Overkill

Rating: 5/10 (28 January 2006)

The preamble of "The Lord Of the Rings" thankfully isn't so pedantic that we are forced to wade through every cranny of J.R.R. Tolkien's fanciful-but-incredibly-detailed set-up for the story, but neither is it anything more than just a jumble of scenes (an expansive but darkly-lit battle, close-ups of faces, wind blowing the hair of warriors), and once the actual plot got underway I had hope that this fractured fairy tale-style was just an aberration. The first hour is actually rather leisurely, with an introduction to the Hobbit village that is sweet if a little slow (and hampered by show-off fireworks effects). But once the first journey is undertaken by the Fellowship, frenetic action scenes, too many battles, and countless close-ups of THE RING in someone's palm take over. The direction is deadening, relying far too heavily on special effects and sound effects to juice the narrative. The acting is good except from the women (Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler are poorly-used) and we get elaborate glimpses of magical worlds without ever gaining a sense of their histories. Blanchett rules the Forest of Women, and indeed it is eye-popping, but the scene is a bummer, only included so Blanchett could help forecast Elijah Wood's future (scenes from the next installment!). The movie is not a cheat: it packs in a lot of astounding action, but that's all it is, action for it's own sake. The art directors go for overkill in dazzling this thing up, but lovers of intriguing and substantial content will feel undernourished. The film gives you your money's worth, sure, but only in style. **1/2 from ****