If you're going to base a movie on a book...

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2002)

I think that there is no argument that Jackson has a lot of technical skill. The movie was extremely well done, was acted well, and had great special effects, Gollum especially. It's also plain that in order to fit these movies into three hours, a lot of editing had to be done, not only to make it fit, but also to modify the story for the silver screen. Having said that, I have to say that I was not happy with the changes that Jackson made.
What's the point of claiming to be based on a book if you're not going to be faithful to the spirit of the original? If you go to see something being touted as a James Bond film and the main character is a five-year old girl, you have a right to be upset. Not that Jackson went to this extreme, but my point is that there is certainly grounds to complain about the changes. One of the things that I love about Tolkein's books is the depth of the detail. I feel like I KNOW Tolkein's world. I was upset, then, when I realized that what was on the screen was no longer Tolkein's world, but Jackson's. If you haven't yet seen this film, I would say go ahead and see it anyway, but if you're a purist, be prepared to get p***ed off. I managed to keep myself from booing until the end. Barely.
*********SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***********
There are parts of Tolkein's mythos that Jackson completely ignored. For instance, one of the themes of Lord of the Rings was that the age of the elves was coming to an end. There's a reason why they do almost nothing as a race throughout the book. Why then, do they show up in the movie at Helm's Deep? Perhaps so that Elrond, Arwen, and Galadriel can have more of a reason for showing up in the film at all! I wonder if a certain amount of screen time was written into their contracts.
Also, the magic in Tolkein's world, both wizardly and elven, was a subtle kind, except perhaps for Gandalf's fireworks. Jackson got a bit ham-handed with his magic. Saruman's possession of Theoden not only didn't make sense (between raising an army and talking to Sauron, where did Saruman get the time to keep Theoden senile and old-looking?), it was nothing like any other magic in the book. At one point, Frodo throws an elven cloak over himself and Sam, making them look like a big rock, down to the rough surface and rocky shape. In the book, Pippin actually makes a point of asking if the cloaks are magic and is told that the cloaks just tend to change hues with the environment. Nothing is said about magical shape changing.
I could go on, but let me just finish by saying that I would still recommend this film, if only to make the bridge between The Fellowship of the Ring and the (hopefully better) Return of the King, but if seeing a movie that's faithful to the book is particularly important to you, get your booing muscles ready.