Is this a dagger I see before me? Oops, wrong book

OK let's stop the debate here. Lord of the Rings is better than Harry Potter.

Fair comment. Oh alright, let's open up the discussion. So much was expected of this epic the Nottingham website team decided to have its Christmas party at the movies.

First up, Nigel Bell.

They say length doesn't matter but when it comes to a movie being branded an epic you have to have some staying power.

Imagine El Cid or Gone With the Wind running at under two hours. Hardly worth buying your popcorn.

At three hours, The Fellowship of the Ring certainly has the epic credentials and it doesn't fail to deliver.

One note of caution, however. The movie is a PG but already there's a warning under-8s shouldn't go. Quite right. This is a dark, dark movie where evil dwells around every corner. We're talking wet beds and sleepless nights for mums and dads if they pack their young offspring off to watch this.

Everything I Do, I Do It For You...oops, wrong film

It's very much a film pitched at the mid-teens to late 20s and those who've grown up with Tolkein's novel.

Where it chiefly scores over Harry Potter is that the plot is allowed to develop at a pace which doesn't mean all out action over every minute of celluloid.

There are dialogue sequences of decent length which allow the characters to develop, something which was sadly lacking in Chris Columbus's Philosopher's Stone.

That slowing of pace may alienate some and will fuel calls for the film being too long, but it's a price worth paying.

Overall, the special effects are as good, if not better than Harry. Certainly the appearance of a Troll scores more highly than that of the Hogwarts ilk, there's an octopus like beast which takes you back to the days of Ray Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts, and the duel between Gandalf and the Balrog excels.

However, every time Christopher Lee appears the backdrops always looks decidedly ropey.

One of the film's greatest effects, however, is achieving the difference in height between men, wizards, trolls and hobbits. You couldn't spot the join.

Cast standouts include McKellen as Gandalf, Ian Holm's Bilbo Baggins and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn.

The film's greatest line - "Nobody tosses a dwarf."

Second up, Dan Sinclair.

Keeping it brief - This film is massive.

As a child I always shied away from the never, never land - the length of the books put me off. However, this left me curious about what I was missing out on.

Alas poor Romeo...oops wrong play

Keeping this in mind I went into the movie keen to listen and learn. The marvel of the film is that I came out wanting more.

I can only compare this first episode of the trilogy as on a scale with Star Wars. This movie is of 'epic' proportion .

You are transported to a far off land and remain there for the full three hours.

With many modern day makeovers you feel as though the story has been spliced to fit 1 hour 30 minutes. The success with this tale that it feels as if it is being played out to the full - everything follows through.

This may be one place that Lord of the Rings may find critics. Attention to storytelling means the film is not always fast paced - you definitely need a comfy seat to sit in. But adults and children alike will want to see the story through to the conclusion...

...and that's the beauty of it. I'll be waiting another twelve months for the next instalment.