Outstanding

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2002)

For having never actually read the books, I don't believe I have ever been so familiar with a particular story before in my life. When I realized the grand scale that this epic was based on, I knew it would be near impossible to bring it to the big screen and do justice to it. Having been told this story by countless people (especially my old high school pal Curtis) I was somewhat familiar with the world of Hobbits and Elves, however I was skeptical that a large-budget film could be pulled off.
Peter Jackson, I think would have made Mr.Tolkien proud.
I purposely refrained from snatching up the books and reading them before going to see the film. I wanted to see the material fresh, without knowing all the intricate details. I was captivated.
The cinematography was breath-taking and the characters extremely in-depth. Some stories and movies have a lot of characters but just there, filling space, one-dimensional and utterly boring. In this film I was astonished how well the cast brought such a multitude of characters to life. Goes to show you what good casting can do. And not just using a big name to cash in on, which is the usual practice of Hollywood.
Tolkien's story is somewhat complex and several of my friends and relatives just found it too overwhelming and uninteresting. But myself, I connected immediately with the characters and damn-well surprised that I did. One of the unforgettable scenes for me involved Bilbo played beautifully by Ian Holm. I was quite moved. (And he only had a few scenes in the whole flick!)
Every film has its flaws, and this one is no exception. I certainly will not jump on the film makers for excluding every minute detail, like so many of the Tolkien faithfuls do. It's bad enough that we have to listen to these nut-cases whine about it. And it's time they snap out of the their own little fantasy worlds and quit being a nuisance.
No, I still will not buy the books, and won't be dressing up as Gandalf while I wait in line for the next film, but I saw a very good movie and it will definitely be among my own personal collection when it's released on video.