Peter Jackson Scares The Living Breath Out Of Me

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2001)

This is an incredible film. Three hours of dazzling adventure, knuckle-chewing suspense, powerful action, and majestic sceneries.

Especially the effects were amazing. Not because they were more advanced than in other movies this year, but because they were so damn...tasteful. It´s easy in this sgi age to overdo effects and digital animation (Can u say "Phantom Menace"?). But here every animated frame was just a little extra touch to twist reality that made every added creature or edited landscape seem totally natural. Real life scenery and props still did most of the work. That makes it much more beliveable.
The cast is almost perfect. Elijah Wood IS Frodo Baggins, although both Liv Tyler and Hugo Weaving seemed a bit displaced at first, but it only took a few minutes to forget about who they are. (I kept thinking of Weaving as Agent Smith or Mitzi Del Bra from Priscilla!) But the wizards are the true gems. Seeing old geezers Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen hurling eachother against the walls of the Isengaard tower like two martial arts titans with Big Fat Magic Staffs was too cool to describe. And totally beliveable.
One of the best stories ever told finally has a worthy silver screen adaptation. More than worthy, actually. Incredible
But still, there is one thing that I just can´t understand. THIS IS A MOVIE BY THE MAN WHO MADE "BAD TASTE" AND "MEET THE FEEBLES" FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! Who did he sell his soul to to be able to make films like Lord Of The Rings (or Heavenly Creatues, for that matter)?