If you do not think this is an amazing film...then you are brain dead.

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2002)

I've been waiting my whole life for this movie to be made, and when I found out Peter Jackson(God of cinema) was taking on the enormous challenge of bringing Tolkien's trilogy to the big screen over 3 years ago, I felt as if I had stepped into a dream. I finally saw it opening day at the midnight showing with my two friends, and I remember the awe and silence that filled the sold out theatre. From the moment I heard Cate Blanchett's voice, narrating the history of the Ring and Middle Earth, to the beginning of the credits, I experienced(as did many, many others in the theatre) one of the most exciting and breathtaking movie experiences ever. My friends and I had to go see it again the next day.
This film has absolutely everything a movie needs. First of all the cast and their performances were top notch. I was not disappointed at all. At first I was somewhat skeptical about Elijah Wood playing Frodo Baggins, and I was never too impressed with his acting ability to begin with. Now after seeing this film, I can't see any other actor portraying Frodo, other than young Elijah. I was very pleased by his performance, but very disappointed that he did not get an Oscar nomination. As for Viggo Mortenson playing the heroic Aragorn, I knew he would be great the moment I saw him in the trailer for the film months before it was released. He looked and breathed Aragorn, just as I imagined Aragorn would when I read the books years ago. Sean Bean was terrific as the brave, but weak -willed Boromir. And of course Sir Ian McKellan was perfect as Gandalf the Grey. In fact, he is Gandalf. Every time he was shown on screen, he stole the scene. I'm just upset he didn't win the Oscar. The rest of the cast was great as well. I was very happy with their performances.
The scenery and cinematography is indeed flawless. After seeing this movie, I immediately wanted to visit New Zealand. It's as if New Zealand is Middle Earth. The art direction and costume design is extroidinarily detailed. Everything from the celestial buildings of the Elves in Rivendell, to the Celtic designs in the Dwarven armour, to the dark and Satanic vision of Sauron's fortress are truly awesome. The make-up and creature effects are the best I've ever seen. The Orcs aren't just stupid, mindless killing machines. They really are terrifying. The Black Riders were my favorite though. They stole the scene every time they were on. As for the visual and computer generated effects, you couldn't do any better. The demonic Balrog was amazing. It was definitely one of the movie's best parts. And of course, Peter Jackson's direction was top-notch. I was so pleased when I found out he was doing the film, and not some huge, big-time Hollywood filmmaker like Lucas, Spielberg or Cameron. Don't get me wrong, they are brilliant filmmakers, but they all tend to throw in something very cutsey for the little kids so the movie would be more commercial. I knew of course Jackson would never do that. The action sequences and battle scenes are very exciting, and the ending leaves you wanting more. I felt it ended very well.
On a final note, this movie has it all. An adventure movie that is unlike any other with compelling drama, about a world of people who are facing a common danger. Everyone in this world of Middle Earth are in one way or another preoccupied with the difficulty of power. Whether it is political, personal, spiritual or the power to live, or to control, every character is forced to seek or reject power. This is truly a masterpiece in filmmaking and I cannot wait to see the next two sequels.