Some things are better appreciated a second time round...

Rating: Null/10 (23 December 2001)

December 19th @ 3:20am: hmm...is just me or was that just a trifle...dull?
December 20th @ 9:15pm: hmm...whatever was wrong with me? I like this film. Alot.
December 22nd @ 10:00pm: jeez...a third time and I still get water-eyed as Howard Shore's mournful music segues us from Boromir's death to a tearful Frodo, at river's edge, contemplating the immensity of his burden.
Depending, I suppose, on what sort of mood your in... Jackson's LOTR is a cup either half full or half empty. And, truly, though I've come to admire it greatly, the film does offer up some scandalously crude editing choices (particularly the river ride/orc montage, among others) and not a few questionable directorial ones as well (shooting ALL the battle sequences tight...even Isildur's death). But I will pardon Jackson et al because they are not representative of the whole, even if they do stick out like sore thumbs. Of course, I'm still under the assumption that a good many sequences were trimmed to the maximum to get the pic under 3hrs...which would explain the choppiness. Hopefully the DVD will remedy this. But, in reality, isn't that a dreadful thing to have to say. Still, there's no room in the marketplace for a 4 hour movie so its reincarnation on DVD will have to suffice.
Needless to say, the performances are uniformly excellent with Ian McKellen's Gandalf a sterling accomplishment and, should it seem odd to mention, an intoxicatingly radiant and unexpectedly accomplished Liv Tyler as the Elven princess, Arwen. Elijah Wood brings to Frodo the wide eyed wonder and weary of one caught up in a maelstrom. Almost angelic - he's beautiful when he cries. Vigo Mortenson as Aragorn brings a welcome return of chivalry back to the big screen; Cate Blanchett, as Galadriel, both ethereal and intimidating as one who knows her preeminance is soon to pass; Sean Bean, conflicted and ennobling, gives Boromir a level of pathos unmatched in the book; a surprising turn from Sean Astin, who would have guessed, as the redoubtable Sam Gamgee. And, finally, Ian Holm who, like McKellen imbues Bilbo with a degree of humanity rarely seen in the fantasy genre. Oh, and the Ring was very good too...
Technical credits are above par: the cinematography is ravishing. Howard Shore's score is sublime - a refreshing change of pace from the usual ersatz John Williams fluff, or John Williams for that matter. The CGI varies: from perfect to merely adequate but, hey, pixels aren't everything. But the art direction, set design and costuming are consistently stunning.
December 23rd @ 3:37am: Hmmm...I feel screening number 4 coming on!