As a movie: 10. As an adaptation: 9.9. As compared to book: .1

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2001)

I had to go see it a second time before writing a review. It seems I left my jaw on the floor of the theater.
For those who see this movie without first reading the books or knowing much about the doings of Middle Earth, there is much to like. Great acting, a nice score, fantastic scenery, and a depth and scope that has not been seen in Hollywood, by my own eyes at least. Not to mention a Balrog and the Nazgul and the Tower of Orthanc, of course, which were beautifully and faithfully reproduced. It is doubtful that anyone who sees this film will dislike it, when being analyzed simply as a movie.
Then there's the case of the written word being adapted, transliterated one might say, to film. Never before have I seen this done with such skill, nor as much dedication to getting it right. Peter Jackson is to be commended. To be fair, there are a few groans that nearly escaped my throat during the movie, when certain things were changed or added or removed. Most of the alterations were due to time/resource limitations, and those were properly done and did not harm the story. There were a few though which were done simply to please the average movie-goer, and for myself as a serious Rings admirer they were annoying. Mildly so, though, and what can we expect? This movie could not be made just for the avid readers - it is after all a Hollywood production with the goal of entertaining wide audiences and generating profit. As it were, the latter form of alteration is perfectly acceptable - but when I consider that if it were not for this wider audience's ticket purchases, I would not have this film to watch, those alterations are perhaps even welcome. None were too bad, there were no glaring missteps. Except one, which was an editing problem, not a storyline issue, and was not even noticeable to anyone who hadn't read the books a half dozen times. Without spoiling anything, there was one shot of one character approaching a landmark that was quite important in the books, you see him stepping toward it, and in the next instant they're not just off on the journey, but already to the next destination, which as I remember was a full day's travel from the landmark's position. In any case, this is quite simply the finest book-to-movie translation I have ever seen.
Now we get to the nitty-gritty. The text vs. film. There is nothing much to say, actually. The books are the finest, most beautiful, and terribly, deeply satisfying work I have ever read. The movie falls not too short of that mark, in regards to films I have seen - but in comparison to the movie, it is nothing. It was never expected to be, at least by me. It did, however, far exceed all expectations save one: the movie is not as dark or grim as it might have been. That is my one true complaint - a mild change of tone would have made the movie perfect, a tone to match the books, of great, sad, passing beauty. Something so overwhelming and powerful... that as it progresses, and fades away, you cannot even feel much bitterness. It is enough to simply witness it.
In the end, I suppose the movie does live up to this expectation in one manner: Commentary be damned, this is a fantastic and wonderous movie. It is enough to simply witness it.