Great stuff but see it at least twice - it gets better!

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2001)

Well I am not going to repeat what others have said. I have never read the books but was greatly looking forward to this movie. I am a Raiders and Empire fan and whether this is better is too early to say but I was really blown away by this film... It quite simply is fantastic. The performances are spot on, story is detailed and rich and the Cinematography is wonderful. This movie was not made to show what computers can do with effects but the CGI was seemless and realistic. Of course we can all nitpick every film (some more than others) but if you think that Peter Jackson (who has no big film behind him) took on board this epic book and converted it to the screen fantastically (with two more to go) with this cast (who you cant imagine better - especially McKellen) - ask yourself who could have done a better job - lucas, spielberg - not a chance...
One thing I must stress is to see this movie at least twice because there is too much to appreciate the first time round and once you know what to expect you can concentrate on more of the detail in this excellent movie - actually it really is more of an experience then a movie...
PLEASE SEE IT.....