hell of a good movie despite flaws

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2001)

This was not a perfect movie. Technically, sizing problems kept a number of dialogue scenes from working as they should. You could tell when a blue screen was used, when forced perspective was used, when hobbit standins were used and when human standins were used (ie, giant boots in the foreground). Most dialogue consisted of close-ups between characters, which works fine but keeps you from establishing where people are at, and it gets a little disjointing.
The fight scenes were also filmed almost entirely in close-ups and this made it hard to feel the size and scope of the action. The exception would be the big money scene in the prologue, where the Last Alliance battles Sauron's forces... that was cool, and that is not how later action scenes were done.
While I have nothing but respect for the screenplay, the Sam/Frodo relationship might have been just a bit overdone. I much prefer it the way it is to having them watered down to being 'good buddies', but it does go a little too far... in fact, there is a scene of 'loyalty' by Sam which is downright embarassing.
OK, whatever. There might not be any solution to the size problem. I remember when the project was just starting, the claim was that the actors playing hobbits and dwarves would appear in scenes with other characters normally, and later would be 'digitally shrunk'. That obviously didn't happen, and given the quality of the movie one can only assume it simply wasn't possible.
Regarding the fight sequences, it's not the end of the world either. The movie's about characters and history as much as action, and I'm more than willing to have disjointed battle sequences for those closeups of the ring whispering to Frodo.
And the screenplay? Well, jeez, for my money the screenplay's just about perfect (except for some Frodo/Sam goofiness). I've read Tolkein since I was a kid, I know these stories, and I don't care what they changed and what they didn't. You know how you kind of develop an awed respect for Tokein over time, as you realize that there really is an Elvish language that he invented, and there really are enormous back-stories to all these characters? Well, you kind of develop the same respect for this screenplay. They obviously know this stuff, and what they changed or omitted was certainly not done in any offhand way.
My friends and I talked and argued over points in this movie literally for hours after seeing it. I can't think of another movie that did that. Sure, there were problems with it, and some things I thought were fine bothered my friends, and vice-versa. But here it is the next day, and I'm still as giddy and stunned by the magnitude and the damned joy of the whole thing as I was when we left the theatre. If that doesn't deserve a 10 for 10, what does?
Oh yeah, when Frodo first wears the Ring at the Prancing Pony... that was pretty stinking cool.