[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I think that the reviewer was suggesting that <I>Star Wars</I> is becoming little more than a series of toy adverts. A lot of people think that but I'm waiting to see what Episode III looks like before making a decision.<P>I quite liked a lot of what the reviewer had to say. The changes to Gríma's rôle not only lessen him, but remove from the narrative a rather interesting thought about premature senility. Frodo and Sam's being dragged to Osgiliath was a meaningless diversion and did look a lot like padding to me. One might also say that the book has a well-conceived cliffhanger ending on which the film utterly failed to capitalise, presumably so that Saruman could be dealt with in the final film the way Hollywood always does things (I mean what sort of a weirdo would get rid of a minor antagonist in the second of a three-part story when they could dispose of him in the finale?). The plot does seem rushed, which calls into question the wisdom of adding completely new material and, yes, the computer-generated Gollum knocks the socks off Jar-Jar Binks, both in terms of animation and incorporation into the footage.<P>Truth to tell, I'm feeling quite well-disposed towards this reviewer in that he at least reviews the film as a film adaptation, not as though it were an original work. That's a major point in his favour, judging by some of the reviews that have been quoted around the forum.<p>[ January 17, 2003: Message edited by: Squatter of Amon Rudh ]