Much better second time around

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2002)

I first saw The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on it's opening day, the first session. Three hours later I left the theatre exhausted and glad that it was finally over. Through the following months I didn't see it again, not in the cinema or on DVD or video. But when I saw that it was being rereleased I decided to give it another chance, and I'm glad I did. I knew what to expect this time around, I think I was expecting much more action the first time. While I disagree with many of the people who say that this is the best film of all time I do believe it deserves a lot of credit. Firstly, the effects are awe-inspiring, the make-up looks fantastic, the characters are good as is the acting. But the greatest element of Fellowship for me was Peter Jackson's direction. Being a fan of his earlier zombie films, Bad Taste and Braindead (aka Dead Alive) I was curious as to what his approach to the film would be. I thought it was terrific, epic being probably the best word to describe it. I do think it was a bit slow in parts but as many of you have said before that's like the book. Personally I am now looking forward to The Two Towers.

Overall I would give The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring a 7.5/10.