A Fantasy Film for All Seasons

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2002)

The film is an extraordinary accomplishment and is not just Peter Jackson's vision but very much on target in the settings, the characters, the costumes, the music, et al. The aesthetics of the film are superb and I'm sure it will win many awards in those categories. The tailoring of the narrative into a three hour film (it could easily be a four to five hour film!) was wisely done - I was a bit taken aback by the allegiance of Saruman with Sauron as he has designs on the ring for himself in the books (and you were not sure whether to trust him or not). I don't know if that would have made sense to a general audience being that so many are tempted by its' power. The acting is what would be expected with a cast of this caliber - one would be even more saddened by Boromir's fate in the books as there is more room for character development and although he too is tempted with the ring, he is a very noble and beguiling character. I was astonished that Jackson felt as I do about the poetry in the book - it did not belong in this film in some cases reading rather more sophomorish than even Tolkien would have every liked to admit.
Favorite scenes: those around Rivendell with the interaction of the characters, the Great Hall in the Mines of Moria and Gandalf's confrontation with the Balrog (the most spectacular supernatural beast ever in film - the monster in "Forbidden Planet" was basically patterned after the Balrog). There are many scary and monstrous creatures in the books and the building up of the insurmountable dread is, shall we say, picture perfect and for adults, not small children.
I would hope that the DVD would put back more scenes in Rivendell and Galadriel's Lothlorian forest. So I thought it was too short and I saw their consideration to screen the film at least four times a day as "Titanic" only had three screenings per day. If I criticized anything, it would be that they should have let it run at least 3-1/2 hours, enough time for more character development. I was never bored one minute with the pacing as it was.
For the nay sayers (even if it isn't their cup of tea), I only have one thing to say: SOUR GRAPES (most film critics are wanna-be filmmakers anyway)! Anyone who could put together a coherent film from these books with such bravura and great fervor has to be commended. There is unmistakable style to the film and it has an indelible impact which will encourage many who have not read the books to read them (that's happening already). Here's to those all day LOTR parties when all three films are released on DVD!