It just doesn't get any better than this

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2002)

When I was a child I remember listening to the serialised story on BBC radio and was enthralled. In my imagination I could picture all the characters and locations vividly. Years later the same happened when I read the book. I came to the movie with a little trepidation because it is so easy to be disappointed when you have such strong preconceptions. I was so stunned to see that somebody else must have had exactly the same 'vision' as me because I couldn't tell you one thing that I would have changed...maybe the 'monsters' were a little scarier but the dark riders in particular took me right back to my childhood kitchen with the open fire my mother cooking while I listened to the story on the radio... What pleased me above all was the reaction of the audience. It is a long time since I have heared so many gasps, sighs, cheers and just total absorption by people of all ages but especially the usually so cynical teenagers. Maybe they should make Tolkien compulsory reading in schools.