. . . a magnificent screen epic with inspired photography . . .

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2001)

The Lord of the Rings is many things, but not a 9.6 out of 10 film as listed with 7 thousand recorded IMDB votes. Director Peter Jackson is a genius, as are many who appear in the film. It is a magnificent epic with inspired photography; an entertaining Sci-Fi adventure brimming with countless dangers and (nearly) as many narrow escapes; and it honors well J.R.R. Tolkien's enduring masterpiece. It is chockful of my favorite actors, performing as well as I've ever seen them in many cases . . . Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving and the Ians Holm and McKellen among them. The spoke soliloquies so often. After nearly 3 hrs of watching, I did not bond as a viewer with any of them, and found myself rooting for the heroic success of no one. The film lacked heart . . . character chemistry - as super-star-salaried sports teams often are, resulting in their inability to win the big game.
I give this film a respectable 7, a fine rating for any movie and a rating that contemplates its strengths with its limitations. There is a lot to like about it and two more "in the can" episodes yet to be seen. But be reasonable: To bump Gone with the Wind, Godfather(s) I and II, and Citizen Kane with a 9.6 is a little nutty in a theater where no tears fell for any of the vanquished, except perhaps for those funding this and the sequels. So who is stuffing the ballot box with 10s, and why?
See it during your next free three hour span. Just don't expect the most perfect movie ever made.