The film is great, though not perfect

Rating: 9/10 (11 July 2004)

The LoTR trilogy is perhaps the best trilogy I've ever seen. The films have an epic feel to them that not even Star Wars can begin to rival. The scenes are breathtaking (Rohan, ruins of Osgiliath, Minas Tirith, desolation of Gorgoroth) and the characters are played brilliantly by all the actors and actresses (Sam, Eowyn, Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond etc). The movie recreates the splendor and beauty of Middle-Earth and its corruption under the Dark Lord, and that is its biggest strength.
Being a nitpicker, I must point out that the movies don't agree with the book in many places, and being a fan of the book first and foremost, that disappoints me. I would also have liked the film to touch a bit on the heroic deeds of the First Age of Middle Earth that many of the characters talked about in the book. A sense of history is sadly missing, which detracts from the epicness.
Overall it's a great movie, one that you'll enjoy watching the one hundredth time as much as the first time. No doubt you will, for almost all of us are touched in some way by Tolkien's story, though we are not sure what. I myself have watched it three times, and I dare say many have watched it more than I have! If you're new to Tolkien's Universe, I suggest you pick up all three movies and watch them from start to end, like the unfolding of a great tapestry. Then read the book. Then watch the movies again. And again. And still you will have much to learn and ponder, a never ending poem of the eternal fight between good and evil.