A great movie....

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2002)

Peter Jackson has done a fabulous job of transforming one of the most read and loved books of all time into a wonderfully enjoyable movie. His directing and casting is fabulous and transfers all the qualities of Middle Earth from page to screen.
Of the casting, i think that without a doubt Sir Ian McKellen will forever be Gandalf. His presence and poise, elocution and execution of the role is almost beyond belief! Viggo Mortensen as the rugged Strider/Aragorn is another stroke of genius. Very un-pretentious but quietly regal. And as for Elijah Wood as Frodo, amazing. But for me the star is Sean Astin as Sam. I was a little apprehensive how Hollywood would treat Tolkien's depiction of a servant in Sam, but the brotherhood that obviously exists between Sam and Frodo is pure and strong!
Certainly the cinematographer will receive and oscar for this epic!
As for those who were disappointed with the film, perhaps your expectations were too high? As a representation of Tolkien's classic it is a fantastic movie, but as a generally appealing movie? I think it still suffers from the marginalisation that goes along with being in the fantasy genre.
Nevertheless, a wonderful adventure! Roll on Dec 2002!