Nearly as good as it could possibly be !

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2002)

As a long term reader of the Books, I readily agreed with the "experts" that said a possible movie would be too limited for the material.
When I viewed it, my first impression was that the Director put his heart into it. Nearly everything that was cut out was necessitated by the confines of the films length. The whole picture had that quality/"the money's on the screen" look and feel. My only reservation was the added scenes with the women characters. I hate pandering to any audience. Logically though, if most deleted scenes were added back in at the time, they too would need to be shortened. Sometimes one needs to be satisfied with what you get and how good that is, rather than anguishing over something lost.
All I can say as a wrap is : They said it couldn't be done ! It is ! Now for the extended DVD set - can't wait !