[goldwine]

Great posts guys! I think that the acceptance of fantasy genre and FOTR's lack of OSCAR success are unrelated. Without detracting from all the valuable comments above... I dont think that PJ came close to capturing the essence of Tolkien's classic. The storyline and character developments were obviously far too complex to fit into even a 3 hour movie. Many I know who saw the movie were unbiased about fantasy movies as a whole and enjoyed it as a soley cinematic experience, inspiring some to read the books (although from my library experience, few actually finish!). The other point, is of course, that commercial success does not equate to critical acclaim! I think there is good reason for that (treat me gently!) the ommissions were generally too large to provide fluidity and many of the scenes (Galadriel as an example) didn't come off.
This did not overall destroy the enjoyment of the movie for a vast majority of movie goers, but they were flaws.
I guess that I love Star Trek (treat me gently again!) because the stories are totally visual creations - designed for visual appeal. Even so, I have no desire to read any Sci-Fi!
The hobbit and LOTR are unusual fantasy creations in that they receive literary accolades. The beauty of the works as a whole is in their descriptive nature, truths revealed and the sheer enjoyment of the epic tale!