Splendid! Middle-earth came alive for me on the screen and I was on the edge of my seat for the entire three hours. Frodo was a delight, in spite of my concern that Elijah Wood might push the cuteness angle too far. Gandalf was impeccable. Even Liv Tyler skated along on the outskirts of believability. I couldn’t quite get my mind around Hugo Weaving’s Elrond, but I suspect that the Matrix is to blame for that. The scenery was stunning, and it set the perfect background for the costumes and special effects to finally give an authentic rendering to the fantasy realm that has lurked in my mind ever since my first session of D&D. I laughed, I cried, it was much better than Cats.