Nearly three hours, I didn't even THINK about peeing or smoking a cigarette!

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2003)

Okay, let me say this right up front. Even today, with mainstream films getting ever longer, a near-180 minute film is pushing the envelope. When long films were more commonplace in the past, there was usually at least 1 intermission. That being said, This film kept me in my seat, utterly motionless, immersed in a flawless creation. Dazzlingly true to the story, continuity of the storytelling notwithstanding. I think any filmmaker would have to be crazy to go through nearly a whole story, then go back and describe the same timeline for another party. It would have felt like "Go" or "Run, Lola, Run". You don't need to be a Tolkein fan to appreciate this film, or the first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring.