the magic of the book is impossible to capture

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2002)

peter jackson has done an outstanding job in interpreting lotr for the big screen. by itself, the movie is probably a 9 pointer. but having read the book there is nothing new, and nothing can compare to the freedom of ones own imagination. despite this, lotr is a wonderfully crafted movie and the casting is brilliant.
i had a lot of dificulty with the way many complex characterisations could not be captured on the big-screen. but the best thing about the movie is that it will drive many people to go ahead and maybe read the book and experience the magical worl created by tolkien. this is as good as mythology gets.
as far as the movie is concerned, it was wonderfully crafted. conveying the complex history of the ring and its many bearers. my favorite performance was from cate blanchett as galadriel, she truly seemed to understand the character and her voice was simply perfect. just the way i imagined galadriel would sound. another pleasant surprise was the beautiful cinematography, the locales were outstanding and a visual treat. i just wish that gollum had a speaking character, guess we will just have to wait for "he two towers". i just am crazy about gollum's way of speaking. its very captivating :)
on the whole a terrific movie. there is absolutely no scope for complaint, save the fact that the characterisation is just not as intricate as in the book. for instance gimli is a much more sincere and nice dwarf, than what the movie shows him to be. oh! and legolas was really well cast too.

if you havent read the book it would be great. but for me having read the book, it just doesnt match up.
a 7 is all it will get