Picky but Pleased

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2001)

Whew, am I tired! Went to the 10:15 showing of Fellowship of the Ring last night. Got home and was asleep by 3am. Then up at 7am. But totally worth it.
Overall? I absolutely loved it. I was thrilled to death and think it's a wonderfully fantastic fantasy film.
Of course, being a book-person means that I get all tied up with "But, But they left out this great dialogue bit!!" or "But...but...but they left out this neat scene over here".
I have to remind myself that there is a huge difference between film and book. With books, the emphasis is on the words, with words painting pictures and drawing out characters and symbolism. With film, it's almost entirely visual. So much that is needed in book form, isn't necessary in film form. It's a hard line to draw sometimes, especially with eloquently written books like Lord of the Rings.
Peter Jackson chose the near-impossible task of adapting this epic into film form. That's no easy feat, not with a classic that has followers who are so dedicated, they can speak the Elvish language fluently. His approach makes things flow seamlessly, without having to read 5 chapters ahead which is the case with the book. The book is written in character-story form, rather than chronologically. In other words, you read about Frodo & Sam's adventures for 2 weeks. Then you read Gandalf's adventures for those same 2 weeks. There is very little in the way of chronological order until characters meet up again. In the movie, this is sewn together so that it is in order as it actually happens.
The actors did a phenomenal job. I say phenomenal because it all comes into perspective when you take how well they did and combine it with imagining how hard it is to take on roles which have already been pictured by millions of people around the world over the past 60+ years. They embodied the characters and brought them to life so vividly and, according to what was in my own imagination, accurately. You can tell they've put their hearts & souls into these characters and you get completely caught up in that - it's truly magnificent.
This movie will easily sweep the Oscars in the areas of visual production: Costumes, Make-Up, Art Direction, and Cinematography.
As with all books-turned-to-movies, the book was better. But I also live for the written word, so I'm biased anyway. I have to give Jackson and his team of writers a standing ovation for adapting the book to the screen without straying from Tolkein's vision, purpose and creation. In altering portions, they either enhanced some areas or filled in gaps, but did not detract from the tale as a whole.
My only personal quirk was with Hugo Weaving. I kept seeing him as the bad guy in The Matrix and it was driving me bonkers!! But that's just me. Everyone else seemed to move beyond it fine.
If you're going to see it - see it in the theatres to capture the Glory & Magnificence of New Zealand, the costumes, and the overall larger-than-life feel this movie will produce in you.