more plot than storytelling

Rating: 6/10 (23 January 2002)

First, my position: I'm one of those wo love Tolkiens Lord of the Rings but think Jackson's movie falls short of it. The book (not a trilogy, mind you!) mostly written from the perspective of the hobbits, who do not know much more about Middle-earth than a first-time reader does. He/she is introduced to this world alongside with Frodo and his companions, and gets to know its wonders and terrors, its history and poetry, its width and depth precisely like they do. Tolkien's world grows on them, instead of being thrown at them the way Jackson throws it at the moviegoer.
Of course, Jackson faced a difficult choice. All elements of the story not seen or experienced by the hobbits have to be told by one of the other characters. You cannot do this in a movie unless you want to bore your audience to death. From the options Jackson had - tell the plot in chronological order or work with flashbacks - he basically chose the first one. There are few flashbacks in the movie; I only recall Elrond's, at Rivendell.
Unfortunately, this reduces Tolkien's book to mere plot and means a loss of depth. The adventure becomes too straightforward. In The Fellowship, we only find out about Saruman's evil intents, but the extent of his evil isn't made clear until The Two Towers. By showing us everything at once, Jackson flattens out the story, and this is a direct result of his two-dimensional chronological approach. I've read complaints here about the thinness of the plot, and they aren't really unjustified. Tolkien's book doesn't thrive on plot but on storytelling. He applies a number of narrative tricks and devices to make his story and the world in which it is set more interesting to us. It's his storytelling that brings about our fascination: Tolkien is a great narrator who can make a thin story rich. His book is more literary than even many fans seem to think.
Jackson is obviously not a literary reader. He has read a grandiose adventure but not a work using literary devices. He knows all about images - the movie is a treat to the eye - but he does not seem to know how Tolkiens words do their work. That is why I can't give the movie more than 6 out of 10 points.