UN...BE...LIE...VA...BLE!!!

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2001)

When i was introduced to Tolkien's world a few years ago by my girlfriend, i never thought that i would become a fanatic freak of the LOTR. She told me back then that if i liked to play WarHammer games that i would love Tolkien's books. After all, isn't he the father of the fantasy universe? For three years i've postponed the reading...I don't know why...Maybe because deep inside i knew what would happen: i would become a fanatic freak/geek like those guys of the Star Wars saga, people that i've never understood and always critisized for their stupid, unrational fanatism and worshipness. I would become one of them. Well...I apologize 'cause now i'm one of you, and i know now how you feel, i understand you! When i heard about the movies i finally decided to read the books. After all, what's the fun about watching the movies without having read the books? Not only can you compare them looking for flaws, but also see if the movies correspond to what you had imagined...And you can't ignore a masterpiece of literature like the LOTR!! First when i started reading it, i had a difficult time with all the description, the names, the slow pace the action of the book was taking, but as i kept on reading i found myself submerged by this unique universe and wasn't able to stop reading until i finished the last book "The Return of the King".I fell in love with the LOTR and was very afraid that the movies wouldn't be faithful and would just ruined everything i had imagined and experienced while reading the books. I WAS WRONG!!! The Fellowship of the Ring is simply just everything i had imagined!!!Even the chapters and events that were left out in the movie are those that, when i was reading, thought wouldn't be needed or would only slow down unecessarily the pace of the action. Arwen is given a larger role in the movie, so what? Isn't her love affair with Aragorn present in the book (specially in the appendix)? Saruman has also a larger role, but is anything in the movie related to him not in the books?No! The Palantir through which he communicates with Sauron is revealed in the second book. The destruction of all the trees and the creation of the Uruk-Hai is also told us in the second book. But these facts had necessarily to be introduced in this first movie in order to explain things unknown to people who haven't read the books and to fasten the action and prepare what's to come (e.g. By destroying the trees Saruman will bring down on him the fury of the Ents...And a viewer, unfamiliar with the books, by seeing this destruction will immediately understand the events that will occur in the second movie involving the Ents). Of course, nothing is perfect and the movie has its flaws and differences, but they are either so minor or improve the movie (like the farewell scene at the end between Frodo and Aragorn, where the loyalty of the later is tested)that they are quickly "forgiven". The movie is just so unbelievably well done that i don't know if i can't wait one year for The Two Towers without going insane!!