Thank God I've read the books.

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2001)

No, not because it's a horrible movie (which it isn't), but simply because waiting 8,760 hours for the sequel The Two Towers is cruel and unusual punishment. Waiting 17,520 hours for the last installment Return of the King is torture.
Going in, I thought I knew how Gandalf was. I thought I knew how Frodo was. Boromir, Strider/Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin, Merry. I was wrong, Peter Jackson was right.
I thought I knew what the Uruk Hai looked like. I didn't, but Peter Jackson did - and his vision is MUCH scarier. Same goes for the Balrog and the Orcs.
Some people mentioned, that this was the biggest special effects extravaganza EVER. Maybe it was, but I only noticed two special effects: Gandalfs fireworks and the Balrog. I KNOW the actors aren't really 4' or 7', but in this movie it's not special effects, it's just real.
Acting? Nope - didn't see any of that either. When people are themselves, they don't act - they just are.
I'm tempted to say "wow", but that doesn't do this movie justice. Neither does anything I've written thus far. The only thing that does this movie justice is seing it - but seing isn't believing; what I mean is, I've seen this movie, but I can't belive it worked, I can't believe that it's this good, I can't even belive it lasted three hours (felt like fortyfive minutes), last but not least, I can't believe I have to wait 8,760 hours to watch the sequel.
Someone should kidnap Peter Jackon and hold him ransom for the other two movies.