Very good, but c'mon, do you honestly think it's the 6th best ever?

Rating: 2/10 (20 December 2001)

SPOILERS ALERT
I saw the movie and I thought it was an excellent movie. But the hype that surrounds it has consumed it, and now it's ranked ahead of such movies as Pulp Fiction, The Matrix, and Saving Private Ryan. Although they're from different genres and in some ways apples and oranges, I'd have to say that this movie can't hold a candle to any of those. I've never read any of the books, but I'll bet many of the people who gave it a 10 haven't either. The action scenes were great, and the sound effects and acting were top notch(there's no doubt about that.) But for someone who's seen it all before, it's easy to find ways to criticize this movie. Let's step back from our awestruck utopian viewpoint, and look at it a little more deeply. For one thing, I felt like the plot was aimed at a younger age than mine (yet I'm only 21), when for example Ian McKellan's character supposedly died after his fight with the other wizard. I felt that way since I knew that A) we hadn't actually seen him die, B) he's obviously a main character, and C) why would they bring in an actor of his stature just to kill him off quickly. So predictably he's back in a later scene, and I just saw that he's in the next of the trilogy, meaning he didn't die in the crossing through the mountain scene either. I suppose that is more of a critique of Tolkien than the movie itself though. I'm sure the movie does a superb job of bringing the novel to life. Still, was anyone else besides me about to get up and say "would you just die already" towards the end when the guy had 3 arrows in his chest? I swear it took at least 30 minutes for him to die. There were also numerous scenes in which a character was about to be killed, but was predictably saved at the last minute. I also found it fascinating that 'Pippin' emerged from the long trek, including numerous hard-fought battles, with nothing more than a bruise on his forehead (the rest of his complexion completely perfect.)
I give this movie a 7.5 out of 10 for its excellent special effects and acting, but taking points off for its predictability.