Who here enjoyed the movie?

[TheLostPilgrim]

While the movie took it's share of liberties with the original work, and changed plot elements around and the tone...Did anyone else enjoy it for what it is, a cinematic adaptation?

I went into the movie with a chip on my shoulder, hearing all the early reviews and the RT score and whatnot, and I felt disappointed and felt like it was just going to be a repeat of Indiana Jones 4 (IE a movie I longed to see for a long time only to be let down by)...But I saw it and it was great!

Now, it isn't purely The Hobbit, and like I said, it strays often...But I think if you're familiar with the lore, and if you like the PJ films, you'd love the movie. Even if you totally divorce it from the books, it still makes for--in my mind--a great fantasy film, with a good feel--a much needed cinematic break from the overly realistic, dark, gritty and psychological dramas like the Batman series and the newer James Bond films.

It's simply a wonderful piece of escapist entertainment, and even if it is a poor adaptation of Tolkien, it IMO still makes for a great fantasy film. It reminded me of some of my childhood favorites like Labyrinth, Dragonheart, The 13th Warrior, and some other fantasy films.

[Morsul the Dark]

I felt this as well but I didn't enjoy it as much as the original trilogy.

I think I would have ended it much more had it stayed two films.

I felt it was too long for a trilogy.

[Galadriel55]

This is what I decided. I enjoyed watching the film, but I don't like it. Ha!

[William Cloud Hicklin]

My feeling was that we got Peter Jackson unleashed- his self-indulgence on steroids, so that everything that was bad about the original trilogy was worse, and what was good about the first three there wasn't much of. In particular, I found TH to be suffed full of filler and padding, by the same clueless team of writers who gave us "Arwen is dying"- no understanding of what the book was about, but rather 3rd-rate fan-fic.

[elvet]

I enjoyed the movie - enough to see it 5 times in various formats. I always appreciated that the movies were never going to be exactly like the books. It's a different media and a different vision for how the story is presented. I love seeing favorite characters and places come to life, and I think that Peter Jackson has done a fantastic job with his sense for how middle-earth is portrayed. More than anything else he gets the 'feel' right. Hearing the first strains of Howard Shore's music or leafing through my book's title pages, I know I'm escaping to Middle-earth for the next few hours. Both connect me to Tolkien's world, and I'm grateful that I can enjoy that experience without being bogged down by the differences between the two.

[Lalwendë]

Enjoyed it. As for 'taking liberties' has anyone seen World Without End yet? They made complete mincemeat (minus horse ) out of Ken Follett's novel, but it was still an excellent piece of TV.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by elvet

I love seeing favorite characters and places come to life

I can never quite understand it when people say that film bring characters and places to life, for me they come to life as I read the books. If I see a film adaptation I think " oh so that is how x sees it" rather than "oh so that is how it is" . So I still haven't seen it ...I am sure it would have the same effect on me as reading Liz Jones has on my sister.