You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission... quest... thing!

Rating: 8/10 (11 January 2003)

If you, like me, read Tolkien as a child and went to see FotR in the cinemas you most likely sat there with a huge grin on your face the moment you saw Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton.
Throughout this movie, it all seems to fit in and you totally immerse yourself in a fantastic world you might have read about in your childhood and that is magic. This might not work for everyone but there are a lot of Tolkien fans out there and I am sure it worked and still works for them.
The changes and additions (which provide ample opportunity for heated debates) aside, the movie has its own magic and is so well based on the books that there's nothing much to critizise on first view, of course if you do want to find something then you sure will and there certainly is always room for improvement.
For me, it wasn't really an issue that e.g. Arwen's part was boosted/changed or Tom Bombadil was left out. Even Liv Tyler wasn't really an issue in FotR, although I found her to be the weakest link in the whole cast ensemble.
If you like Tolkien et. al. then you will find that this movie is made with so much care and detail that you will hardly notice the 3 hours and will be eager to see even more. On the other hand if you are not into fairy tales, adventure and "quest... thing" then you might want to stay clear of this one because this is an epic.
Theatrical Release 8/10 :: Expanded DVD Ed. 9/10 (for fans only)
Add.: One thing (among others) the Expanded Version succeeds in is showing Galadriel in a much happier light, which was direly missed in the theatrical version.