i would give the movie 4 of 5 stars. it was enjoyable on the whole,
despite its length. my butt was pretty numb after sitting there for about
3 hours. i think it didnt live up to my expectations, but what movie does,
especially after reading the book. so my major gripes, though few, are
with the fact that what i imagined did not match the movie, or that the
movie did not follow the book exactly. a note-if you read further, i will
talk about things that happen in the movie specifically, so if you havent
seen it nor have read the book, dont read unless you dont care that you
find out plot details. on with the review.
despite being adapted from the book, i felt that the flow of the movie
was fine for the most part. everything worked together, and it was nicely
simplified. they defined the corruptive power of the ring and lust for it
clearly. they even gave a good prologue in the first 10minutes of the
movie, retelling the history of the ring and how it got to where it is
now. i wish they could have spent a little more time on that, but im sure
there were time restraints. the only thing about the timing i didnt like
was the actual journey. they showed the fellowship walking through
different beautiful scenery, with cool backgrounds, but their trips from
rivendell to the snowy mtn and to moria didnt feel long, and i think THAT
is one of the essences of the book; the journey is what is important, and
its gravity is not really felt. it seems like the trip is a walk in the
park. but the journey does get more burdensome as it progresses, so i hope
peter jackson captures that better in the next 2 movies, especially with
frodo and sam, as the ring becomes more tempting and heavy. i hope he
makes the journey to mount doom long and painful.
i thought the sets and props were all great in the movie-new zealand is a
pretty pretty country. attention to detail was key as well, and it can be
seen in all the costumes and sets--the mines of moria, the shire,
rivendell, as well as other sets all looked real and time-worn. the
costumes, if looked closely, are all depending on the race of the
character and have intricate details on them. it's definitely not like
everyone is wearing a potato sack and tights.
good also were the special effects. very well integrated, for the most
part. the only time they looked fake were when the cave troll was seen up
close (sniffing for frodo) and the watcher in the water (big octopus
thing). they were noticeably not real. but besides that, it was great. the
prologue, with its magnificent war sequence was really well done, i
think.
the acting was great as well, for the most part. ian mckellan was great as
gandalf--he practically embodied him. it was done nearly perfectly. the
only problem i had with him was that he seemed a bit helpless--he didnt do
enough magic and show his power--he was dwarfed by both saruman and the
balrog because he is weaker than them, but i expected more magic out of
him when they were fighting the moria orcs and during the snowstorm.
besides that, the characters were well played. elijah wood wasnt a wimp
either. aragorn was great--excellent fighter but also very caring-the
actor played it well. the only actor i really had a problem with was
elrond/agent smith. he didnt change AT ALL from the matrix, which just
seemed weird. if he woulda thrown in a "mister anderson" here and there,
it woulda fit no problem. he was the only one who looked out of place.
i had only a few major complaints with the movie. first is lothlorien,
where the fellowship met galdriel. the entire sequence could have pretty
much been removed from the movie. it was unnecessary, because the life of
it was cut out. it didnt really seem like a haven for the fellowship,
because they were there seemingly for such a short time. it did not show
them receiving gifts either. lastly, galadriel was a scary weird woman,
which she is, but her compassionate, nice side was not really seen at all.
the second scene i really had a problem with was the secret meeting at
rivendell. when the three races gathered and began to argue, it just
seemed out of place and kinda cheesy. it got even worse when people
started pledging their weapons to frodo--"you have my sword, etc." that
was velveeta. other than that, my only other gripe was the balrog
sequence. the monster itself was not as scary or awe inspiring as i
imagined, and the sequence in which he kills gandalf is not the way i
imagined it at all. but i guess that's being too picky.
woah, i went a little long with this, but i just wanted to put in writing
my feelings on the movie. if this is the first part, i think the next two
are quite promising. im excited already. The Two Towers: December, 2002!!