The Movie
D. Dodson

I've been reading some of the critiques and there is a point that perhaps is being overlooked by some of the purists -- the film was made not for a small elitist circle of readers of Tolkien, but for a much broader audience, including those who aren't at all familiar with the books. That may explain a lot of the discrepancies, the shortcuts, the simplification of some of the more subtle plot lines and characterizations. I tried to go into the film without any expectations -- too often one has high hopes and is disappointed; I was thrilled by the imagery, the characters -- Middle Earth had, indeed, come to life for me. I was not sure what to think of the Arwen character when I first heard about it and saw some of the trailers, but I liked the brief focus on the relationship between Aragorn and she; perhaps by The Return of the King this will become a much more important scene.

I felt the sojourn in Lothlorien was cut a bit short. Not enough made clear about Galadriel and the plight of the Elves; would have liked to have seen more details there.

The movie isn't a word-for-word scene-by-scene recreation of the book; it's an adaptation of a wonderful story holding true to the spirit and message of a timeless epic.

The lights came up and I wanted the screen to immediately darken again and sweep me into The Two Towers! Fortunately, I can go home and immerse myself in my dog-eared copy of the trilogy and wait until next Christmas!