The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Jackson is working from obvious passion; he knows the most special of effects are expected of him but deploys his technology smartly.

Most ambitiously, this rousing adventure closes with an ending that's closer in spirit to an art-house film than a popcorn holiday romp.

An enthusiastic visionary set loose on one of the biggest playgrounds ever constructed, Jackson brings more personality to the series' first installment, The Fellowship Of The Ring, than typically seeps into a franchise of this magnitude.

The New Zealander director Peter Jackson, who wrote the screenplay with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, works with enough dramatic tension and pictorial grandeur to sustain us through long periods of complicated exposition and heavy bouts of swordplay.

If Fellowship hasn't rescued an otherwise dreadful year, it at least gives us something to look forward to -- same time, next year.

Masterfully paced, the movie builds slowly, introducing the mythology, habitats and lifestyles of Tolkien's creatures.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ is an epic movie of every scale but it is a film that Peter Jackson should be extremely proud of it as it was a fantastic way to kick off this series of films.

A generation-defining achievement from Peter Jackson

Jackson solidly answers the call with a movie that’s an appealing amalgamation of dreamlike splendor, blood-splattering violence and old-fashioned heroics.

An extraordinary adventure that combines incredible real locations with great-looking models, visual effects, excellent performances and memorable characterizations, managing to immerse the viewer in Middle Earth. Full review in Spanish.