One third of an epic masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (7 August 2002)

Even among the faithful (this was my generation's Harry Potter - and take no offence at that on either side, it's merely a reflection of generational popularity with no depth probing or cultural time logging) there are quibbles. Personally, they make me tired. The point in moving book to film is to capture a story's essence in cinema since prodigious detail is impossible. This film has done that hands down. Everyone seems to have attended the film with a critical eye intstead of as a patron settling in to see where the film makers and story tellers would take us. We all know all three films are already in the can, why don't we wait to see how these characters build their version of their literary counterparts, see where the movie makers and story tellers take us. Taking book to film is a perilous endeavor because the medium transfer cannot be exact. Is Mr. Wood the Frodo I envisioned reading the books? Nope. Did he become Frodo in the Movie? Yep. Are we talking about deep character development? Nope. We're talking about an epic adventure of good versus evil in a fantasy land and this tale is ripe with opportunities for special effects which the movie delivers. Where has a book been better adapted to film? (Okay, the standard will forever be "To Kill a Mockingbird") Everyone is trying really hard here to make us feel, from scenes and sounds unfolding, like we are living this movie with the characters. That's what a writer does, drag the reader indoors. Yeah, its got faults to endlessly point out, but while I'm musing about the misplacement of a dust mote, I will miss a pleasant, envigorating, promising and exciting adventure of book to film.