Fans of the book won't be disappointed

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2001)

I must have read the book at least 8 times and was therefore looking forward to the film enormously. I have to say I was not disappointed by this thrilling film and I cannot imagine anyone but the most obsessive fan feeling the same. OK, so they dropped Tom Bombadil, but his whimsy is fairly grating in the book and on film I feel he would distract from the pace. They have also compressed some events and altered others but a film, even a 3 hour one, must compress a pretty substantial book.

The casting in my view is flawless, Sean Bean IS Boromir and Orlando Bloom has got the coolness and remoteness of Legolas just right. Gimili is perhaps under written but even in the book he is slightly peripheral while the Hobbits are perfect. Frodo, who looks a bit weird in the posters, comes across much better on film and they have kept Sam's,"Mr Frodo, Sir", dialogue in which is nice in this egaliterian age. It will be fasinating to see their relationship develop and alter in the later films. Merry and Pippin come across better in the film than in the book where they always seemed indistinguishable and they provide some good comic moments without appearing trivial.
The set pieces are superb and I must say I disagree with negative comments about the fight scenes. I found them visceral and exciting, the blows seemed to have real impact and I felt that they were much better than Gladiator, which seemed to resort to slow-mo and therefore lost the sense of speed and violence.
Non-readers (in our party there were several), also enjoyed the film and despite the inevitable anticlimax of the final scenes found Boromir's battle with the Orc's shocking and moving.
Definitely the film of the year, better than Star Wars? only time will tell.