A great novel becomes a great movie

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2002)

Like a lot of LOTR readers, I was filled with both anticipation and dread when I heard that my favorite books were about to become live-action films. I always thought the novels had features that would transfer well into film, such as some very memorable characters, landscapes, and action sequences, yet I feared that they would be trampled on by computer generated effects and underdeveloped plot elements and become the intellectual equivalent of "Lost in Space."
Peter Jackson's movie, fortunately, was about as true a telling of the LOTR story as possible in the format. He manages to weave together the complicated story, much of the background of which is only revealed in Tolkien's other work, and still keeps the action coming at a torrid pace.
Most of the changes made to the novel are for the better, at least in terms of transferring it onto film. Arwen's increased role (and she still only gets a few minutes of screen time) and the axing of Bombadil are both good moves, especially for a wider audience that might not be as ready to embrace the fantasy genre.
The only faults that I would point out are, first, that character goes largely underdeveloped in the film, but that may be as much the fault of the source material, which is driven more by the story than it's inhabitants. Tolkien deals more in flat rather than developing characters, with some notable exceptions, so it's no surprise that the movie does the same and lets the spectacular vistas and adventures tell the tale. Also, as with any literary adaptation, there are some things that I pictured differently than they appeared on the screen, but that's hardly the fault of the film.
The casting and performances are almost all excellent, but like a lot of fans, I was somewhat disappointed by the Lothlorien scenes and the Lady Galadriel. But nobody's perfect. Everything else seemed well accounted for and I was especially pleased with McKellen's Gandalf and Mortensen's Aragorn.
In sum, an excellent adaptation, and well worth it if only for the Moria scenes.