Perhaps "reduce" wasn't precisely the right word; I suppose I was using it within the context of my earlier remarks about how a film can't ever be as "big" as one's imaginary vision of things. I agree that the special effects were very good indeed (I especially liked the fireworks, and the orcs were just about as scary as they could possibly have been!), and I also agree that a well-made film can certainly serve a useful supplementary purpose to a written work. My feeling is simply that too much of the "sense" of the book was lost in its translation to film (in my personal, therefore totally subjective opinion), and I think the question from The Shambles (excellent "handle" BTW!) above as to the movie's impact on future reader's visual impressions highly apposite. Those of us who read the book beforehand KNOW Frodo doesn't look like that ;-), but will new readers be constrained to see him that way? In some ways, I suppose it will be that much more fun for (especially young) people to read it after seeing the film, because it will expand so much on the impressions they've already formed.

So---what's everyone's favourite "book to film" movie? I'm going to have to give it some thought.....