I finally got to see the movie New Year's Eve, and I'm going again this Saturday, since I have off work. Here's what I thought:

Greatest movie I've ever seen. Now, I don't pretend to be a film buff, but I have seen a few movies in the past. This is by far the best I've ever seen. The acting was outstanding. The plot (of course) was excellent. The special effects were excellent. And the setting was just gorgeous.

First, the acting. Ian McKellen was genius as Gandalf. He pulled off that role better then any book character I've ever seen portrayed in film. Although the best I had seen before was Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan. He was exactly as Gandalf ought to have been played. I can't stress enough how impressed I was with him. Outstanding.

I have *no* problems with any of the plot fiddling that Jackson did. Leaving out the journey to Bree was fine. Probably the change I liked the least (not that I disliked it) was having Saruman halt the party's progress on Cahadras, instead of Cahadras itself doing it. Cahadras, like Mirkwood, was virtually a "sentient being", and I think convincing the audience of that without putting a face on the mountain and making it talk and just look goofy would've been difficult. All this made me do was hate Saruman even more, which I think was the whole idea.

The special effects all looked like they belonged in the movie. They didn't seemed "forced." Everything fit in naturally.

Peter Jackson did an excellent job of selling me a vacation to New Zealand. The country was just magnificent. I envy BG's ability to go see it anytime she likes...sure, we have some pretty sights here in America, but New Zealand just looked incredible.

Things I really liked:

The Boromir/Frodo scene where Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo. Sean Bean did an excellent job as Boromir in convincing me of his good intentions. That he really wasn't evil, that was very noble, honorable, and just trying to the right thing for the country he loved, and believed that the ring could be used for that. I was afraid he would come off as some minor bad-guy, just lusting after power. He did not. This was my favorite scene of the movie.

Arwen's role in the film was perfect. I (like many others) had the impression that she was going to almost "carry" the film, along with Aragorn. That she was going to be a main character. Replacing Glorfindel with her and reworking the ford scene was excellent. I have no problems with her role in the film.

I think the scene that "got to me" the most was at the very end, when Sam chases after Frodo, in an effort to keep his promise to himself to stay by Frodo's side. After Frodo pulled Sam out of the water, and Sam told Frodo of his promise to himself, I would be lying if I said I wasn't "touched" by that. Sean Astin as Sam did a marvelous job of delivering that scene, and of affecting my emotions.

The ever-present forboding feeling of doom throughout the movie was pulled off rather well, I thought. The "We had better do this, because Sauron's about to win even without it" feeling was there throughout. I also liked the "personification" of the ring as a sentient being. Jackson did an excellent job on that, as well.

The part where Legolas pulls out an arrow, stabs an orc in the neck with it, then shoots another orc in the face with it was awesome.

Aragorn was the man.

What I didn't really like all that much:

Sauron. He looked too cartoony, as I believe someone already put it. Sure, he looked pretty darn evil, like a mega-badass, but that was it. He only looked like *a* mega-badass, not like *THE* mega-badass he should've. The helmet was just dumb.

The wizard battle was cheesy, but that's been discussed.

All in all, I plan on seeing this movie at least once a week until it's out of theaters. It's just that darn good.

The Other "Go ahead, call my a sissy. But that Sam/Frodo scene on the boat was just awesome." Matthew