I saw Lord of the Rings yesterday. As I suspected, as people discuss the film there is the inevitable haggling about details. Yes, one of the hobbits has a decidedly Irish accent. Yes, some things are omitted from the book (like Tom Bombadill) but unless you make a seven hour film somethings will have to be left out.

It did not seem to me that the hobbits as a group were portrayed as Irish. The dance scene at the hobbits' party had a decidely English country dance flavor although, to the general public, it might easily be interpreted as Irish. Certainly the dancing depicted did not look Irish.

When I saw the first scene of the Shire it looked right to me. While there is much computer animation involved and many graphic fight scenes I was pleased that the focus of the film was the acting. The friendship between Frodo and Sam is central to the film. The temptation caused by the evil of the ring was clear. The terror of the dark riders was palpable.

Lord of the Rings is a wonderful film although I would not recommend it for young children because there are some very scary scenes. C'mon folks, lets stop bickering. All in all, the film is true to the book and stand on it's own quite well.