fairly solid, but long

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2001)

I guess it is not surprising, given the excitability of people, to see LOTR instantly thrust into the top 250 films of all time. But for myself, as a relatively impartial observer, I find it hard to give this film a 10, 9, or even an 8, for that matter. I do think it deserves credit for an excellent production, filled with fantastic creations of creatures and fanciful matte and CGI work. I could care less whether it is an accurate reproduction of the original story, as it's been over twenty years since I read it.
I do have a pet peeve with films that are too long, or slow paced, and although I think this was done well for it's length, it was not without some overlong passages. I was not alone on this, as I could hear the passive aggressive sighing of those around me who were uncomfortable with some of the duller segments. Frankly, I feel any director who feels the need to push the 3 hour limit has some serious ego issues.
The ending is particularly unsatisfying, as one might imagine going in, as the story has not come to closure at this point in the saga. The audience was loudly disapproving at this point. Cries of "oh come on" and "you've got to be kidding" rang out as the screen faded to black. Finally, I found the actors for Boromir and Aragorn to be too alike, as they are of the same phenotype, the same face, hair, facial hair, and the clothing was not exactly dissimilar. Kind of confusing for a moment or two, and totally unnecessary.