Allan, you are right, the movie in the mind is always the best.

As for the celluloid version, I think that the more realistic the effect, the easier it is for a viewer to be drawn into the film. I do see your point though, I thought that the Star Wars films were nothing more then puppet shows. The fuzzy and obviously fake characters really took away from my enjoyment of the film, not that I found much to enjoy in those anyway. I'm not a big science fiction or fantasy film fan, but I do think that LOTR is really a good piece of cinema. Grab a box of popcorn and sit back. I like the DVD of Fellowship, but I am glad that they didn't release the "directors cut" special edition as the regular feature.   While it may play well for Tolkien fans, it really added nothing to the story and made it a tedious experience. Jackson did a superb job of editing for theatrical release. My son and I will be watching Two Towers on Saturday.

Ron