I saw LOTR yesterday and I enjoyed it. There is a lot to like. It was a bit too violent and scary for younger kids, but the values are very reaffirming.
Liv Tyler did an inspired job and she was well cast as a strong, beautiful and courageous character. My hard-boiled feminist wife warmed up to her instantly--I was seduced pretty quickly too.
I had no complaints with non-action moments -- except for the gloppy art direction for the Rivendell segment. It wasn't anywhere as bad as The wookie scenes in Star Wars, but it wasn't as thoughtful as the rest of the art direction. Lots of bad sculpture and interior design. What's the Jewish term--oongapachka? (sp?)
The caves of Moria sequence was done very well and it broke some new ground visually if not cinematically.
I never read any of the Tolkein books because of the whacko illustrator-geeks in art school who talked of nothing else for four years. So everything was new for me and thoroughly enjoyable. I saw Star Wars premier at Groman's Chinese Theater in L.A. in '77 and I thought this was worthy of many of the same kinds of accolades.
