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Title: Good visuals, but misses the mark
Review: Peter Jackson has directed a visually stunning, but empty movie. The scenery and costumes are worthy of the book, but the script is lame and the characters have no depth. Choppy editing takes viewers on a roller coaster ride, hurrying from action scene to action scene, depriving audiences of the opportunity to gradually immerse themselves into what should have been a rich fantasy.The actors are competent but seem shallow, disposable, not unlike what has happened in recent Star Wars films. The lone exception being Sir Ian McKellen, who imbues the Gandalf character with lived-in warmth and wit.All in all, this film is a must-see for Tolkien fans, since the story is brought to life here with lavish attention to detail. However, it is a triumph of form over substance. Let's hope that the sequels offer better character development, stronger scripts, and less frantic editing.
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