Excellent, Middle Earth lives on...

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2002)

I was so worried about this film when I heard about it being made. I have read and re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy many times and I feared that the fine prose of Tolkien would be reduced to the not-so-fine level of Hollywood-esque action blockbuster. I didn't know anything about (director) Jackson and I had a bad feeling that the trilogy might end up looking like 'The Mummy Returns' or completely sap-a-fied like 'Titanic'. Well I am happy to say that I was wrong and Mr. Jackson turned out the best film I've seen in years. I left this movie feeling like I did when I first saw 'Star Wars' in 1977... refreshed, amazed and happy to be alive. The film is utterly flawless, it slightly deviates from the book at times and cuts a few characters like Tom Bombadil but the film breathes the spirit of the book, heavily. I loved it, I give it a 10 out of 10.
Here is a side note: When my girlfriend and I were leaving the theater a group of kids maybe 10 or 11 years old were talking outside with great fervor. One kid exclaimed "I've already started the Two Towers!" and the other kids knew what he meant. I was very happy to see that.