The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - ITV

Elijah Wood plays hobbit hero Frodo Baggins in director Peter Jackson's magnificent adaptation of JRR Tolkien's novel

Elijah Wood plays hobbit hero Frodo Baggins in director Peter Jackson's magnificent adaptation of JRR Tolkien's novel.

This, the first of three films, kicks off a wizard story as Frodo and pal Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin) flee their idyllic Shire with the all-powerful Ring that could doom all mankind. The scary, black-clad ghost riders who pursue them are in stark contrast to the dreamy world of the elf people, ruled over by a glowing Cate Blanchett.

Other brave, selfless heroes are in plentiful supply, too - Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and Orlando Bloom as Legolas lead the pack and they get help from equally tough fighting men Sean Bean as Boromir, John Rhys-Davies as dwarf Gimli and, of course, Ian McKellen as wizard Gandalf.

There's also a spot of romance with Liv Tyler, while also making their mark are Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Hugo Weaving, Bernard Hill and Christopher Lee.

With action scenes to take your breath away and truly awesome special effects, this is an incomparable movie spectacle.