For many years, it has been kind of a tradition at my place to re-watch these movies around this time of year and I think they held up very well overall. The only other fantasy movie series that comes close to comparing in size and scope would be Harry Potter.

Having said that, I do have to see them as something separate from the book, they are, as Philippa Boyen very correctly states in the appendices to the extended edition, one group of fans’ version of the story.

I think they nailed the Hobbits, being more or less based on 17th/18 century Irish and West Country gentry,Bree looks good, so do the Nazgul. Aragorn is well done, so are Boromir and the Gondorians, being sort of a Lombard/Italic/Hellenic Mediterranean mix. Professor Tolkien would have been pleased with Rohan as Saxons on horseback, pretty much what he intended them to be, Orcs also seem appropriate as a mixed rabble of unmentionable origin…..

Landscapes are beautiful, animals also well depicted.

Where they fail, in my opinion, are the Elves and Dwarves.

Elves don’t look nearly ‘ethereal’ enough, they just look like humans with long hair and pointy ears. They move way too slowly – except Legolas, of course – aren’t Elves supposed to be really quick ? – Celeborn talks like he’s a little mentally challenged, the Elves, conjured out of thin non-Tolkien air by Mr. Jackson,  who come to relieve Helm’s Deep are far too lockstep for my taste, there should be much more fluidity in their drill maneuvers. Ralph Bakshi’s cartoon version did much better Elves.

The only Dwarf we see (alive) is also a little bit of a disappointment, Gimli is NOT comic relief in the book and I’m still not sure about the Scottish accent done by a Welshman…..I think this may have something to do with the fact that movie audiences – at least in America – might have trouble seeing short people as heroes.