Beware the hanging chads

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2001)

Hold on to your wizened staff. Today, IMDb fans have ranked The Fellowship the #1 film of all time. We know of the dwarfs, elves, orcs and trolls, and we've experienced the might of the miniscule chad in another venue. Once the excitement wears off and second viewings allow less enchanted heads to prevail, this film will assume its rightful place in the rankings of our top 250. Don't forget, we thought George the Elder was a top rated president until we really read his lips.
Had I forgotten the polysyllabic tongue twisting names of MiddleEarth and its characters? No, and I have also not forgotten the classic parody by Mad Magazine (Bored of the Rings) as well as the many prior attempts to reduce this tome to the screen. The transition from the printed page to cartoon, enhanced live-action or books-on-tape seemed to be impossibleuntil now.
Now don't forget to fasten your seatbelts. You'll follow the nine members of the Fellowship through enough highlights from J.R.R. Tolkein's classic to remind old faithful followers why the hours entranced by the fantasy of MiddleEarth were not wasted. Was it a faithful capture of the original form? 15 years is a long time to try to recall all the detail of my second reading so suffice it to suggest that your fading memory will be renewed by the narrative and the modified dialog to catch us up.
I had forgotten - or never realized - how hairy middle earth was.
This is a spectacular Lord's eye view of the conflict pitting good against evil, mortals vs. supernatural clones and the sound and fury with interesting turf conflicts between hobbits, elves, dwarfs and men. Unbelievable odds are surmounted to pursue the goal and we must suspend disbelief to accept the triumphs of the nine over ghastly creations of the evil Saruman (Christopher Lee). I agree that these epic battles are quite overdone
Do I think "The Fellowship" is the best ever? Besides saying that it is heads and shoulders - and torsos and midriffs  above its previous incarnations, I'll wait for the late returns.
And beware, too, the pregnant chads.