A lot of "Ringers" must be voting for this movie

Rating: 1/10 (3 January 2002)

I went to this movie with high expectations given how it soared to the #1 movie of all time on the IMDB rankings.
While the movie has some breathtaking visuals, the story line, dialogue and character development are really lacking. Furthermore, the movie is way to long. I found myself looking at my watch on more than one occasion.
****POSSIBLE SPOILER**** Essentially, the entire plot is like a football game where the characters are attempting to move a ring from one end of the field to another. In-between, there are fights with the bad guys, harrowing experiences and even a little romance. But that's about it. And they don't even get the ring into the end zone because that's what the next two movies are about! *****END OF SPOILER****
This movie left me empty and wondering how so many people could give it such a high score. I can only conclude that a lot of "Ringers" (can we use that label like they use "Trekkies" for Star Trek fans? The double meaning certainly fits) have probably all been giving this a "10" so that it hits the top of the charts. I predict that after the "Ringers" have expended their votes, the rest of us will have our votes counted and this movie will be ranked more objectively and appropriately.
As far as being "the best fantasy" ever made, I don't think this movie comes anywhere close to "The Wizard of Oz" which is a film that teaches as much as it entertains. While there may be several redeemable lessons to be found in LOTR, there are very few. What we're left instead with is a three hour scenic tour of Middle Earth. If you go to this movie with a lowered expectation, you might like it more.
While I would have normally rated this movie about a "7", I felt compelled to submit a vote of "1" to help remove it from current ranking of the best movie of all time. It might be good, but it's NOT THAT GOOD.