A fine adaptation of book to film

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2005)

There is something that I learned -- happily -- before going to see the first Lord of the Rings movie and it's served me well ever since. When I sit down and watch the lights go dim, I must recite to myself, "It's not going to be as good as the book. They have to change things to make a movie. I'm going to have a great time anyway, but it's not going to be just the same as the book."
They took things out. They added other things. Overall, the effect was quite charming and worked well in a non-print medium. Sure, there were parts during which I was saying to myself, "Hey! They left that part unexplained," but there were others during which I was more, "Wow. I am SO glad they removed that character." (People who have seen "Chamber of Secrets" will know of whom I speak.)
This is perhaps demonstrated in the scenes which deal with Harry's anxiety over asking a girl to the Yule Ball. There were moments in the book which had me laughing out loud, but they just would not have worked on screen. That is not to say that I wasn't doubled over in the theater.
Overall, this reminded me of the silver angel sugar bowl in the early chapters of Johnny Tremain. The filmmakers did not copy the details exactly, but the result was spectacular.