Hype creates disappointment. *Minor spoilers*

Rating: 6/10 (19 December 2001)

Forget the fact that it is an adaptation. Middle-Earth is going to be something different for everybody. The question is does it stand up as a piece of entertainment?
In a large sense 'Fellowship' does. It is exciting, admirably paced and in my view, exceptionally well cast. However, you can read a lot of uncritical reviews of the movie both on IMDb and in the press. Is it really THAT good? In a word...no. Although not particularly technical minded, the movie suffers from sound problems. at least 50% of what Gandalf says is inaudible. The New Zealand landscape is fantastic, and makes for some beautiful photography, yet a lot of the CGI 'sets' seem to be over dark, and over busy. Two indefensible problems for a movie of this magnitude.

Other complaints. The humour is often lame, and wildly misses the mark. And I'm sorry Tolkien fans, but the movie is too late. People have spent the last 15 years making fun of the kind of people that play Role-Playing Games and this seems to be a movie made squarely for them.
I have been sucked in however. Jackson made a very clever move by ending the movie exactly where the book ends and leaving the viewer wanting to know more. The viewer knows that they are going to get more...in a years time. Now that is what I call building anticipation. Just please Tolkien fans, contain your excitement. Hype hurts the viewers experience.