[wr8th]

Although the first movie cut some corners and took some liberties with characterizations, I found it to true to the flavor of the novel. It added significantly to the grandeur of the canvas upon which Tolkien painted the minutiae of his tale. In my mind's eye I had seen Moria as a kind of Middle Earth Carlsbad Cavern of dwarf-hewn columns and cyclopean halls. The movie reinforced that but also added the dank atmosphere of a mausoleum that was missing. I reread the first book after enjoying the movie 3 times. I could hear the score from the film as I read....

True, there will be truists to the novels that will rail about the shortcuts (such as how Bill the horse was not fleshed out enough as a character,) forgetting that an epic of this kind is nearly impossible to reproduce on film. A compromise is usually the best one could hope for. As far as they go I'm happy with this particular compromise and I await it's release on DVD. I've heard rumors that there will be 2 releases: the August release without the extra 30 minutes of footage but with other features, and a September release with the additional footage. Can anyone confirm this? Either way, I'd opt for the widescreen Version.

[ 23 April 2002: Message edited by: wr8th ]