Well done - big problem with Moria scene

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2002)

Lots of reviewers have written about how good or bad this movie is, but I have yet to see any that point out, IMO, its biggest problem - Gandalf's death. In the book, there's no possibility of help for Gandalf, but the movie makes Frodo and Aragorn look like cowards.
My wife, who is not a Tolkien or fantasy lover like I am (she hasn't even read the books), was enjoying the movie up until this point, and this scene completely soured it for her. I was looking past and accepting all of the earlier deviations, but this one stuck in my craw. I don't understand why Jackson changed it so.
Besides that, I loved the movie; acting is terrific, scenery beautiful, and I think it does convey the epic quality/feeling of the original story.
Can't wait for the 4-hour DVD with all of the additional footage.