Way too overrated

Rating: 9/10 (24 April 2002)

I read the trilogy a few years ago and I saw the movie in March. I was stunned, because it was everything I did not expect.
I didn't expect so many good actors. Almost everyone (apart from Galadriel, who was in my opinion far too girlish and plain) looked the way I had imagined them to. That was amazing and very well done. That and the landscapes, Rivendell and Lorién are the only positive things I have to say about this movie.
In the beginning, the Shire looked beautiful, the characters were clever and friendly, and I thought that wow, maybe this really is a great movie. But in few moments I realized I was wrong. The characters were quite thin, and all intelligent conversation was most likely cut off. The story went on by leaving out a lot of the book, and with a dark mood, with no hope or laughter at all. All that seemed to matter was to make the evil look like evil right from the beginning. I really did not come to see that, and I wanted to leave after an hour. I forced myself to watch it to the end, though.
I was so disappointed I thought I should read the book again at once to get the bad movie out of my mind. And now I have read it, and it is much better, as I remembered. All the joy, fun, true friendship, adventure, excitement and the mysteries were there, but they were never translated or interpreted on the screen.
I can't believe how even true Tolkien fans rave about this movie - maybe because there finally exists some kind of movie. I have to say I fear for the two movies to come. If they are all alike and still liked by the thrilled public, I have to wonder what really goes on in people's heads nowadays (and I'm only 24 years old myself!).