Incredible!

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2002)

Wonderful. Marvelous. As fans of the trilogy, we can find fault all day long. That's because it's easy to criticize, but let us remember that the movie medium has limitations that an author of a book does not have to deal with. Before being too harsh, we should ask ourselves if the deficiencies are of any consequence? Is the movie a good representation of the author's intent?
Certainly character development is limited in this medium. But to do more than was done would result in the film being criticized for being too long, or for moving too slow. We expect a certain amount of this from a good book, but a movie can not be done that way.
It is my view that, as measured against what has been achieved, that which was left out of the movie pales into insignificance. This is the best film adaptation of a complex story that I have ever seen. If the 2nd and 3rd installments are as well done as the first, this will be a great addition to anyone's DVD collection. Something to be treasured.
A 10 all the way.