The Miracle That Is The Fellowship of The Ring

I was recently rereading "The Fellowship of the Ring" and I am now convinced Peter Jackson deserves enormous kudos for effectively translating Tokien's work into a film.<P>Critics will point out missed characters or plot points, but lets remember how poorly 'The Fellowship' is setup for translation into film. This is no knock on Tolkien. I love his book, but its defies almost all modern conventions with regards to story development.<P>For most film-makers, Lothorien would have been dropped completely. Its in the wrong place for a film and could derail the pacing & plot of the story.<P>Heck, even the Council of Elrond, the key beginning to the Fellowship, occurs very late in Tolkien's book. Most filmakers might have dropped the opening completely and have the story begin there.<P>Jackson's achievement is impressive. While I wish he spent a few more moments on the character interaction(Gimli is particulary shafted in the theatrical release), at the expense of some of the action sequence (the entrance to Moira, while impressive, isn't really that critical), the overall effort and attention to detail is amazing.