God bless the Nine!

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2002)

I was nervous about seeing this movie. Having just reread the book, the experience was still so fresh in my mind that I was terrified it would be ruined for me. I wasn't sure about Elijah Wood as Frodo. I wasn't sure how "Hollywoodized" the story would become in its translation to the screen. I was bracing myself even as I walked into the theater.
Well, my fears proved groundless. The set design, cinematography, and effects were all wonderful, and the charm and excitement of the story are intact. More than anything else, I was struck by the acting. From the well-known names (Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood) to the too-often-overlooked (Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin), to the newcomers (Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan), the entire cast fully embodied their respective characters, and brought them to life. Kudos to Peter Jackson for his brilliant casting and high-minded vision! In the hands of lesser actors (and director) this film could have been a bust, and instead it's as close to Tolkien's original vision as I ever could have hoped. Now we really can say, "Frodo lives!" And Gandalf and Aragorn and Sam and Gimli and...