A sight to behold

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2002)

Growing up, my dad would always tell me his favorite books were The Lord of the Rings volumes. But I was never interested in fantasies, so I didn't really care. Then I found out that Peter Jackman was making the movies so I told my dad. He became really excited. But still, I didn't care. Until one night in November, when they showed the LOTR special on TV. I was able to catch only the first ten, fifteen minutes and instantly, I wanted to see the movie. I had never read the books. My dad took me and my family to see the movie. I was a bit excited and curious to see how they would do it. Mind you, I knew next to nothing about this story.
I sat through the entire three hours in Middle Earth and fell in love with it. Through parts, I would clutch on my brother's arm, tense and hoping that everyone will make it through a lot of the sticky situations they were in. I fell in love with Legolas and his graceful Elf self. The minute the movie began, I was drawn in. The special effects were terrific. I felt like I was there. I wanted (and still do) to live in Rivendell among the Elves. The backdrops for the movies was fantastic. Sir Ian McKellan's quote about how New Zealand is Middle Earth is so true.
I was very impressed with the casting. I'm a huge movie buff so I have seen plenty of movies and I won't be lying when I say that LOTR has the best casting ever. Every person, the mains and the extras, WAS the character they played. The make-up was incredible. The orcs creeped me out. The Elves entranced me. The Hobbits brought a smile to my face. Elrond, Hugo Weaving, is the perfect Elf King, firm and commanding, yet with love for his people and respect for Frodo. I could go on and on, but I won't.
I loved the fact how PJ was able to make the Hobbits look small in every single scene. I would LOVE to know HOW in the world they did that. I love how the Elves are so graceful and look ethereal.
I know that the movie is three hours long and people balk at that. I took a friend of mine who hasn't seen the movie because it was three hours long. He loved it. He was engrossed and he had never read the book either. This movie is one of the, if not THE, finest piece of work I have seen. I eagerly await "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King". I definitely recommend this movie for everyone to see at least once. I have seen it four times and will see it yet again soon. I can never get bored of this movie. Go. See it.
I leave you with a quote from Gandalf: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that we are given"