not bad, not great

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2002)

Well, I gave into the hype and went to see this film. I'll admit first that I had never read the books before, but I was somewhat familiar with the story. I guess that prevents me from criticizing the adaptation. As for the movie, I found it entertaining enough. Perhaps my first criticism is that the film seemed to meander on endlessly, but that can be excused for the awesome scope of the story, a story that rivals Wagner in its complex use of symbolism and mythology. That said, I found that Peter Jackson's first big budget film succeeded for the most part, and I was surprised by the stylized direction, the unstable camera and rapid editing. These techniques seem to be commonplace in the new post-MTV cinema, but for me they weren't a distraction. In the hands of a lesser film maker, this film could have decayed into a glittering trash pile like "Pearl Harbor," but in the hands of Jackson, the film remains interesting. The characters were handled well, save for the occasional over inspired preachiness. I almost laughed at the climactic death scene, but anyways. The first film was rather entertaining, but it failed to grab me. Perhaps I should read the books now.