Overall, I give this four stars. Not five, because some of the changes really bug me, as a long-time Tolkien fan, but a solid four.

The casting, to start, was brilliant. Sean Astin was the absolute perfect choice for Sam, and did a remarkable job bringing that character to life for us. He really WAS Sam, in this role, in a very deep way. I always liked his acting, but here, he showed how talented he actually is. Just amazing. Elijah Wood gives a great performance of Frodo, and those expressive eyes of his really add a lot of depth to the emotions the character goes through, which are... read the rest.