This is a Movie, Not the History of the World!

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2002)

What an extraordinary movie! I was visually stunned, shocked, soothed and in utter awe of this adaptation of Tolkien's work. I freely admit that I have not done more than a cursory scanning of the first installment. This, however, does not disqualify me from expressing my impression of this film. While I harbor no disagreement with the opinion of others on the film's lack of acute detail to the written work, I think it only fair to state the axiom of any movie of this magnitude: I have never seen a film reproduce what was originally put to paper that will satisfy everyone. It is virtually impossible to convey every nuance, creature and custom which Tolkien has endeavored to create due to the following constraints: Time, locations, replications of all things which are not a part of our world, and the most vital, the power of imagination. Tolkien delved into his mind, created a world that does not exist today, and Peter Jackson has illustrated that on the big screen for us.
The concept is simple though not easy: Accept that what you will see will be in part a portion of the world Tolkien has created and that's it. His work had such great scope and detail, to put it on celluloid would take countless installments.
What I will say is that I must see this movie a number of times. To absorb it all in one sitting is asking the impossible. My senses were stunned and could absorb the fundamental plot, the characters and the emotions. It is a violent, emotional and dedicated story. Any film, I believe, based on literature is essentially a moving Cliff's Notes. We see the foundation of the books, but it is up to us to go beyond that. If we are dissatisfied with what we see on the screen, especially for those who are Tolkien purists, then it is essential to separate the literary form from the movie. And for myself, I believe only in one thing: READ THE BOOKS!
The Lord of the Rings was a spectacular visual guide for me to start reading and let my imagination find Middle Earth as I "see" it. Other than that, the performances by Wood, McKellan and Lee were outstanding. The Aragorn as portrayed by Mortenson was noble and had integrity. The others, for me as a naive Tolkien reader, did not have the import that I think Jackson put forth. "Adaptation" is just that, and with close to three hours time, I felt the essence of the book was wondrously brought out. I was left wanting--the virtual goal of every filmmaker--and will wait for The Two Towers with impatience and toe tapping.
This is a spectacular movie, but it's not the history of the world, where I would indeed demand, nay expect, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I take the movie as it is: A visually and conceptually presentation of a truly amazing world, its forces at work for good and evil and cultures not of our own. It is worth the three hours and worth the stirring of curiosity to crack open the books by Tolkien and do my footwork. Peter Jackson can only whet out appetite, open the pathway, he cannot do the reading for us. And, in my opinion, he has done well.