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New Line Cinema Dir: Peter Jackson Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Liv Tyler... Trailer (Quicktime 5) Official site Well, as this movie has been on release for ages, I'll keep this short but sweet. Many said it would be impossible to transfer these novels to film, but Peter Jackson has done just that, and very well too. And it's hard to see how it could have gone wrong. With a budget of $300 million and a cast like this, even someone less trustworthy than Jackson would probably be laughing all the way to the bank. The casting was actually what struck me most about this movie. Apart from the possible exception of Hugo Weaving (The Matrix), I couldn't pick a more suitable bunch of people. Wood is excellent as the main character Frodo Baggins, and McKellen is outstanding as the wise old wizard Gandalf the Grey. But what is amazing is just how well each player fits their character. This is, of course, helped along with some fantastic make-up, but just how Hobbit-like the Hobbits are, or how Elf-like the Elves are, has to be seen to be believed. Make sense? No? Then go see it. Obviously to transfer these books onto the screen was a huge undertaking, and much of the detail of the books has to be sacrificed. But all the major details are there, and plenty of not-so-major ones. To the watchful eye there are some minor annoyances, most notably one or two special effects shots that aren't quite up to par. Also, at 2Hrs 50 the film runs a little long for some people's short attention spans. But these problems fade into insignificance when you look at the big picture here - and they dont get much bigger than this. If you haven't already, GO SEE THIS FILM, or don't, see if I care. |
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