Excellent. Almost perfect.

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2002)

This movie was amazing. I can excuse the characters like Tommy B. being cut from the movie, but I can't excuse the fact that 17 years were supposed to have passed between the time that Bilbo left and the time that Frodo set out with the ring and this is never mentioned. I also have issues with the timing of Frodo's departure. Gandalf was to have visited him months before he left, and the only reason Frodo got out in the nick of time (as opposed to having months to spare, as Gandalf would have had it) was because Barliaman Butterbur (the bartender/innkeeper in Bree) didn't forward a letter that Gandalf left with him months before Frodo's departure telling him to get the heck out of the shire no later than July. It was at this point that Gandalf left for Saruman's place (and we know what happened there) but it was Butterbur's oversight, not Gandalf's, that caused Frodo to almost get captured. Still, this only makes the difference between a 9 and and 10, and a 9 is an amazingly high score for a movie from me.
Aside from that, this movie is amazing. The camerawork was superb, as was the scenery. The portrayal of the characters was fantastic. I do wish that Merry and Pippen had been introduced more as friends of Frodo rather than just folks that they happened to come across, but the characters themselves were perfect. I'm willing to accept the under-development of Legolas and (especially) Gimli, because they're going to have huge roles in the next movie. Gandalf is perfect, as is Elrond. I actually liked the enhancement of Arwen's character, because that didn't affect any of the key elements of the story. And once the story hits Rivendell, it hits right on the mark as far as the storyline goes. I can't wait for "The Two Towers" next Christmas.