Wonderful addition to the book

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2002)

THE IDEA: I am the one who read the famous book at the appropriate age and still believe it's one of the best books. It was some time since I last read it when I saw the movie in cinema, at the end of 2001. My first impression: not close enough to the book, but the feeling it leaves is the same, just a bit fainter - it does leave the noble longing to stand on the light side, whatever evil we must face, and first of all the evil that acts from within us. For those who treat it as childish fantasy, have too little imagination to see that it is all about real things we face everyday, and our time is also a difficult time of changes and many dangers to the world, in which we live. It is true however that it is much more evident in the book. But it is hardly wise to expect a movie based on a masterpiece to be one too. And the only courage of the director who dared to put it into a film is to admire.
THE PLOT: Lately, I read the book again and to my surprise I found that the film is much closer to the book, than I first thought. As to the omitted things, they are many, but some of them are impossible to put into a movie, and also, the film is long enough like this. Nothing of most important things is omitted and there are good inventions to put an image to some of important things which cannot be rendered the same way as in the book. There ARE few commercialized moments like Gimly being slightly a clown and Pippin and Merry - two fools, Tolkien is gentler to those youngsters. But we have to not forget that the whole affair IS commercial, whether we want it or not, making movies cost money which have to be repaid and repaid double for someone to put money at all in the thing.
CHARACTERS: Reading the book again after seeing the film has done magic - it put faces to the characters and almost all of them fit so well! The best is Gandalf and the worst - Galadriel, the actress had a wonderful voice, but her appearance can hardly put in awe everyone despite the wonderful light-from-within effects. Elves could be more elvish and hobbits also less alike to men - in our time of special effects! What's done good is height difference between heroes and Legolas shooting arrows. Elrond is disappointing too by appearance although he's not purely Elf, neither is his daughter Arwen - that is so far the most betraying point of the film to the book. And I was happy to read that Viggo Mortnsen replaced another actor as Aragorn - the other's face isn't half so noble.
--------------- After reading the book I've seen the movie over again and my opinion of it improved much.
VISUAL RANGE: The landscapes are wonderful and outlandish, I guess the place was very good chosen. The work of sculptors and builders and animators for the craft-made places of dwelling is also above all praise.
AUDIO RANGE: At first I scarcely noticed the music, but after seeing the movie over and over again, I cannot help but praise it apart - it is a light magic woven into the film and it renders so very well the particularity, the powers and the moods of Middle-Earth created by Tolkien. It is not the least part in creating the special atmosphere of a world that binds into it so many people who have read the famous work
Everyone keep talking about the book and I'm not the last, but we must not forget that this whole world with its history and races was created by Tolkien over long years, a world almost real, especially now, thanks to the courage of the film-makers.
RESUME: The film does not replace the book. It might be very good for children to see, and later in age they might read the book and discover its depth. And the film COMPLETES the book by video-audio ranges.
Do not even try to see it or to comment on it, if the child within you is dead and you laugh at romantic, courageous and noble hearts, even if a bit naïve - you do not understand the message, that's all. But if your heart beats more soundly on reading about great deeds and evil defeat even in fantastic worlds, then among the fantasy-films, this is the best so far, as John Ronald Ruel Tolkien's book is among the fantasy-books.
Namàrië!