'It's better than Harry Potter'

Many critics have lavished praise on the film, saying it has "a real passion" that was lacking in its rival, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

But Lord Of The Rings also drew concern from the censors, who classified it PG (Parental Guidance) and ordered it to carry a warning that it was unsuitable for young children.

The general public seemed to agree. Jon McIldowie, 24, a music promoter from Chalk Farm, said: "It was edited down quite a lot, of course, but it left the most important elements of the book. It was very succinct. It kept fantastic elements very well.

"I wouldn't take a young kid to see it. I think they are right to put a warning on it. It's better than Harry Potter but only just. I think it's a very exciting time at the moment for fantasy films. It's been about 10 years since we've had a good one and now we've got two."

Michael Ruck, 57, a computer service engineer from St Albans said: "The scenery and special effects were fantastic. I haven't read the book but it's not a children's book as far as I can make out. The film's not so much violent as scary. And it's also quite funny in parts. There's a lot of humour."

Pat Scoble, 60, a pyschology trainer from Greenwich said: "The visual effects were wonderful but it was a bit obvious in parts. The good guys were good looking and dressed in white, and the bad guys were ugly and in black. I think some children would be scared out of their wits. Harry Potter was gentler and more fun."

Marius Kopperude, 30, a radio presenter, came specially from Oslo to see the film. He said: "It was the publicity that made me want to see it. When they spend that amount of money on a movie you get a bit curious. Luckily I wasn't disappointed, I really enjoyed it."

Sylvia Claro, 23, a lawyer from Portugal, had also come to London for the premiere. She said: "I thought it was going to be really difficult to make a film out of such a rich book. I thought they would not be able to show the Orcs, for example, in a way that would fit in with people's imagination. But they did it really well.

"I read the book recently, because a friend of mine said that if I loved Harry Potter I should read Tolkien, and in the end I found Tolkien much richer. The film is the same."

Adrian Poppelwell, 34, a media services manager, from Southgate, said: "When I was about 12 I was totally obsessed with the books. I had the map of Middleearth on my bedroom wall, I knew the names of the most insignificant characters and I could even recite some of the dialogue. Then I discovered girls and parties and grew out of it. I'm worried this film might have started me off again."