Breathtaking Photography and Soundtrack Combine for a Winner

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2002)

Thanks to computer animation, the story of the Lord of the Rings can finally be told in a way that Tolkien himself envisioned. Photography and scenes were very much like what Tolkien had put down in his paintings and notes, and the music supplemented the movie without distracting from it. The story line, however, deviated from the book in serveral important aspects, such as an Amazon-like Arwen, a less-confident Aragorn, a bigoted Elrond (who forgets that he is half human himself), immature fools for Merry and Pippin, and the assumption that Saruman knew more of what was going on than Tolkien himself revealed--not to mention the complete omission of Tom Bombadil and a grave lessening of Galadriel's true importance. These changes, however, do not detract from an enjoyable movie experience; the adaptation does not require a knowledge of the book to figure out what's happening and the action never slows down. Even die-hard Tolkien fans will find this movie very enjoyable.