What is all the fuss about?

Rating: 5/10 (18 February 2002)

The movie is fine. The story is a quaint fantasy but hardly an epic. As I sat and watched virtually the same battle scene over and over (although each time a different character getting injured or dying) I couldn't help but wonder what everyone is making a big deal about. The monsters are cool, the characters are neat... the movie is long and the story is so-so.
If you're anything like me, you got tired of seeing Frodo cry every 15 minutes. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a video game. There's a team of people killing an absurdly disproportionate number of evil monsters (you could almost feel them racking up the points) all along the way running into new characters and hearing new stories about the monsters they're about to face. At one point, after slaying hundreds of monsters in a cave scene, they then had to face a larger monster wielding a club/hammer. It was like he was the "boss" at the end of a level in a video game. Completely ridiculous.
If you're going to see it, go earlier in the day. Otherwise you'll get drowsy before the two hour mark. Don't ask me why the Oscars are all over this film... I can only assume that it's getting overly praised because for once it is a decent adaptation of a well-known novel (or series of novels).