Prepare to stay in your seat for the full 3 hours, you don't want to miss anything!

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2001)

At two minutes under three hours this is certainly a long movie. Take my advice, plan ahead, use the washroom before the movie begins, don't buy a drink at the concession stand, because there is nothing in this movie that you can afford to miss!
I was gripped by the movie for its full length and like most people who'll see this movie I already knew what was going to happen. I congratulate the director and cast on producing a film that most fans of Tolkien will love. The aching knees, stretched bladder and sore back are more than compensated for by the quality of the storytelling.
The choice of New Zealand's rich and roughhewn landscape as the backdrop for Middle Earth was excellent. I was pleased to see the very landscape that Tolkien's words evoked when I read the books. All the characters in the film are faithfully portrayed by the actors involved with Ian McEllen and Viggo Mortensen being the two high points in the film for me. My only disappointment was that I saw Strider as being much bigger than Mr. Mortensen but I can't fault his portrayal in any other way.
In general, I've found that movies made from books don't often do justice to the books. A book is limited only by the imagination of the reader but films are constrained by time, budgets, and technology. This film does justice to the book and that is high praise.
This film hits a home run. My only worry is that the succeeding films now have a high standard to adhere to, I hope that the bar is not set too high as I want to enjoy the next two as much as I have enjoyed this one.