If you've never read the book...

Rating: 4/10 (19 December 2001)

...or are over twelve years old, I suggest giving this movie a miss.
Not being a fan of the Fantasy genre I didn't think I'd enjoy it but usually when I think like this a movie surprises me. Not this time. I left the cinema feeling I'd wasted three hours of my life and thinking I should've read the book beforehand. It wasn't that I didn't understand anything in the film, just that all my mates who had read the book seemed to enjoy it, and the rest of us didn't. But then again, if a story is good enough it should lose little impact in transferring to the big screen.

I won't go on about the faults - although the repetitive storyline (battle, walk; battle, walk) and the needless over-acting are worth a mention. It was aesthetically pleasing, but huge sets and great CGI don't count for much when you are fighting to keep your eyes open in your chair. There are only so many times you can gasp at a huge building/statue/mountain before you get bored and start demanding an interesting plot.
This film would've been a flop if the book wasn't so well-known. As it is, thousands will come to see "how it comes across" on the big-screen. These people won't know what it's like to see the story for the first time in this way, and will probably find it difficult to understand why the rest of us keep a blank expression throughout.
To cap off, if you enjoyed the book you're likely to enjoy the film. If you've never read the book you'll be looking at your watch every five minutes from an hour into it, trying to forget how long you'll be in there.
Kids will like it though.
4/10