[NinjaFerret]

Jackson blew everyone out of the water all around. I don't think any other director could have done LotR better. <P>The cast members weren't themselves; they were their characters. I didn't look at Cate Blanchett and think "That's Cate." The same holds true for Wood. In fact I had never put a face on Frodo until I saw LotR and all of a sudden it just clicked, even tho the hobbits were in reverse age. <P>Arwen... well yes, Liv Tyler looks a bit equine sometimes... but her oval face really worked as an elf. The way her character changed... yes, it had an effect, and I'm not sure if it was good or bad. <P>As far as Elrond is concerned, he was amazing! The way he said "Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins," reminded me of the way he spoke to Neo as Agent Smith, and it was so cool! His demeanor was perfectly detached, and I thought he did a superb job. The sternness made the fact that he was in fact a warrior believable. <P>And as far as the physcial characteristics of Merry and the others, they were supposed to be random hobbits who happened to be friends. It made it more real. I loved Pip's obsession with food and Merry's sarcasm towards him (both reminded me of myself... ). <P>I wanted to mention something else about Jackson's portrayal of Middle Earth. I don't know how you all read, but when I read, I create my own 3D setting in my mind. When an author takes a paragraph to describe a character's facial expression, that's my mental close-up; during a battle scene, that's when I am in the thick of the action, and when he becomes more vague and leaves a scene, that's where I pan up and out and the landscape becomes a focal point. When I was watchign LotR, it was so intense. I had this image of Middle Earth in my mind's eye, and then seeing it exactly how I pictured it right in front of me completely blew my mind. Even the hobbits looked the same, Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, the Balrog, etc. were the same thing. <P>I am annoyed that LotR did not get the publicity that A Beautiful Mind got. LotR was a total shot in the dark, so to speak. Jackson is a cinematic genius who no one thought had anything worth mainstreaming. He took a leap, and in my not-so-humble opinion landed quite squarely on his feet. I have a feeling this is the next Star Wars. No, I think this will be different, althought I'm not sure how... <P>To sum up my rantings and ravings, I am going to buy a DVD player specifically to watch the trilogy after they all come out, b/c you can't see this any other way. Peace.