Old "Ring-head" says trust this movie!

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2001)

They did it! The first movie of the trilogy showed this old "Ring-head" some new truths about the original, mainly with inspired casting and marvelous performances. The "new truths" part isn't that difficult really, as any good commentary or critic shows a fresh side to this world. It's just such a relief to be able to trust a big movie (or three) with something so important; after all I'm a twice-a-year reader since 1973 with a daughter named Elbereth (now twenty-three) and Middle Earth home furnishings!
Naturally I hate having to gallop through scenes I usually love to contemplate, but I will never see Gandalf or Aragorn the same again. They even got Merry and Pippin right! (Gimli needs more good lines.) I react to the changes in plot almost as to the differences in the Gospels in the Bible; they don't so much contradict as enrich or broaden the story. I wasn't distracted by the special effects; they simply made some of J.R.R.'s descriptive passages (which I memorize) become spectacularly visual. I'm not sure how many more times I'll see this one waiting for number two, but it'll be a lot.