| Well if it hadn't been for the book, we'd have no movie so lets start with that.
It all started on an innocent peice of paper, upon which J.R.R. Tolkein scrawled the lines "in a hole in a hill, there lived a hobbit" (or something like that). From then Tolkien expanded his idea in what we know as the Hobbit (or There and Back Again), in which we meet the comical Bilbo and wizard Gandalf, the infamous Gollum, and of course, the Ring. The Hobbit was originally a bedside childrens tale that Tolkein wrote for his own little ones. However, it was just the beginning. Tolkien wanted to expand on this land of Middle-Earth he had created, as did those who read the Hobbit. However, as Tolkien started work on Lord of the Rings, he quickly realized it was more than just a simple children's tale. In fact, as he wrote, Tolkien himself didn't really know where he was headed with his tale. in the end, it chronicled the finding of the One Ring, and the Dark Lord Sauron's war to possess it. Along the way, Tolkien created his own mythology, language, and world. Tolkien's mastery of language, and how to best employ words makes the story that much richer, particularly in his wonderfully detailed description of Middle-earth and its denizens. This also included beings he did not describe, for example Sauron. we never see him, he simply is. wrapped in shadow in his dark tower Sauron drives his armies in his bid to take Middle-earth. He is more of a terrifying presence than an actually character. There is also tom bombadil, whom we meet early on. however, we never find out just what he is. is he an elf? no to short and jolly. is he a dwarf? no he loves nature to much? what is he? we never know, as Tolkein never says. Tolkiens descriptions were in some cases ambiguous such as with the Balrog. does it have wings or not? who knows.
Then of course, there is the characters themselves. From the noble elves, to the stubborn and quick-tempered dwarves, to the powerful wizards, and of course the irresistible hobbits, Tolkein's characters are so rich and alive that by the time the book is over, it wouldn't have surprised me to turn and see Frodo sitting next to me. One can relate at one point or another, to most of the characters in Tolkien's story, from the noble but corrupted Boromir, loyal and lovable Samwise Gamgee, or even the pitiable Gollum/Smeagol.
Tolkein's use of words is also ably demonstrated in how he uses them to kindle certain emotions. For example when Theoden and the Rohirrim come charging down on the hosts of Mordor in the battle of Pelennor fields, one can't help but feel urge stand and cheer. Tolkien allows you to empathize with the characters, in particular Gollum, who plays the tragic hero of the story. The characters are so alive and thats what really has me hooked on this book.
The movie. well lets see, if you haven't seen it, then you probably live under a rock 
For a story as detailed as tolkien's the movie does a wonderful job in telling a story that would be a challenge for anyone to bring to the screen. Peter Jackson and crew did a positivle wonderfull job, despite the fact that they were filming at as many as 5 scenes at once, all at different locations. The actors who were chosen portrayed their characters perfectly, the best perfomances probably being that of Ian McKellan as Gandalf, and Sean Astin as Sam. thats not to say that the others were, bad, as all the performances were better than i could have hoped for.
A remarkable thing about the LOTR trilogy was its use of CG animation. While it has this in abundance, Pete didn't let it go to his head, which is more than i can say for a certain George Lucas (though i still think he's got great ideas). For the positively massive battles of Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields, the graphics team at Weta had to come up with a whole new computer program for the mostly CG armies. The greatest CG character i've yet seen is that of Gollum. At times i had to remind myself that he was in fact not a real character. This was also due to a wonderful performance by Andy Serkis, who essentially became Gollum. The CG also created one of the best lookng monsters i've seen in the Balrog. Had i not known it was a movie, i wouldn't have doubted for a moment it was real.
The set designs were incredible and spared no detail. Whether it was creating their own forest, or making an elven retreat, the sets were perfect. their miniature models of Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith were far from "miniature" and showed detail that the audience never sees. The costumes were all superb, and agian, attention to detail was astounding. for example on the inside of Theoden's breast plate, a sun was embedded (or at least i think it was a sun...correct me if i'm wrong). According to Bernard Hill (Theoden) this made him feel like he really was a king.
Music also plays a large part in the feel of the movie, especially with the themes the musical director Howard Shore devised. The themes for characters and groups of people changed as the movie's plot changed and evolved. From a man who had up till LOTR composed mainly horror music themes, the soundtracks for LOTR are superb.
What the Lord of the Rings was for the literary world, this movie is for the cinema world: a timeless classic who's greatness is pretty much self evident.
comments, arguments  and critiques are appreciated.
also tell me if i messed up anywhere....  | |
You said it for all the fans. 
I love that word but don't get to use it alot) In Gollum we see a part of ourselves in the sense of the struggle to do what is right and what is wrong, we also see in Gollum the things that show that important people can do great and Terrible thing or great and wonderful things. Tolkien also used Frodo to show these points.
I can't