Sheer brilliance

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2001)

It isn't one of the greatest sci-fi/fantasy films ever  it is the greatest. It beats Star Wars to a bloody pulp, and I really like Star Wars.
Warning you now, this review is full of SPOILERS, so be warned.
Having read the books several times, there are a few things that I would have liked to have seen in the film, like Tom Bombadil, but I knew that this would be left out, as it is not essential to the story. However, the biggest sore points with me were the lack of time spent in either Rivendell or Lothlorien. The forming of the Fellowship was handled not as well as it could have been, but for those unacquainted with the books it probably was a good thing that it was quickly done, and if you are familiar with the books, then you know what was left out, so it doesn't really matter. Galadriel did come off badly, as she was made to look like some horrible demon on a par with Sauron, when in the books she isn't, she is just scared of the power of the One Ring, like everyone.
However, the biggest things that I should have been put into the film were to do with Aragorn, as you don't get the sense of his importance, and also, in the books, he is torn between going to Mordor, or going to Gondor, and there is none of this in the film. Also tied in to this is the importance of The Sword That Was Broken, which barely gets a mention, and yet is pivotal to the following films, particularly the final one. In the books it was actually re-forged in Rivendell, but this was not done in the film. I can't think of why this was, but hopefully it will be explained in the following parts of the adaptation.
But all of this aside, it is a great film. I'll say it again, it is a GREAT film. Possibly the greatest ever, although maybe Godfather still takes that honour. The actors were well chosen, and really brought the characters to life. The battle scenes were amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed them, even though others have criticised them mercilessly. One of the best thing about the film, I think, was the use of the score, particularly in the fight scenes in Moria, when the score was suddenly; abandoned, so you could here the clinking of swords and heavy breathing of the Fellowship, as they were hemmed in by the Orcs.
It is a work of cinematic brilliance, and if The Two Towers, and Return Of The King are better than this, then they will undoubtedly be the greatest films ever.