Okay, but far from incredible

Rating: 5/10 (20 January 2002)

I'm not a Fantasy fan and I find the author's work good but I dont share the same ferver that other reviewers do. That being said, I find this movie okay, but not the life changing experience that others have gushed about.
The 2 biggest problems with this film are the cinematography and the length.

length: This would have been so much more of a film had about 60 minutes been shaved off. Did the director fear the nitpicking fans so much that he couldn't bear to trim any more? Film is a visual medium and as such doesn't require the level of detailed exposition that the book does. I hope the next film will be a little more even handed but I wont be surprised to see it weigh in at 3:30 or more.
cinematography: 2 big problems here, first the lighting. Dark scense evoke a certain mood that can really help drive the story but like tool at the DP's disposal, too much of a good thing takes away from the overall film. While it makes sense to have the underground scenes be very dimly lit, the audience shouldn't have to struggle to see the characters for so long.
The second big problem is color, or the lack of it. Once the story leaves the shire, the color is so desaturated that it becomes distracting. Beautiful settings like those of the elves are destroyed by the overuse of this technique. While this too can evoke a desired mood, it is also too much of a good thing, both in the degree and duration it was used.
After the film I stood in the lobby and stared at colorful movie posters just to remind my brain what color looks like.
The current #2 rating (and one time #1) rating shows that this movie 75% hype. At least this time the hype is coming mainly from the audience and not the studios/media.