Fantasy films tend to either engross viewers and capture their imaginations or else bore them to death.

Director Peter Jackson was so sure that Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring would not fall into the latter category, that he filmed it and its two sequels at the same time. The film has, fortunately, managed to wow audiences with its stellar acting, beautiful scenery and excellent direction from Jackson, despite its three-hour running time.

He did not overlook a single detail in his creation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth full of hobbits, wizards and elves. The casting was perfect too, with wonderful performances from all, particularly Ian McKellen as the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, and Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, the young hobbit on a mission.

The film follows Baggins' journey, as he leaves his quaint home in hopes of destroying a ring that is so powerful that it can corrupt even the most kindhearted person with its allure alone.

The film explores the struggle of good versus evil, a theme tackled in many films, but done particularly well in this one thanks to Tolkien's wonderful story.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring recently topped The Godfather as #1 on IMDb.com's list of the top movies of all time. If you expect this to be the greatest film you've ever seen, chances are you'll be disappointed. It's good, but not that good. There is, however, potential that once the two sequels are released, the entire trilogy will stand as one of the greatest film projects of all time.

— Reviewed by Debra Bell