Was it worth it?

Rating: 6/10 (19 June 2002)

After all this time waiting, was it worth it?
I was really expecting more from the director of "Braindead" (original title for the US re-cut "Dead alive") and "Heavenly Creatures". I think he's potentially among the best filmmakers ever.
There are very good ingredients in this movie, stunning/state of the art visual effects, gorgeous cinematography, the sets are great... And all this misses the point: the magic, the adventure. Once again, we have some sort of a giant video clip/game instead of an involving experience.
Sir Ian McKellen is absolutely perfect, as always.
I guess Jackson hesitated too much between several approaches. I also guess that the theatrical release cut is not what could really be achieved with the takes. I'm almost sure that the basic material is fantastic and that Jackson dared not really make the film he intended.
I'm wondering what the "extended edition" on DVD will be...