Great visuals, but...

Rating: 6/10 (21 December 2001)

Like many, I have also read the books and was aware of the story and characters going into the film. While the visuals, especially that stunning battle scene at the start of the film, were done to near perfection - it did miss the mark in a more fundamental way.
Too much screen time was spent drawing out and languishing over several dramatic events of the film. I found myself thinking, `Okay we know this guy is going to die, let's move the story along'. For example, we see a character get hit with an arrow, muster strength to fight some more, then almost die, then get hit with another arrow, again muster more strength and fight again, then almost die, then get hit with yet another arrow, and tries to muster his strength again. And to top it off this long drawn out scene is full of added elements that were not in the book. The film was littered with examples like this (the character that almost drowns at the end of the film - also painfully drawn out. Any time Frodo puts on the ring - painfully drawn out)
Yes film is a medium different that that of a novel, but if Jackson wanted to make a three hour movie, he should have spend more screen time developing character and plot motivations. This would keep the audience from getting lost and from asking, `why are our characters going to this place?', and `who is this guy?'. Once characters and key plot point is properly setup with their motivations explained, then the drama will naturally come out, and it won't need the added drama effects, heavy sound and score to force the audience to feel a certain way.
Jackson simply lets the characters and story get buried with the overuse of dramatic effects. Very little time was spent developing Frodo and Sam, as likeable real characters. They just appeared as cardboard cutouts borrowed from the Phantom Menace, with no real motivation and human connection to anyone else in the film.
It's a good film to see once, but just for the special effects.