Unimaginably, the film completely does justice to the book.

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2002)

I'm a pragmatic realist, as well as a LOTR fanatic of 22 years who re-reads the books every six months, so it was too much to expect that their essence could be captured in three hours. My most optimistic wish was that those who haven't ever enjoyed Tolkien before would all catch a glimpse of the depth of imagination, creativity and sheer wonder he injected into this tale.
In fact, I was simply overcome by the movie, despite already knowing the plot intimately and therefore exactly where it would take me next. Even if the story didn't capture my interest, the variety of scenes, visual imagery and incarnate creativity had sufficient impact to exhilirate all but the most sceptical critic.
I went back the very next day and enjoyed it more than the first time, because I no longer made comparisons back to the books. This film stands in its own right, but is also loyal to its origins. I don't know how they managed it.
I'm actually grateful they made the movie.