Very well done, but doesn't deserve the ratings on IMDb...

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2001)

Beautifully filmed, acting superb, but overall a tedious experience for the novice viewer (those who haven't read the book series). I like the Fantasy genre and appreciate the depth and scope of the story, but I found myself squirming in my seat after the first 2 hours and disappointed that it was only the first "installment" of the series (i.e. no big battle in Mordor at the end of the movie). Trying to look at this from the perspective of a person that hasn't read the books (which I haven't), this film does not rate as highly as the other wonderful movies that are on the top of the IMDb Top 250 - those are just as superbly done and are entertaining to "veteran" and "novice" viewers alike.