I think the very best it could be. Exceptional

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2001)

A number of people will not like this movie for quite a few reasons. Some of them will think it too long and boring without pausing to think about what they are watching (one third of an epic story) while others will complain about what isn't in the film (without seeing that everything cannot be included). I thought it was amazing and enthralling. The running time was not a factor to me and I can't recall the last time three hours flew by that fast.
It's good. It's complete to the extent that this story will ever be completed on film. It's excellently cast and acted. The effects are outstanding without being the entire focus of the picture. The story is fluid and understandable. Peter Jackson has made the picture in such a way that I think he's going to manage to please as many of us as he possibly could and what more can we ask of him?
I've read a number of the reviews posted thus far and those in the negative don't appear to have understood what it was they were going to see. I add this because frankly this is a story that you shouldn't walk into blindly. It's not a hour and a half roller coaster and it's not a movie you should confuse with Harry Potter. One writer complained about nightmares? Sounds to me like Peter Jackson nailed the Ringwraiths, Orcs, Balrog, and other nasties pretty well doesn't it?
If you like fantasy and want to see it done well see this film. It's not for little children and it's not for those with shorter attention spans. Shrek was great but this ain't it. This is what you wanted when you went to see The Phantom Menace and walked out of the theater shaking your head in disappointment. This is a fantasy story told in a serious tone and has more in common with Braveheart or Zulu than Harry Potter.
It's amazing. I've been waiting for this movie since I was 13 years old. I'm 36 now and it's lived up to 23 years of building expectations.