A Decent Adaptation

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2001)

As an adaptation of Tolkein's novel, Peter Jackson's "Fellowship of the Ring" is decent. It could have been better. It appears that Jackson shot scenes he ended up not using--I sensed that in the Lothlorien sequence especially--which was disappointing. If he'd devoted less time to battle scenes and hair-breadth escapes, Jackson would have had more time for the narrative itself. (As long as I'm kvetching: the subtitles need to be placed higher on the screen in the next two films, and what was the deal with those annoying rolled r's?)
However, collapsing Tolkein's epic into a film less than three hours long was admittedly a Herculean labor, and Jackson's adaptation is a VAST improvement over the wretched 1978 attempt. The overall feel of Jackson's film is true to the spirit of the book. The special effects are everything we were promised they would be. The detail work in costumes and sets is unbelievable. Jackson's passion for "The Lord of the Rings" comes through loud and clear, and the film deserves the resounding success it and its successors will no doubt enjoy.