Good God Y'all.

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2001)

I've been just a teeny bit skeptical of all the people who are freaking out over this movie. Now I'm about to do it myself. Stand back.
I just got done watching FOTR two hours ago, and I still haven't calmed down yet. For me, it was every bit as amazing as everyone's been saying. I want to laugh now, when I think of how I tried not to get too excited on the way to the theater for fear of being disappointed. I needn't have worried. It was breath-taking. Captivating. The perfect movie. I just cannot say enough good things about it.
The scenery, effects, story, etc. were all first rate. The Ring Wraiths were horrifying, the orcs gut-churning, and the troll was just....huge. The sword-fighting, archery, and action in general were exceptionally well handled. Not a single false step that I could see. And Arwen's chase on horseback? Jesus. My hair stood right on end.
But what really REALLY knocked me out were the characters themselves. Usually in movies of this type and scale, the characters are secondary to the story/action/CGI/you name it. Not so in this case. The characters are the reason to see this film. All were right on the money. I think this was made possible by the simple fact that the cast was made up of ACTORS instead of MOVIE STARS. They were able to melt into their roles. Become the characters. Instead of watching Arnold or Julia or Stallone, I was watching hobbits, elves, and wizards. My favorites were: 1. Frodo. Elijah Wood nailed it, right down to the ground. With his soft voice and slightly askew beauty, he is a wonder as the courageous, selfless, and to his knowledge, probably doomed hero. I can't wait to see what happens to him next. 2. Aragorn. God Almighty! Will you marry me Aragorn? Viggo Mortensen is simply stunning as the noble but reluctant king-in-disguise. Tender hearted and loyal, but a ferocious, relentless fighter as well. Speaking of loyal.... 3. Sam. His part is fairly minor in this first part of the series, yet Sean Astin manages to make him stand out with his touching and emotionally open performance. Sam is the perfect best friend. Unquestioningly faithful, and always there in a pinch. 4. Boromir. He hasn't been getting quite as much attention as some of the others, but to me, he was the most tragic and heart-breaking of them all. A good person, possibly even a great one, his intentions are nothing but honest. But his own indecision and lack of confidence are his undoing. That he is suspect throughout most of the movie, but ultimately dependable, is what makes his fate in the end so terribly, utterly sad. Sean Bean is fascinating from beginning to end. Warm and friendly with his companions one minute, cold and calculating with the ring the next. One of his best performances ever.

This is getting long (grin), so let me finish it off by saying that I thought FOTR was screechingly, mind-bogglingly good. I want to put my shoes on and go see it again right now. I will think and think and think about it until I do go again. Marvelous. An absolute success. Turn off your computer and go NOW.