Breathtaking Just how a film should be made

Rating: Null/10 (20 December 2001)

I saw LOTR pt 1 last night and it took my breath away. Yes I have read the book (at our school it was the benchmark for fast reading, my record being 5 days) the bits of the book that were edited out were wisely chosen, of course I was a bit upset at the removal of Tom Bombadil, but I admit some people may not have understood the meaning of this part of the book. And also the change in the scene of the Flood at the ford near Rivendell. But Peter Jackson has captured the spirit of the story completely, I have never felt so much terror in a cinema than the scenes when Frodo puts on the Ring, it was a whole new take on the putting on of the Ring ( I had previously assumed that he just saw his surroundings) The Balrog in the mines at Moira was spine-tingling and the scene where Galadriel shows Frodo a glimpse of what could happen if she accepts the Ring from him was pure nightmare. The film explains perfectly why Frodo is the ideal ringbearer, he hates it more than men admire it for its power and would be glad to be rid of it. What scared me most was the scene at Elrond's where Bilbo asks to hold the Ring one more time, and when he gets nasty toward Frodo you see how much of a hold this Ring possesses over its previous slaves. Christopher Lee is a superb choice as Saruman the White, quite fitting for the Hammer horror actor to portray the sinister leader of the Wizards. Sean Bean is great as the warrior Boromir, I wonder if Peter Jackson had seen his portrayal of Sharpe? The most surprising character was Sean Astin as Samwise, he is utterly convincing as the gardener who is dragged into the adventure.
In short, a five star film with five star performances all around, Peter Jackson captures the essence of Tolkien's epic.