Forget the Golden Globes, we know PJ is a genius!!!

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2002)

I have not gone to the theater to see a movie repeatedly since Star Wars in 1977. Until now. I went last week for the third time to see a film that has captured my imagination and my heart. Is it a perfect film? No, of course not - nothing is, but Peter Jackson's labour of love has given birth to a movie that will set the standard of excellence for many years to come. For those who moan that it's a stupid, boring story with nothing but travel and fight, travel and fight, your ignorance is showing. Precisely how would you describe any great epic such as the Iliad other than a journey broken by bits of action. There are people whose brains appear to be lacking in sufficient imagination and/or curiosity to appreciate any sort of make-believe, whether it is Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Muppet movies. And quite frankly, those oh-so-serious people tend to be boring and pretentious and definitely NOT anyone I wish to spend time with. Yes the Godfather is a great piece of cinema, but it's not my favorite movie of all time. I'm not certain I could pick just one, but LOTR would be in the top group. This movie grabbed me and took me into a world that I had only imagined before, but it was a world I recognized immediately as Peter Jackson obviously loved the book as much as I did. There were relatively few actors in this film because Peter found the REAL Gandalf and Aragorn and Frodo and managed to convince them to help him make this film. I want to visit the Shire and live in a hobbit hole because they really exist - we know that now. I do doubt that the Academy Awards will honor Peter and company as they should be honored, but that is the way of the world. I do know that millions of people will find themselves transported by a brilliant work of filmmaking.