Summary
Great for film fans, with a slightly rushed production feel
The Good
Graphics were superb -- Stormfront did an excellent job here. From lighting and environments to animations, everything looked and felt faithful to the film(s).
Gameplay is solid -- for beat-em-up fans, there's always plenty of enemies to fight, and plenty of combat moves to use.
Production value is high -- Clever blending of film clips and in-game cinematics really emphasized the feeling of re-living the film(s). Most of the film actors were recorded for voice-over work...no silly "sound-alike" actors here.
The Bad
Parts of the game felt rushed. Example: The level with the orcs on wolves is _very_ short compared to the other levels, and these enemies never come back in any other level. Example 2: While most of the film-related unlockables are neat, the unlockable extra character and extra level were slightly disappointing (you'll have to see for yourself what I mean by this). Example 3: The difficulty level of the game is unbalanced -- the last couple levels are significantly harder than the earlier levels (which, IMHO, are too easy).
Minor nitpick -- you can't skip/cancel the in-game cinematics.
The Bottom Line
For fans of the film: A great beat-em-up video game staring your favorite characters in settings that will feel like they're straight out of the film. Plus some great unlockable "making-of" videos and actor interviews will be a real treat.
For those who didn't really like the films: A somewhat rushed-to-the-shelf beat-em-up with nice graphics.
