An awesome achievement

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2002)

I still snicker at some of the wordy trashing comments being posted here. I especially like the arrogant little know-it-all who called this film arrogant.
Ever since the 1950's when the Lord of the Rings books were released, virtually every fantasy ever made can trace some aspect of its origins to these stories. Even Star Wars is based on this story, and much of the Led Zeppelin imagery came from here. Directly.
To tell most stories, all you need is to pack a little two hour package together. This story is bigger than that, it is sweeping, majestic, and powerful. It is the granddaddy of fantasy stories, so to speak.
The point that many people miss is that there is supposed to be ugliness, the ugly parts are to contrast the bright parts. The placid Shire goes up against the horrors of the grown-in-the-dirt Orcs, who are not exceptionally powerful as individuals, but overwhelming in numbers.
This first movie is laying the groundwork for the epic struggles to follow. We are merely meeting the characters and setting the stage. If you don't have the patience to accept that this background is neccessary to tell the rest of the story, then I truly pity you.
The Extended Edition DVD is marvelous. I am still struck by the incredible attention to detail and overall "feel" of this work from Peter Jackson, and I don't think I'm being disrespectful when I say that his previous work does not foreshadow this achievement at all. 208 minutes of this movie is barely enough. The texture is stunning, in spite of the overly lingering Liv Tyler sequences and a few other minor niggles.
Maybe you don't have the time to comprehend why this movie is awesome. Perhaps you can't see the value of the intense personal sacrifices being made in every scene of this movie. Too bad for you.
The Lord of the Rings was written with the memory of World War II fresh in Tolkien's mind. Wars, battles, and struggle are the nature of the tale. In spite of it all, there are pockets of sunshine and peace, and these pockets are our story. Good will conquer the evil!