THIS is a Masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2002)

As a long-time admirer of Tolkien's works (his scholarly commentaries as well as his fiction), I was apprehensive about yet another attempt to film Middle-Earth.
Jackson is not only a brave man, but a brilliant one. His direction is not absolutely perfect, IMHO as a world-builder, however I can lay my quibbles aside and walk in his recreation with joy and certitude that the work is in good hands. The previous attempts have been disasters, but THIS is a Masterpiece. I have seen it more than 20 times, and am still finding new things to appreciate: the details are spot-on accurate and everything and everyone is believable. This isn't fantasy, this is history... before it became legend and myth.
I can hardly wait to own the complete Director's Cut (maybe 10 hours with all 3 movies and comments?) It will quite possibly be the Movie of the Century. A daunting task has become an incredible achievement.