Utterly brilliant.

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2002)

I never thought I'd be lost for words to describe a film, but LOTR
has finally done it. This is, without doubt, my favourite film of all
time - an acolade I always tried to avoid since it was always
difficult to compare brilliant films like The Third Man with, say, Star
Wars - but LOTR really is worthy. From the melodic, lyrical
beginnings setting the scene with the silky dreamy voice of
Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), to the sweeping away of Boromir down
the great river, this film is truly epic. Elijah Wood is simply perfect
as Frodo (I can't imagine Frodo any other way now) and Sir Ian
McKellen was made for the part of Gandalf. New Zealand as
Middle Earth is just sublime. How this didn't win an oscar for the
best film last year really does undermine the integrity of the Oscar
event. It is Peter Jackson who makes this film so brilliant - the fact
that some parts of the book are omitted or perhaps even slightly
exaggerated without losing the general feel of Tolkien's work and
indeed enhancing it, is tribute to Jackson's genius. Simply one film
to rule them all.