This epic film adaptation of the classic fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien comes in at number 12 in my best of the year. Director Peter Jackson, who was mostly known for his creative horror flick The Frighteners, took on the massive task of adapting this epic, three part novel filled with so many characters and details it took an 80-page index just to explain the background information. The book is split into three parts, The Fellowship of the Ring being the first part of the novel and thus the first to be adapted for the screen. The story is a very complex one (read my review for the extended version) but it basically involves the quest of a band of a small hobbit (like a dwarf but smaller and skinnier) to destroy an evil Ring that corrupts all who possess it. The first part of the novel is nearly a thousand pages but this film manages to cover the entire story without leaving much out. It does a great job of establishing the setting, history, and various background information in a quick prologue at the beginning of the film and it also helps to establish the characters rather quickly as well. The acting and writing in this film are both spectacular, as would be expected of an epic film such as this, but what stood out the most to me were the sweeping visuals. The landscape shots in this film (shot mostly in New Zealand) are breathtaking and the unique, colorful atmospheres are very well designed and created. The special effects are fantastic, particularly the battle sequences, and this film is certainly proof that any classic novel, fantasy, sci-fi or otherwise, can be adapted to the screen with the technology available today. I was very impressed that a movie running just over three hours was able to hold my attention for the entire time and I am looking forward to the next two installments in the series.