Wow!

Rating: Null/10 (19 December 2002)

Amazing. Simply amazing. This was better than I thought it would be. Others have described this movie better than I can so I won't bore you with repeated verbage. Know this: when the credits roll at the end of the film, you'll look at your watch and think, "THAT was three hours!"
I thought I would never live to see the day that a fantasy movie was made "right." After squirming through sludge that was the "Dungeons and Dragons" movie and "Willow," or seeing a fantasy like "Conan the Barbarian" turned into a more historical feature, it's so refreshing to see mainstream fantasy - which dominates roleplaying, computer games and books - finally crack the silver screen wide open. Many people have compared 'Lord of the Rings' an d its impact with audiences to that of Star Wars back in the late '70s, and I tend to agree. Star Wars was something new to many people, and introduced science fiction in a new way to new generations of people or folks who otherwise would have never cracked open a Harlan Ellison or Arthur C. Clarke novel.
I hope "Lord of the Rings" opens up this new genre to other "realistic" attempts, and buries forver the dragon dung that is "Willow" or "Dungeons and Dragons" or "Legend." I hope to see the "Dragonlance" Saga brought to the Silver Screen, or perhaps Brooks' "Shanara" series or even George RR Martin's new fantasy series. At least this lays down the foundation for future works and shows that, yes, it can be done.
At the very least I hope Peter Jackson embarks on "The Hobbit" when it's all said and done. Imagine the pure movie bliss of watching the Hobbit and then the LOTR - all in wonderful, extended, uncut versions - one right after the other on DVD. Ahhhh...
And one final remark. I shake my head at what I call the "Tolken geeks" who are screaming at the "diversions" Peter Jackson has made in his translation of the book to movie. Remember that it's extremely difficult to translate one medium to another. In fact it's downright impossible. Had Jackson filmed every single page of Tolkien's epic in order, you would see mush up on the screen; it simply would not and could not make sense. Let's face it, if movies concerning World War II were made "authentically," hours and hours and hours of it would be troops marching, eating and sleeping without any hint of action. Who would want to see that? Jackson has remained true to the ethos of the Tolkien story and spirit, and that's key here. Not that he left out Tom Bombadork or had Legolas brush back his hair at the beginning of "Two Towers" instead of having him rub at his eye and THEN brush back his hair. (eye-roll)
Sometimes I want to walk up to one of the many "Tolkien geeks" on this board and ask them how they would feel if "normal" Hollywood had gotten their hands on this project? When Jackson first took TLOR to Miramax, they asked to make *two* movies. Egads! What if Jackson had shrugged and said, "okey dokey!" A lot of other directors/producers would have done that. Or what if typical Hollywood production company insisted on a *single* two-and-a-half hour story to tell the entire trilogy?
I recommend to every "Tolkien geek" who has already flamed this film on this board or are preparing to to think about what I said above, and to add Peter Jackson to your prayers tonight, thanking him for staying as true to Tolkien's word as humanly - and artisitcally - as possible.
This movie is a 10.