An awesome film - and a superb adaptation of the book.

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2002)

Peter Jackson's mammoth task of recreating JRR Tolkein's classic epic "Lord of the Rings" has been done masterfully. I have read the books over 50 times, and I have always found in the past that movies rarely satisfy my imagination when based on books that I have read.
This is different. The characters, locations, scenery and music is all portrayed just as I had pictured them in my mind (with the exception of Boromir - I always thought of him as more Viking-like). On top of this the special effects are spectacular, but they serve only to enhance, rather than overpower, the story. There were sections of the story that were glossed over or removed, but thankfully little was changed. By my recollection, there were only two scenes that were dramatically different to the book - Frodo escaping the Ring Wraiths over the river, and Frodo farewelling Aragon. However, the reason behind these changes was clear, and really I can't see any other way to keep the movie as short as possible.
Although LOTR is a long movie (almost 3 hours), it is never boring and keeps the viewer enthralled. As well, the narrative at the beginning of the movie does an excellent job of bringing any non-readers of the book up to speed.
In case you hadn't guessed - I loved the movie, and I can't wait until the next 2 are released. One word of warning - this is no kid's movie - it is not Harry Potter or Star Wars, and parents that expect their pre-teens to be able to watch this without nightmares should expect to be proven wrong.