Wonderful Trip Through a Muddled Land

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2001)

This film is a wonderful sleigh ride through a complex world previous history enough for three or four small universes. It is a very entertaining movie, with effects that a year ago would not just be wonderful, but impossible. It is violent - a small war without smart bombs that kills a million non-entity creatures for grins.
A fanatic IMDB following voted this film as one of the top 250 ever made within 24 hours of its release. Kids, isn't it class time or something? One hopes enough sane members gang up to rescue film history from this terrorist hijacking. A gentlemen's 7 is quite satisfactory, thanks.
Get ready for the feast but be warned: In three hours of screen time this film can't find a way to end; the small Hobbit heros are made with camera angles and dwarf stand-ins that don't fool you for one second; and there is enough Deus Ex Machina magic to make an Antarctica of Frosties get up and dance around.
See the movie, it is fine, but please don't worship it!