Not just for the dedicated fantasy fans!

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2003)

Okay, I'm really not a big fan of fantasy. I'm a scifi fanatic at heart and just tend to not get into fantasy films. This movie, however, was excellent. I'd not read the books before seeing it. I'd been terrified by the animated version when I was very little, and therefore avoided anything having to do with LotR until now. I found the preview interesting, and was curious as to what all the hype was about. So I went and saw the movie. I was completely blown away. This film did not just have an excellent plot (which of course is tolkien's doing) but it was a beautiful film. The scenery was astounding, the lighting, the sets....it all kept my eyes glued to the screen. And the music was excellent as well. The characters were very believable. You really forgot for the time that you were sitting in a theater, and got really into the story. I've since started reading the books. Different as they are from my usual choices of Star Trek and Dune, I'm really enjoying them, and glad that this film inspired me to look into something I missed out on when I was younger.
I recommend this film for anyone who appreciates a good story, good characters, and a visually pleasing movie...not just the fantasy fans!