Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Frogfisher I have to say this short film surprised my quite a lot and that being after I heard good things about it. It actually was extremely well done for a free internet film. The premise is taken from The Lord of The Rings appendices where in Gandalf tells Frodo that Aragorn had been trying to capture Gollum before the Quest of the Ring began. Basically we see Gandalf ask Aragorn to find Gollum and thereafter how Aragorn track him down and capture him. Not a very intricate story. Which it appears the filmmakers have realised. Because they have in the Spirit of Peter Jackson & Co added some romance to the story in form of Arwen (much like The Two Towers added appendix material to the story)What one can not help but notice is the similarities with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. The visual side as well as the narrative and audio side lifting much from Jacksons work. And as the film is a fan made film about a subject only true Ringer fans would find interesting this works very well for the film and helps us just come to term with the universe in which it takes place since we already know it.The production value is incredible, everything from the action, the cinematography, the make-up to the few glimpses we get of Gollum. And how everything is carried out just makes the film so much stronger. What is the films only weak point I would have to say is the story. As mentioned there has been added romance to give some meaning to the film and with a story the ultimately doesn't lead to many revelations one can come to think of the films as a "why" thing. But the strength comes in the effort and love for the project that is clear to see in the whole film. And how it with no effort actually just manage to fit right in with the films it so long to be part of. It is well worth the hour it takes to watch it!

rgcustomer Here's a film worth skipping, even though it is a short. But nevertheless, the team shouldn't give up on future works.Technically, the film is a wonder, particularly given the tiny budget. The actors look the part, the costuming and makeup and props are impeccable, the cinematography and whatnot is good, and the music is acceptable.However, there are two major flaws in this film.First, the story has no heart. It's plodding and dull. There's no emotion to it. You don't care who gets Gollum. You don't care whether Gollum can put anyone in danger. You don't care who knows where the Ring is.Second, the film is clearly designed in the style of Jackson's trilogy, versus an independent vision, and yet the plot (even one scene that appears as if lifted intact from the Jackson films) is directly at odds with those films. In Jackson's films, Gollum is tortured in Mordor, and his words "Baggins! Shire!" are what lead the Ringwraiths there. In this film, that never happens. Instead, Elves and Gandalf are apparently the ones who torture Gollum. Despite this, Ringwraiths already seem to have a fairly good idea where the ring is anyway. It doesn't make a lot of sense.One minor flaw: the use of the sack is too obviously a way to avoid expensive animation.I'd like to see what this team could do with a good script, and tighter editing.

tooltoter I was skeptical of this film at first, fearing that a LOTR wannabe had gotten hold of a camera and had put together a less-than-stellar movie with a title that would rope in many fans of the classic trilogy. Upon reading a few reviews that lauded the film, despite its meager budget, I decided to watch it. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was very impressed. I thought the story was well-written (duh, it was written by J.R.R. Tolkien), the cinematography was excellent, the make-up authentic, and the acting very plausible. The film was worth every minute of my time. The special effects crew did an outstanding job. And the score was something that would have made Howard Shore proud. Hats off to the entire cast and crew.

Ann Yard "The Hunt For Gollum" (THFG) is an extraordinary, spectacular fan film. Without a doubt, THFG is one of the top 10 fan films (through the end of 2009). Perhaps if I had paid $10 at a theater to watch this, and knew it cost $40,000,000 to create, I would be less impressed. But I still would have enjoyed watching it, and still would have considered it professional quality cinema... albeit rather short. It certainly leaves us wanting more, that's for sure.I am not a big fan of the "Lord Of The Rings" books or movies, though I did go watch the movies at the theater and enjoyed them. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of the "fantasy" genre - I'm primarily a fan of "realistic sci-fi", followed by "sci-fi", followed by "anything that unexpectedly knocks my socks off".This fan film "vaporized my socks", so I'm a fan of THFG on that score.Oh, and I must admit that I am also a fan of extraordinary fan films, and anything that is extraordinary. I suspect the reason I so appreciate extraordinary fan films is... their creation is almost like "sci-fi becomes real" --- almost like "seeing the impossible happen".To make this flick for $4000 USD is amazing. Frankly, I suspect few pros could make a movie like this for $4,000,000 --- 1000 times more.The casting and acting was excellent, the cinematography was excellent, the story was well conceived and extraordinarily well matched to available assets. For example, we see Gollum 3 times during the film created with very difficult, very time-consuming CGI (computer graphics). Between those 3 views, Gollum is very convincingly carried in a very convincing sack - which any rational human would do in those circumstances. This allows them to interact verbally, and Gollum struggles mightily and craftily to escape the sack by any means he can imagine.I'm fairly sure this fan film is in the top 5 of all fan films through 2009, though one or two other great ones might have escaped my view. Perhaps the best are:#1: Star Trek - "World Enough and Time" by www.StarTrekPhase2.com #2: Star Wars - "Revelations" #3: Lord of the Rings - "The Hunt For Gollum" #4: Star Wars - "Reign of the Fallen" #5: hmmmmmmmm - too many vying for fifth place to decide.Watch www.thehuntforgollum.com and enjoy. Especially if you've ever tried to create even 1 minute of professional cinema, you'll socks will be blown off by what these talented and dedicated artists created for a a mind-boggling, amazingly frugal $4000.