MIDDLE EARTH SURE LOOKS PRETTY!

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2001)

One word: WOW!
This is probably THE best movie I have seen since The Matrix. I was a little sceptical at the hype surrounding this film and wondered whether it would perform, as I kept seeing visions of Star Wars T.P.M and saw how that took a right royal nose-dive to oblivion.
I am glad to be proven completely wrong!
Reading several of the reviews here, I am in agreement with most of them. Having read the Rings Trilogy, this film is probably one of the best book/movie adaptations I have seen for a looong time. Characterizations are spot-on, my favorite being Gandalf. He looks and sounds exactly as I pictured him in the books. The sweeping fly bys around the Tower Orthanc are excellently portrayed (Wizard Saruman)
As a rule, I don't normally like seeing a movie again till it comes out on video or D.V.D (and then I'd have to actually like the flick first!), but this will be one film I'll be seeing at the theater again.
This movie is three hours long, but I really didn't notice it. The story pulls you in and makes you believe you're actually part of Middle Earth. Now I haven't experienced this in a movie since I was a kid. In fact, I hoped for more, but that won't happen until we see The Two Towers...
CONCLUSION? Mr G Lucas should sit down and watch this movie at least three times, so he can see how C.G.I SHOULD be used in a movie!! He may also learn a few story-telling tips, so audiences can sympathize with his characters instead of throwing popcorn at the screen in disgust.
I rate this film 10/10. Congratulations, Mr Jackson!