The definition of epic

Rating: Null/10 (20 December 2001)

Well, I went to the late show of this film expecting Star Wars, and I have to say it ALMOST fit the bill. I think my main problem was that I knew the hero's objective (throwing the rings into the fire) wouldn't be reached by the end. I knew they'd have to cut off at some other prominent seeming point, and so, several times, I was wondering is THIS where they'll end it? (I've never read the books, besides The Hobbit.) So my several near-ends: 1.The Fellowship is actually formed and forged in Rivendell. (By the way, as Hugo Weaving said, "The ring must be destroyed," I distinctly heard the guy to my right add, "Mr. ANDerson.") 2.When Gandalf dies in the mines and they emerge on the other side. After all, another great sweeping vista and a sense of completion/loss. 3.When they leave the elf-witch's kingdom on the boat with the army on the rise. (I REALLY thought it was ending here.) So, by the time the film had actually ended, it felt kind of anticlimactic to just have Sam and Frodo embrace on the mountaintop.
This is really a film about worlds and monsters, and there's probably something missing since instead of our imagination creating these things out of Tolkien's words, we experience them instantaneously, though miraculously, on the screen. The Shadow Demon, the giant orc beast in the mines, Sauron, the tentacled monster of the swamp, the Ring Wraiths (my god, what intensity!), the Golem, the Orcs, and Saruman's day army were all incredible creations, as powerful as the details put into the worlds these travelers went through. Personally, I thought the acting fine, especially by Mortensen (reminding me of a Han Solo type for some reason), Sean Bean, Ian Holm, and Ian McKellen ("YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!".) I didn't quite find myself engrossed in Frodo's character: he has far yet to come, and he needs to get a little ANGRY. Even Liv Tyler did a great job, and the Elvish language is gorgeous. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it's good enough to make me go out and find a copy of the Two Towers to read over the holiday. Make the best out of the times we find ourselves in.