A masterwork.

Rating: Null/10 (9 July 2002)

When Lord of the Rings was first released I was eager to see the critical reaction,it was, to say the least, good. Even the toughest critics at U.S.A Today and The New York Times gave a very high review, which surprised me because they have been known to give some absurdly low ratings to generally good films (which I will not name). After reading all the feedback I felt confident this would be an awesome film-- and I had no idea how much of an understatement that was. It was not only awesome, it was remarkable; sporting jaw-dropping visuals and makeup, and some of the greatest book-to-screen performances in history, not to mention the battle sequences which were done right for a change. Most importantly the film did not over-use digital effects like so many movies today: The Mummy Returns, Blade II, and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones to name a few. The movie wasn't hampered by 2D animated skeletons jumping out of the bushes and attacking the characters, which saps films of the realism they're trying to create. The production crew did things right. They used real costumes and makeup for creatures such as Orcs, Hobbits and Wringwraiths, and they look like they were pulled directly from Tolkien's imagination. This movie was the best picture of 2001, and deserved every Oscar for which it was nominated.
But let us move on to the real travesty: MR. EBERT'S REVIEW: I had all but forgotten the critic back in 1990 when he slapped The Untouchables with a 2 star rating (which still makes me angry), but for a moment I forgot old grudges and decided to read his review of the film. Not only was his 3-star rating the dumbest thing I have ever seen , but the things he said about the film were absolutely insane. I will not mention them here, read the piece yourself, then write an angry letter to him on how absurd it is. A film of this caliber deserves nothing but positives things said about it, because it was done with so quality and respect for the books. Tolkien would be proud of this film. Shame on you Roger Ebert. How dare you.