Very good in many ways, but.....

Rating: 7/10 (13 April 2006)

Much like LOTR, the whole film is somewhat less that the sum of its parts.
There where too many trims to the final production, too many little bits and pieces that I just wanted to see, having vivid, yet thirty year old memories of the books, leading to (in my eyes) less than adequate character development of many important characters and or scenes.
Its almost like speed-reading the books, a little detail is lost here and there that reduces its over-all value.
Having said all of that however, if you are not over familiar with the books, its an excellent movie, the CGI surely sets new standards, the scenery is superb, and even the young actors do a very good job.
Had it been a little longer, it might have been close to perfection.
Worth a rental, your kids will adore it, and probably get more out of the books as a result.