Seeing the movie without reading the book.

Rating: Null/10 (7 April 2002)

I was really glad I saw this movie without having read the book first. So many times, once you have read the book before the movie adaptation is released, you become biased if the movie sidesteps even the smallest bit from the original work. For such a complicated story, I think Peter Jackson's interpretation was brilliant, with enough action, suspense (and cute elves!) to keep viewers totally engaged. The gorgeous scenes add to the magic of what truly is a great movie. Strong characters held the story together, and the cinematography, music, action...it was all to die for. A triumph for a local director taking on the Hollywood big-guns.