I got to see Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring today and it was a treat indeed. I took in a midday showing, since I'm now among the ranks of the unemployed masses, casualty of the current economic downturn and corporate offshore movement of jobs in my profession. All I can say is wow, what a glittering, esteemed presentation of the epic fantasy classic by Tolkien! Unbelievable, a movie that stayed fairly true to the book with very few pop embellishments. Sights and sounds vividly captured the mood, settings and themes - in some cases it was uncanny how the film portrayal of Middle Earth accurately recreated the pictures my imagination conjured when reading LotR. Not all the settings, but the Shire appeared just as I thought it would be like. As did Saruman's tower and Rivendell. Even the musical score, criticised by a number of folks, fit the action sequences perfectly. Although I've read the books multiple times, I still sat in suspense, fearing the worst for the film's heroes. Superbly choreographed action scenes filled with deeds of violence, but little blood and gore also add to the riveting tale.

If you haven't seen LotR: FotR yet, go now. Proceed immediately to your neighborhood picture palace and enjoy the best flick to come out in recent years.

After the bombardment of Burger King advertisements, I had lowered my expectations, thinking what a disgrace it would be to dishonor LotR and shovel it off to the public like Godzilla or Armageddon. So I was hoping that it would be fair, and not suck like most everything else Hollywood is jamming out ...

Now I have to wait another year for part 2 of 3 ... each Christmas will bring another LotR book installment brought to the silver screen ...