Micitype Pretty Good

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Rainey Dawn This is one of the most impressive fan-made movies I've ever seen - in fact, IT IS the best fan-made film I've ever seen... I'm deeply impressed. The story and acting drew me in quickly -- sure there is action but this is a tidy little story with very good acting. I quite like the costumes and sets/settings. The cinematography and directing really surprised me as well. No I did not expect to enjoy the film as well as I did... I'll watch this one again.

dicksmothersjr This is a film made truly for die-hard Tolkien fans. While meticulously consistent with the story lines established by the author, fans solely of the film will likely be rather bored with it. This exceptionally well-crafted, fan-made, micro-budgeted film, while it takes great pains to share visual continuity with Jackson's films (and does so remarkably well, despite the tiny budget) is long on dialogue and short on action, creating a tone which is more consistent with Tolkien's "histories" (ie, The Children of Hurin, Lost Tales) than to his novels (The LOTR Trilogy, The Hobbit). If you fall into the former category of fans, you'll undoubtedly be pleased by its overall faithfulness to Tolkienian lore, the excellent casting, above-average acting, true-to-Jackson costuming and surprising cinematography and scoring. But if your only experience of The Lord Of The Rings is the films and you're not a fantasy reader, you'll probably think the Orcs look lame and be really bored by it.

torrentstorm and Aragorn had not yet come of age... and the Hobbits had not yet made Gandalf's acquaintance... and Sauron had begun searching for the Ring of Power thinking it was in the hands of humankind... and Elron, King of the Elves, had begun to foresee danger in the near future for Isildor's heirs... Sauron had begun to rally the orcs to conduct raids looking for the Ring. Aragorn had not yet been born. Arathorn, his father, had not yet wed, but the small band of human settlers, trying to stay ahead of orc raiders, were under the protection of the rangers led by him, a mighty warrior and expert leader.So begins this story, marvelously portrayed, in Born of Hope. For a movie made entirely with private funding, it is truly extraordinary. There is little I can add to the excellent reviews posted by others. I have seen other fantasy movies, made with low budgets, from productions in Czech Republic, Italy, and other places, with more buying power, I must add, that do not portray this much care and beauty in a film of such a complex nature. I was surprised to see how they made it even look "expensive", a la Lord of the Rings, which added to the overall enjoyment of the same.Of course, one cannot expect any impressive special effects, or big armies, or fancy castles or architecture. The battle featured with the troll wasn't too gripping or exciting, but perhaps that was the best to be had, so one cannot really find fault with that. Arathorn was an impressive fighter! I could not help notice how they carefully prepared those battle sequences. I think Peter Jackson would be proud, and with good reason.Despite its short duration, the movie feels much longer, and every minute was worth it. So get dressed, invite your sweetheart or friend, drive to the theatre and get some popcorn. Be prepared to relive Lord of the Rings all over again, only this time, pre-Fellowship of the Ring!

pirateoftherings I've been following the production of Born of Hope for over two years, and it was well worth the wait. It's an excellent film period, but it is especially impressive given that it is a fan film made on a low budget. The effects aren't top-notch (though better than those in many fan films), but you can really tell that the team responsible for this cared about every aspect of the film.For me, the beauty is in the details - just little things that only real fans of the books will notice, but add so much more to the film. There was a brief moment with Halbarad and young Aragorn that contributed little to the story but still managed to give me chills. It's the little moments like this that make this film truly remarkable.They did an excellent job of scouting locations, especially for Taurdal - it really captured how I've always envisioned the Dunedain villages. The story isn't flawless, but they did very well provided how little they had to go off of. You feel for every one of the characters, and even though I knew how it would end, I was nearly in tears. It was beautifully written and beautifully performed.In all, I definitely recommend this film. It represents everything that I love about fan films. It's loyal to the original material and captures the feel of Middle-earth, but it's also a beautiful story in its own right. It's an excellent companion to the trilogy, and I will be watching it many more times.