Don't read too much about the film before seeing it!

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2001)

Quite simply, stunning!
From the special effects to the superb acting to the haunting soundtrack, this film deserves all the praise that has been heaped on it and more.
I first read the books only a couple of years ago, and was thoroughly drawn in into the semi-historical world Tolkein devised. This was something I had never experienced before, and not since; a book where the background is so detailed and carefully constructed that there isn't a scrap of doubt in your mind as you read that this place existed and these events took place.
You can perhaps imagine, then, my joy when I heard only a year later that this wonderful story was to be made into a film. I watched the trailers avidly and strove to uncover extra little details of the filming. I read every preview and review of the film I could lay my hands on before seeing the film. And in this was my great mistake.
For, you see, though this film deserves all the praise that it has received, it also deserves most of the criticisms. The sad thing is that I doubt that I would have noticed, or even cared, about most of the little niggles if I had not read about them beforehand. Hence I will not repeat them here, and I would urge you strongly not to read many more reviews before seeing this film - the fewer reviews you read the more you will enjoy this film.
And you will enjoy the film, trust me. It was emotionally powerful in places and had some of the best action scenes I've seen in recent years. The adaptation from the book is one of the best I've ever seen, and the scriptwriters deserve to win awards. There are parts more believable than others and parts more accessible than others, but as a whole, the film will leave you gasping, and wanting more.
See this film - just try not to spoil it for yourself by reading too many reviews!