Epic!... Well worth a look...

Rating: 9/10 (25 August 2012)

The word 'Epic' seems insufficient to describe the scope of this production; it is truly mind-blowing. I also have to mention the original music by Howard Shore; a truly magical score that I will seek out just to listen to (it's really that good). As far as performances go, well everybody did a great job but those that stood out (for me) were; Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Sean Astin as Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and Sean Bean as Boromir. Also worthy of note were; Billy Boyd as Pippin, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Ian Holm as Bilbo and not forgetting Andy Serkis as Gollum (more from him in the next two instalments).
This is the second time I have seen this cut of the movie and, although it is very long, I must say I have seldom enjoyed a film as much. I will not try to compare the book with the film; I'm sure there are many out there that could do a far more eloquent job than me. Needless to say, there are differences, and I can see the reasons for them. Just daring to bring such an epic tale to the screen would be enough for many, but to also do it justice is beyond imagining. Hats off to Mr. Jackson and all those involved; you did a tremendous job! I know it's not to everyone's taste and I really feel sorry for those that can't appreciate the imagination and effort that goes into an undertaking like this. All this praise and I only give it a 9.4? Well, let's say I've seen the other two films and I'm leaving a little room for improvement.
SteelMonster's verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
My score: 9.4/10
IMDb Score: 8.8/10 (based on 592,380 votes at the time of going to press).
MetaScore: 92/100: (Based on 34 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 92/100 (based on 209 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 92/100 'Liked it' (based on 1,219,515 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.