A load of...It's no use!

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2002)

I thought the load of rings (or whatever) was the biggest load of rubbish i've ever seen, I could have pulled a better film out of any number of orifices. It's so boring, and long, and... It's useless. The Lord of the Rings is fantastic. As a fan of the books, I couldn't help but be gobsmacked at every turn by how much Jackson's vision had turned out so much like the images of middle-earth in my head. I know everyone's already said nearly everything that can be said about the imagery of the film, but it was the music in particular, which I thought was outstanding. A definite oscar contender. From the perfectly-judged rustic tootlings in the shire, to the glorious, stirring fanfare that greets the fellowship during, you know, that fantastic bit where they do that slow-motion shot with them walking up to the camera. (Which, in any other film would be deplorably self-congratulatory, but through Jackson's sheer directional skill, seems perfectly justified here.) To the genuinely heart-rending single, beautiful voice that mourns the fall of Gandalf. (I tell you, I really had to console myself .... I mean my sister, who was in floods of tears). It would have been so easy for Howard Shore to go the way of John Williams, (something I am profoundly thankful he DIDN'T do!) and seriously serious kudos have to go to the New Zealand orchestra, who did a great job of all those musical bits. Having seen the film more times than I feel comfortable talking about socially, I cannot say 'best film ever', but after all, who can? It's stupid to try and bring order to things like this. Let's all just sit back and enjoy the power of a brilliantly made film, and as fantastic a book adaption as anyone could hope for.
9.5/10