What can I say that 3000 others have not said before?

Rating: 9/10 (13 April 2002)

Only 1000 words? Oh dear. So much for the five page essay.
First, let me be up front - I LOVED FOTR! It certainly would be included on a list of my PERSONAL top ten. Whether it should be listed as one of the top movies of all time is a question I will address a later.
Are there flaws in this film? Yes. As with all films, there were moments that fell short of perfection. However, one must be careful to separate matters of personal taste from actual shortcomings with the movie.
There were badly edited moments. There were drawn out and/or repetitive slow motion scenes. And I can understand those who felt this movie was an endless, monster infested, three hour chase scene - part of the difficulty lies in trying to condense hundreds of pages of detailed text and a time frame of years into one movie. Had Peter Jackson been able to include all he wanted, this film would have been far longer than three hours. Some things had to be sacrificed, and much of what was lost were the restful pauses and conversations that would have lessened the frantic pace and helped define character relationships.
That having been said, I think Jackson still managed to do an excellent job of establishing the characters within the parameters he was allowed. Some reviewers felt that the film lacked characterization. However, during one's initial viewing, there is so much occurring, it is easy to miss the subtle glances and facial expressions that mark much of the character interaction in this film. This is a movie that should be seen multiple times in order to get the full impact. Perhaps there is merit in the idea that a movie should convey its entire message in one viewing, but even I had trouble telling some of the characters apart the first time, and this from someone who *read* the book!
There seems to be controversy over whether LOTR deserves to be a top rated film. Admittedly, I have never studied film and would not know a gaffer from a gopher if it bit me  but in this I am not unlike MOST of those who contribute to the IMDb top 250 Movies of All Time. We vote based upon mainstream films we enjoy. However, as taste varies, so will those films that reach us at that most elemental level. Personally, I go to the cinema looking for movies that will show me new vistas, open new worlds and appeal to my active imagination and creativity. The films I enjoy run the gamut from westerns, to comedies, to quirky offbeat flicks that defy classification. Some of `good' filmssome are not so good. But they all generally share two of the elements that appeal most to me, characters to whom I could relate and a setting that tickled my imagination. LOTR had both.
I have seen many of the movies that others considered `the best.' Some are favorites of mine, but others I found exceedingly tedious. Does this mean I think they are bad films? No. Do I purposely go out of my way to give them a 1 in order to lower their ratings? Of course not! I am not so egotistical as to assume that, just because I do not fully appreciate a film, it must be horrible.
Perhaps those who protests the presence of LOTR as a top film do not understand that `fantasy' fans have been waiting for a movie like this for years! Any given year usually has a least a couple quality dramas, but really well crafted fantasies are a rarity. Most fantasy movies are generally targeted at children, or never rise above the level of your typical B-grade popcorn flick. Not so with LOTR. Here is a film, part of a larger epic, which is made for adults. It is dark and far more complex than some, `silly little movie filled with fairies and wizards.' Furthermore, it garnered critical acclaim, including 13 Oscar nominations, of which it won four. Its success can be seen as vindication that fantasy is indeed a viable genre, and can be well executed by someone who really cares.

So you see, LOTR is more than a `movie' to most of us  it is a step towards legitimacy for a genre we love. Thus we are passionate about its success. Of course, the fantasy genre will not appeal to everyone, and if someone genuinely dislikes this film for legitimate reasons, that is valid. However, I have read more than one review for LOTR where someone blatantly bragged that they gave the film a lower rating that they really felt it deserved because they either don't like the fact it is so successful or they don't like the fans. This says a great deal more about the reviewers' own prejudices than it does about the movie.
Which brings me to my final comment. I do not understand WHY some of those who did not like the movie feel obliged to insult those who did. Calling the movie a `geek-fest' or referring to its fans as `nerds' is totally unnecessary and does not add any weight to your opinion. In fact, it only makes those who resort to such tactics appear foolish and petty. Comments about `fanboys who have no lives, no girlfriends and live in their parent's basement' are not clever. There are tired old cliches that those of us who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi had been listening to for years I suspect that some of the nay-sayers actually enjoyed the film, but are so fearful of being labeled a `nerd' that they feel the need to assert their `superiority' by tearing others down  humanity at its worst.
In the final analysis, this film will appeal to many. Others will dislike it. This is true of any film. My recommendation is that you see it and make up your own mind.