"The Fellowship of the Ring" could have gone wrong in so many ways. As it is, though, I see it as nearly perfect: It's one of the best fantasy pictures ever made.
It throws down a daunting challenge to filmmakers everywhere, and even more so to the studios that back them. Audiences deserve the greatest you have in you. If you've made money off giving them anything less, it was just dumb luck. From now on, they'll know they have a right to magic.

From the Salon review of Lord Of The Rings.