Never so bored in the cinema since the Fellowship

Rating: Null/10 (16 January 2003)

OK first things first - I've never read any of these books. I tried to read The Hobbit when I was a lot younger, but it was just too much, and that's as far as I ever got with Tolkien's work. I went to see The Fellowship of The Ring, because my boyfriend wanted to see it and I thought that as everyone was raving about it I would have a look. I was bored out of my skull and said that I wouldn't bother going to see the Two Towers and that was the end of it. Anyway, The Two Towers came out and everyone was raving about it and my boyfriend wanted to go and see it and for a long time I told him I wouldn't go with him. In the end I felt sorry for him because nobody wanted to go along with him, so off I went last night in a positive state of mind thinking it can't be worse than the first one. But it was! Frodo (Elijah Wood) only ever manages one facial expression and all the characters just sounded as though they were parrotting the story straight out of the book for the benefit of all the Tolkien anoraks. About half way through, I bundled up my coat on the arm of my seat, got comfortable and had a sleep - I'm not exaggerating. True the film's special effects are great, but there is no feeling to this film at all to back them up. It just felt like one long cash in to me. Sorry to offend the die hards but the Lord of The Rings story does not make a good movie.