A truly breathtaking epic. One of the greatest movies ever.

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2001)

Dear Detractors,
I have recently seen LOTR twice now, and plan to see it a few more times. I have never read the trilogy, but certainly have some background familiarity with it. I am as are a lot of people, a fan of great movies and cannot stand bad ones. I for one cannot stomach most of the crap Hollywood throws our way. Some examples would be Mummy Returns, Lara Croft, and Exit Wounds. The list is endless. It's unbelievable what people will pay hard-earned money to see! I wouldn't even watch a lot of movies for free, considering I have much better things to do with 2 hours. I find many films can only be enjoyed by checking your brains at the door and forgetting about how much you paid for it.
Having said that, let me get to the purpose of writing this letter. I would like to address those who have said that this was a horrible film. I am also amazed with the amount of vitriol and intensity with which these negative reviews are written. They are quite amusing to read. It's actually even pathetic, but I believe these people are insecure about the fact that they could be wrong about the movie, and that the people's overwhelmingly positive reception only alienates them. These people seem to be insecure about the fact that they could be wrong.
Let me offer some evidence on why LOTR is a great movie.
First, this movie has received 4 Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture, Director, Original Score, and Original Song. Needless to say, these are the big prizes of the evening, and it is a confirmation of its quality just to be nominated. Although the Golden Globes are by no means a mirror, it is certainly the leading indicator of which films are to be real players at the Academy Awards. Second, a staggering amount of people, of every conceivable demographic have given a resounding affirmation that yes, this is one great movie. A very large number of people even say it was the greatest movie of all time. One need only look on the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) numbers to see for themselves. Surprisingly, the groups that gave it the highest ratings were females of various age categories. This, in what was supposed to be a movie that appealed mainly to males. Finally, the vast majority of movie critics have given this movie not just good, but rave reviews. So rarely, does a movie receive critical AND mainstream praise.
Now, what does this all mean? Well, for you self-righteous, idiotic, pseudo-sophisticates who wouldn't know a good movie if it hit you in the face, it means that maybe the movie does not suck as bad as you think it does, and that maybe you simply have not the intellectual capacity to appreciate the qualities of such a truly amazing cinematic achievement.
Even if the film didn't meet your ridiculously high standards, the feeling I get is that some of you are criticizing the movie simply because you don't even WANT to enjoy it. I went into this movie with the fullest intention of enjoying it as much as possible. There was no way I was gonna pick apart the characterization, plot, CGI, and all the rest of God knows what. But what we have here is a small minority of people who would rather not enjoy, but pick apart and even trash of what is a truly, truly great movie. How sad.