good, but not great

Rating: 6/10 (1 April 2002)

Apart from the visuals, there is nothing about this film that lifts into the realms of the fantastic. It's good entertainment - nothing more, which is fine of course. To champion this film as some kind of cinematic masterpiece however, is ludicrous. Although Oscar nominations/awards are not a sign that a film is any good (hello Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, and so on and so on)suggesting Lord of the Rings is one of the five or six best films made in 2001 is crazy. I like dumb action movies, but why wasn't something like Die Hard showered with Oscar nominations when it is actually a much better film?