I was not in the target audience

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2009)

I have never read a single word of anything by Tolkien. This is not my genre; I have always disliked fantasy, and largely, adventure, as well. Prior to my viewing of this, I didn't care for Jackson, although The Frighteners had its moments. I put off watching this until tonight, where it was on TV. In other words, I cannot judge this as an adaptation, nor can I comment on the Extended Edition. What I can say is that this gripped me from the first frame and did not let go until the last one. That ought to give you an idea of how well-crafted and brilliantly executed a cinematic achievement it is. The plot is compelling and well-told. In spite of a large group of characters, this keeps track of, and develops, them all quite nicely. The acting is spot-on. I did find the comic relief to be annoying, but there's immensely little of it if you look at the overall running time, that aspect of it wasn't made for me(I can imagine kids enjoy it, and it's harmless and inoffensive), and it's easy enough to look past. This looks gorgeous all the way, and the effects are astonishing. The design of beings, locations and items is all creative and well-done. Cinematography and editing are excellent. This is very exciting, and the action is cool and has the impact it is meant to. The score helps the epic scope, and the foreign, non-human language-use makes the world we are seeing feel more strange and distant. There is nothing really offensive in this, though children might find the battle sequences too intense. I recommend this to everyone who can see themselves getting into this. 10/10