I saw this trilogy for the first time as I think all people should at some point in their lifetime, as a ten hour epic saga. My recommendation for viewing is to set aside a full day, make an unholy amount of popcorn and invite over your nerdiest friends. Put in the DVDs (the extended, three hour versions. None of that abridged crap) and watch them in sequence. It's hard to explain the scale and depth that this series has and you must see it to really understand. After you're done, get out your flashlights and stuffed animals and have a good ole slumber party.
For those of you who don't know the plot for one reason or another, the story is set in the land of Middle Earth, where men, elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs and hobbits all live. Several thousand years after a huge war that nearly caused the destruction of the land, the ring that used to belong to the leader of the forces of evil comes into the possession of a hobbit named Frodo (a masterful performance by Elijah Wood). A wizard named Gandalf (Ian McKellen) informs him of it's potential power and Frodo set out on a quest to destroy it in the volcano in which it was forged, the appropriately named Mount Doom. He takes along with him three hobbits, Sam (Sean Astin), Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan). They meet a cast of interesting characters and eventually split and each go into their own storyline without losing the interest of the audience.
Peter Jackson's adaptation of the classic J.R.R. Tolkien series is, in my opinion, one of the few cases where the quality of the movies actually surpasses that of the... never mind. I've decided that I don't want to be murdered by fan boys. But this really is a fantastic movie (I prefer to think of it as a ten hour long epic rather than three movies). It is a many layered film, with themes on corruption that in my opinion are very fitting today with the state of the government.
The cinematography is beautiful, from the giant mountains and amazing aerial shots to the quick cuts and ominous tone of Gollum's arguments with himself. The movie connects you to the characters and takes you on a journey that will have you laughing on instant and on the edge of you seat biting your fingernails the next. A classic film for the ages.
Overall: 4 out of 4 stars. A must see, even if you don't like the sci-fi fantasy genre, even better if you are. I believe this is the last good movie, because we haven't had a significant contribution to cinema since this movie (one could argue for Brokeback Mountain but I'm still skeptical).
Reference scale:
Harry Potter < Lord of the Rings < Star Wars
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