April 25, 2002

Disappointing Bits of FOTR
Mark C.

There has been some discussion about the bits of FOTR that were disappointing. From my perspective, the absence of Bombadil, is of little concern, apart from the plot problem of how the hobbits get their magical swords. I think the main deficiency is Lothlorien. In terms of the plot it seemed truncated, somewhat irrelevant, it looked like a studio set, and failed to capture the awe and beauty as JRRT described. I think PJ and team went overboard in design and failed to capture the natural organic beauty that JRRT describes. The rest of the movie was very well done, apart from a few plot deficiencies - Leaving the shire was a bit rushed, and how the companions meet up could have been better developed. Although, in the final analysis, there were probably few directors in the world who could have done a better overall job than PJ given the 3 hour time constraint. Hope he can maintain the vision and momentum of the next films.