Gargantuan Escapism

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2004)

"The Lord of the Rings" initial entry has a negligible vibrational ring. It tends to add nothing particularly significant to our lives, other than gargantuan distraction.
Its value seems akin to those of comic books, only with a mega-budget backing; its cultural contribution appears more equal to those of video parlor games; and while there's nothing intrinsically harmful with such dallying, there's also nothing especially great in which to revel.

What's more concerning about all this hoopla is the seriousness to which its attended, from its almost obscene budget size, to the deep dedication invested by its over-sized production team. Like the "Star Wars," for which the great Sir Alec Guiness was tagged to add a dollop of class to those proceedings, so Ian McKellan now follows down that bony path with "Rings."

While Sir Ian may have fulfilled his thespian dreams for world-wide recognition; just what accomplishment has it offered to his career and reputation as a great actor may be another matter. Only he (and his more serious followers) can come to grips with that.
This first entry of "Rings" left me, frankly, cold. I experienced little or no concern for characters nor respective their plights. And while I presume the production company's digital wizardry might become more impressive and even startling as the series progresses, I've had no special motivation to revisit either this terrain or its inhabitants again.