came across this review of the lord of the rings
Judging from the first reviews of The Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter may have met his match in Middle Earth.
With the eagerly awaited epic -- subtitled Fellowship of the Ring, the first instalment of a $300-US million trilogy -- due in theatres Dec. 19, fans who have seen the movie are now stacking the Peter Jackson-directed opus up to the J.R.R. Tolkien classic.
And if these early Internet reviews are any indication of how the film will be received, it should be a Merry Christmas indeed for the legions of fans -- and the filmmakers as they try to topple Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which has made an astounding $200 million US in a mere 10 days of release.
"I was blown away," writes one anonymous reviewer of Fellowship of the Ring in a posting on the Aint-It-Cool-News Web site.
"ILM (George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic, which produces the visual effects for the Star Wars movies ) should be spanked for doing such comparatively shoddy work for so long."
The Lord of the Rings has sold 100 million copies since its release almost half a century ago -- gripping generations of readers with its mythic tales of Middle Earth, a timeless realm populated by hobbits, trolls, elves and wizards.
The adventure follows Frodo Baggins (played by Elijah Wood), a furry-footed hobbit whose peaceful life in Middle Earth is disrupted when he goes on a quest to destroy a magical ring sought by dark lord Sauron who will become all-powerful with it.
"Peter Jackson and his team have created some of the most mind-blowing special effects ... ever seen. This film is, without question, the most visually stunning cinematic experience I have ever had," the review claimed.
But while the reviewer also lavished praise upon the performances, especially Ian McKellan as the wizard Gandalf, he said he felt the pacing and editing in the first hour of the three-hour movie lagged.
As well, "at times, I felt that Tolkien was getting a more modern Matrix-style treatment ... But these are minor nitpicks.
"The money is on the screen, no expense was spared, everything is jaw dropping and awe-inspiring."
Over at hometheaterforum.com, another fan raved about the film.
"You will see visuals in this film that go beyond anything you have seen before."
The positive responses -- at least so far -- should buoy the studio, which will release the next two films in Christmas 2002 and Christmas 2003 -- and the filmmakers, who chose to film their Middle Earth, not in the heart of Hollywood or London, but in New Zealand -- what they saw as a primal, untamed landscape representing the world as it looked 7,000 years ago.
"New Zealand is Middle Earth," says Wood.
The actors, who faced a gruelling 274 days on location making the three films, thought New Zealand was the perfect location.
John Rhys-Davies, who plays the dwarf Gimli, said: "New Zealand is such a primitive land, it can take you back to a primitive time in history."
Jackson was overjoyed that his homeland fitted the bill so perfectly.
"New Zealand has the essence of the old European countryside," he said in the production notes for Fellowship of the Ring.
"New Zealand is an impressive landscape, but with a little extra help from the computer we turned it into a magical Middle Earth."
-- with files from Reuters
Judging from the first reviews of The Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter may have met his match in Middle Earth.
With the eagerly awaited epic -- subtitled Fellowship of the Ring, the first instalment of a $300-US million trilogy -- due in theatres Dec. 19, fans who have seen the movie are now stacking the Peter Jackson-directed opus up to the J.R.R. Tolkien classic.
And if these early Internet reviews are any indication of how the film will be received, it should be a Merry Christmas indeed for the legions of fans -- and the filmmakers as they try to topple Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which has made an astounding $200 million US in a mere 10 days of release.
"I was blown away," writes one anonymous reviewer of Fellowship of the Ring in a posting on the Aint-It-Cool-News Web site.
"ILM (George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic, which produces the visual effects for the Star Wars movies ) should be spanked for doing such comparatively shoddy work for so long."
The Lord of the Rings has sold 100 million copies since its release almost half a century ago -- gripping generations of readers with its mythic tales of Middle Earth, a timeless realm populated by hobbits, trolls, elves and wizards.
The adventure follows Frodo Baggins (played by Elijah Wood), a furry-footed hobbit whose peaceful life in Middle Earth is disrupted when he goes on a quest to destroy a magical ring sought by dark lord Sauron who will become all-powerful with it.
"Peter Jackson and his team have created some of the most mind-blowing special effects ... ever seen. This film is, without question, the most visually stunning cinematic experience I have ever had," the review claimed.
But while the reviewer also lavished praise upon the performances, especially Ian McKellan as the wizard Gandalf, he said he felt the pacing and editing in the first hour of the three-hour movie lagged.
As well, "at times, I felt that Tolkien was getting a more modern Matrix-style treatment ... But these are minor nitpicks.
"The money is on the screen, no expense was spared, everything is jaw dropping and awe-inspiring."
Over at hometheaterforum.com, another fan raved about the film.
"You will see visuals in this film that go beyond anything you have seen before."
The positive responses -- at least so far -- should buoy the studio, which will release the next two films in Christmas 2002 and Christmas 2003 -- and the filmmakers, who chose to film their Middle Earth, not in the heart of Hollywood or London, but in New Zealand -- what they saw as a primal, untamed landscape representing the world as it looked 7,000 years ago.
"New Zealand is Middle Earth," says Wood.
The actors, who faced a gruelling 274 days on location making the three films, thought New Zealand was the perfect location.
John Rhys-Davies, who plays the dwarf Gimli, said: "New Zealand is such a primitive land, it can take you back to a primitive time in history."
Jackson was overjoyed that his homeland fitted the bill so perfectly.
"New Zealand has the essence of the old European countryside," he said in the production notes for Fellowship of the Ring.
"New Zealand is an impressive landscape, but with a little extra help from the computer we turned it into a magical Middle Earth."
-- with files from Reuters
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