<BR><br><br> The movies will have mixed reviews, criticism and merits. The tolkien fans out there, thousands of them including myself will notice the smallest details that have been changed; and most, even the casual LotR reader will notice some. For example, Bombadil, the Old Forest AND THE BARROW DOWNS (including the barrow, the wight and the taking of the swords etc.) are to be cut out...numerous things support this. Arwen is doing a lot to - participating in the battle at Helm's Deep for example, but enough of that. Critics will rave about the SFX, the acting, the deep storyline, but will always have something to say about what "could have been;" the film will only be Peter Jackson's interpretation of Middle Earth and as a result many will deem things missing or incorrect - "Legolas is supposed to have brown hair...but it's BLACK in the movie" and so on. They will no doubt pull a larger audience into Tolkien's world, and sales of LotR will no doubt reach unprecendeted heights, probably the highest sales recorded since it first came out. Unfortunately, movies are all about making money so many things will be sacrificed or changed to make the movie just that bit more lucrative; Tolkien said that the movie of LotR would never be made when he was alive. In my opinion it will gross in the box office but will be something less than I would want it to be. Mainly because my interpretation will be different; my balrog has wings, his doesnt so to speak, and he will always miss something, maybe cut out a song, that I loved. Ultimately it will become a good film, thouroughly entertaining, but no-one, unless they consulted the millions of fans and made 3 films of 3 hours each, will ever make a perfect Lord of the Rings.<br> <br> I'll still see it though. Oh yeah. Couldn't miss it. But no Barrow Downs. :"> Damn. <p></p>
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