Brilliant but flawed

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2005)

This movie, the first of the three, was brilliantly realized. The changes made to the plot were frustrating to the rabid book lovers (myself included), but the look and feel of movie were simply superb. Having watched the extended version and the "making of" material, I have no problem stating that, from now on, my mental pictures conjured will be from the feel of Peter Jackson's interpretation. Nevermore will I have to engage my imagination when someone says "orc", "elf", or "hobbit". Those mental images are now totally locked into what I have seen on the screen in this movie, and the subsequent films. Ditto for the landscape. The digitally re-mastered images of Middle Earth are now what I see when I read any of Tolkien's work. As I said, I was frustrated with some plot devices; particularly things like the swords from the Barrow Downs (Merry would otherwise have never been able to touch the Witchking of Angmar - the sword he carried from the Barrow Downs had been specifically made to kill that foe). And Tom Bombadil - A human, married to an immortal, immune to the power of the Ring, and in Middle Earth before the Elves - that sounds like an explorable theme to me. However, once all is said and done, I still happily acknowledge that, plot mangling aside, the look and feel of the film is superb, way better than I could have hoped for. I highly recommend that, if you have not already done so, any fan watch the Making Of material available with the extended versions. So much love, talent and devotion from so many people was invested into this project that it shines through in the movie and lifts it way above any other "fantasy" film, almost reaching the heights of the book itself.