Go back to the shadow, Peter Jackson

Rating: Null/10 (25 December 2002)

As much as I'd love to rant about what was added and what left out (being very fond of Tolkien's works), that hardly seems worthwhile. For two reasons: anyone should know that all that can be put into film of a book like this is spectacle, and for filming purposes some things must be altered. One should never expect a movie to do complete justice to a book (what would be the point of reading it, then?). Secondly, so much was changed that it would be exhausting to try and discuss it all. Really, if you're going to re-write The Lord of the Rings (which is essentially what happened in this movie), call it something else, and do a good job. My criticism of this movie is based solely on its merit as a movie. I would give it 6 out of 10, for being incoherant, boring, and a really long non sequitor with a badly written script. The few things that are good about it (gollum being one) are so overshadowed by the absurdity of what goes on in the gruesomely plodding and confusing plotline as to be immemorable. I never want to see this again, not because it was dissapointing as compared to The Fellowship, but because it was simply an incredibly poor movie. Attack of the Clones was more enjoyable as far as being able to follow the action- and I like Star Trek! The proof that this movie was abyssmally bad: comic-relief Gimli hands it out in the form of getting an orc between the legs during a battle. Boo, Mr. Jackson, boo.