Review of The Lord of the Rings

Animated feature length movie directed by cult director Ralph Bakshi that covers the first two books of the LOTR trilogy, Fellowship and Two Towers. The studio, United Artists, refused to fund a sequel despite the film being a great financial success (it cost $3 million to produce and grossed over $30 million, approx. $100 million in today's money). They also reneged on a promise to release the movie as "LOTR: Part One" against the wishes of Bakshi. Studio execs were sleazeballs even back then.

The movie stays true to the books for the most part, even more so than Peter Jackson's movies. The movie feels rather condensed, both in scope and grandeur, from the books. It's probably not going to make much sense to people who haven't read the books (or seen Peter Jackson's movies) as the two hour running time doesn't leave time for introductions. Despite that, it's an enjoyable ride, especially for fans of the books. I would have dearly loved to see Bakshi make the sequel and complete the story.

8/10