1. The myth made real

    Reviewer Fazio reluctantly acknowledges how impressed he is with The Fellowship of the Ring, from the script to Peter Jackson's attention to detail to the acting. Excerpt: "It's McKellen, with a voice that truly could summon forth the spirits, who provides the film with depth and gravitas. His is a mesmerizing performance, with Gandalf at times looking like the aged, weary man who knows his time is getting short, and then, like a cat, suddenly revealing a flash of vigor and ferocity, the fire that still burns within. Subtract this performance and you could lop one star off this review."