Can I get my $7.50 back, please

Rating: 1/10 (25 December 2001)

This movie was riddled with flaws too numerous to mention and so looming it would hurt to discuss them all. As opposed to most people who thought the film had flaws I couldn't remember the book, so all the flaws I noticed pertain strictly to the movie. The first and most startling flaw was the horrible direction of this movie, I hear it was nominated for a best picture, this makes me want to flee the country in abject terror. I frequently thought that the driectional devices employed in this film were of the caliber one might associate with a three year old's attempt at directing a family play. In addition to this most extreme flaw, the movie was further plagued by what I can only describe as wretched writing, and I'm not refering to the plot devised by Tolkien (which is followed nominally by the film makers). If you really appreciate bad puns and one-liners this movie is for you, in this respect it reminded me a lot of the television show, Hollywood Squares, only the rapidity of the jokes was far more intense. The Acting was also bad, Elijah wood turned in a lack luster performace as Frodo, which really wasn't a detraction from the rest of the cast, who also appeared to be acting in the midst of a haze of inadequacy.
One last note, the movie appeared to be tryingto appeal to the drug crowd, with lines such as "This is the best weed in the Shire," not to mention the blissful delight of Frodo et al. at finding mushrooms. This is not to say that the moive is the equivalent of 2001 a Space Odyssey, or even the drug induced opening flashback sequence of Half-Baked. The drug-ploy was simply an attmept to try to appeal to a crowd which couldn't be drawn in by the creative elements of the movie.
All in all, I found this movie to be a cheap knock-off which will prove to be a massive stepping stone in the post-movie marketing blitz, which had to be the sole goal of the producers. I guess the age of producing a quality film for it's own sake has left main stream film makers' minds in favor of producing subordinate filth designed to rake in the easily spent dollars of children and fools. This movie left more than one viewer (I saw it in a group of five and we all agreed) wanting their money back. In fact, after watching this movie I've got to believe that any other movie playing now offers the viewers more than this movie ever could. It was lackluster and hackneyed, a total bust.