Tony McCaughey

I wanted to like this, and I did my best to avoid the usual professional haters trying to make this into another pointless culture war squabble. But this is nonsense. I have been a fan of Tolkien's work since I read 'The Hobbit' when I was nine - half a century ago. I believe I understand something of Tolkien's world view and the moral basis of his work This? Galadriel's character has gone from a figure trying to atone, to a shallow modern day superhero trope. Gil-Galad and Elrond are transformed into sleazy politicians. The Harfoots are odd proto-ewoks. The rest of it is a mish-mash of simplistic rubbish designed to appeal only to people within a 5 mile radius of Hollywood. It's moronic and a complete disappointment. But - great visuals. If you MUST watch, turn the sound off and just enjoy the pretty pictures.