewilderment; of Viggo Mortenson's uber-sombre line readings; of Orlando Bloom's silly hair; and of relentless gray and brown battle scenes, I'd had enough. I think it says something about your endeavor when the most interesting character in the film is the one who's computer animated.
The person who really deserves the most credit for this trilogy is its editor(s), who had to take god knows how many hours of footage and shape it into something resembling a movie.
Grade: B