A wonderful relief

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2002)

I dreaded this movie.
As a fan of "The Lord of the Rings" for decades, I'd learned to fear any announcements that it was about to be made into a film, cartoon, mini-series, TV movies, or any other entertainment besides the book. The BBC's radio production was the only other medium that I thought got close to the book, and even it felt short ultimately. So this new version was a scary thing to consider.
I approached it with dread and left the theater in a state of joyous, celebratory relief. It was right! They did it right. It wasn't cutesy or fey. It wasn't all D&D monsters mightier than thou. Gandalf twinkled and roared. Sam was nervous and loyal. Frodo was scared and grimly determined. Merry and Pippin were perfect friends, excellent foils. Legolas and Gimli were believeable. The hobbits looked like hobbits, not children in grownup clothing.The characters looked like they knew what they were doing with swords and bows and axes, and they all eventually looked liked they'd been far too many days on the road.
It's the little things that make a film, for me. The right details, the unmentioned background touches, like the "statues" behind the main characters in one forest scene (a treat for readers of the books) and the design on Boromir's bracers.
And no, I'm not forgetting Boromir or Aragorn. As the two least "magical" characters in the group, they could easily have been overshadowed by elves, dwarves, wizards and the lot. But they gave a good accounting for we mere humans - limited, tormented, but strong, firm, and ultimately capable of doing the right thing, no matter how hard.
This is an incredibly good adaptation of Tolkien's astonishingly wonderful story. The movie, like the book, gives me hope for the human race.
And it's a darned good rip-snorting action adventure, to boot.
See it. Then see it again, to appreciate Peter Jackson and his amazing crews' work on the details.