Premiered: December 19, 2001

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm & Andy Serkis

J. R. R. Tolkien created an epic series with The Lord of the Rings and director Peter Jackson brings the story of Frodo the hobbit (Elijah Wood) to life in this five-time Academy Award winning film.

When Frodo’s uncle decides to take a final journey on his 111^th birthday, Frodo inherits the One Ring. This ring is all-powerful and can conquer all the Rings of Power in the universe. Frodo decides to destroy the ring, but faces many evil forces that try to steal the ring from him.

This is a typical early 2000s action-adventure film that incorporates a lot of humor within the action. The inhuman characters are also all costumed instead of CGI, which at times looks corny. But, constant action moves the plot along fine.

Final say: This is going to be an epically long road trip. ★★★★☆