One word missing from Jackson's vocabulary: Subtle

Rating: 2/10 (20 December 2001)

The charm of the books is the complexity, nuance, and realistic details given to the characters and the story. But Jackson feels he must prove that he's telling an epic story by not allowing the viewer to think for him- or herself.
Speaking of a lack of subtlety, what about the visual effects? I had heard that they were done "tastefully," so that they didn't intrude on the story or characters. Unfortunately, they were overblown, often unrealistic, and simply there to WOW an audience. The camera movements in Mordor were particularly distracting. It seemed like an entirely other movie spliced in at random junctures. The quick movement of a camera through mostly computer-generated scenery isn't a new technique and probably won't be a classic one. Jackson needs to decide what kind of movie he is making.
The most unfortunate event was the business of a giving a novice the task of writing the screenplay for one of the 20th century's greatest novels. Very few talented writers could measure up to the assignment, but at least there would be warmth, humor, complexity, a lack of cliche, subtlety, etc!
Finally, I must ask myself this question: If I saw the movie but hadn't read the book, would I like it? The answer is - barely, and then I'd forget about it. Simply put, if this had been an original idea with Jackson and his posse, the lines at the movie theater would be shorter than this review.