Overall, I give this four stars. Not five, because some of the changes really bug me, as a long-time Tolkien fan, but a solid four.
The casting, to start, was brilliant. Sean Astin was the absolute perfect choice for Sam, and did a remarkable job bringing that character to life for us. He really WAS Sam, in this role, in a very deep way. I always liked his acting, but here, he showed how talented he actually is. Just amazing. Elijah Wood gives a great performance of Frodo, and those expressive eyes of his really add a lot of depth to the emotions the character goes through, which are such an important part of the story. Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan both did great work, for our other two main hobbits. Their smiles, their singing; just every aspect of these characters was so real. Viggo Mortensen, of course, was excellent. He's always good, and though I never would have pictures him as Aragorn, he delivered everything we could hope for. Great choice for that role! John Rhys-Davies, as expected, gave us the Gimli we wanted. Phenomenal actor, and I can't imagine anyone doing that role better. Orlando Bloom plays a convincing Legolas, and handles the nuances of being an elf quite well. Sean Bean as Boromir was outstanding, bringing the strength of that character to life, and making us love him. Then we have Ian McKellen, as Gandalf. I could never have chosen someone for that role, but the casting folks hit a home run with this one. Everything about his character was just right. Literally everything. I can't read the books without seeing these people in these roles now. The rest of the cast ws good as well.
Then we have the setting. New Zealand has to have some of the most utterly gorgeous scenery on the planet. Seeing it in these movies was great, and convincingly Middle Earth, and seeing more since, in other videos, just WOW! Thanks, to the people of New Zealand, for allowing this to be filmed there!
The sets were just fantastic. Everything looked as good as I'd always hoped it would look, with all the charm, mystery, and wonder Tolkien fan could hope for. From Bag end to Rivendell to the vastness of
Middle Earth, everything we saw was just right.
The only issues I had were some of the changes. Yes, I know things don't always work in movies as they do in books, but when whole sections are just omitted, that bothers me. It's not like the movies weren't long already! That omitted section, with which Tolkien fans will be quite familiar, was a very important part of the plot! I also didn't care for some of the other changes, and the way Arwen was used, the scene at the river being one example.
All in all, though, this was a well done movie, and even though some things bug me, this film, and the rest of the series, will be viewed many times. Classics, worth collecting and treasuring.
