I've bought my tickets already

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2002)

I saw TTT at the world premiere on December 5, and I'm STILL excited. If they had strung the film up again after the end credits played, I would have watched it straight through again. I would have watched another hour of story if it had been offered. It was just shy of 3 hours long and it never felt too long. I've gone so far as to purchase the extended version of FotR so I can memorize it since I can't get my TTT fix until the end of this week.
It is fantastic. The film escalates in action, tension, and dread, and rightly so considering it's place in the novel.
Several details are changed in order to compress the events of the book into the film. Several events and details are also changed or added to develop character. There are no gratuitous changes in this film. Even if I don't necessarily agree with the need for such and such changes, I have to admit that they add depth to the FILM version of the story, especially for persons unfamiliar with the novel. Characters that are a little flat and predictable in the novel are given more psychological texture and motivation. Good guys who are 'too' good in the book are a little uneven in the film; they take some time to work out their issues instead of instantly being perfect. This was done in FotR as well in the characterization of Aragorn, and it continues in TTT with more of the characters.
Do not expect this film to mirror the book precisely. If you had a moment of shock and horror when Glorfindel was reinterpreted into Arwen, you will have similar moments with TTT. But, trust me and just go with them. So much happens in every scene that you'll miss something if you stop to think about divergences. I can't wait for the extended version of this one, as certain underdeveloped details will undoubtedly be cleared up in a *gasp* longer version.
And, of course, it is gorgeous to look at.
And here is one massive (sort of) SPOILER for fans of the book.
If you have read the books and know where TTT ends, the film doesn't end in the same place. It ends earlier, and we don't get to Shelob. She is only hinted at. Of course, if they had put her in, the film would have been an hour longer....