It's possible we've become too familiar with this film and its two successors. Time, and multiple rewatching as, can cause us to forget how impossible the whole project seemed before the world saw it; we forget how strange and independent spirited parts of it are; we forget the references too and evidence of Jackson's roots in horror cinema; we forget the narrative excitement that propels a film adapted from a source that is more discursive, more of a scene-setter. Changes made from the text aid this, and the result is thrilling and wonder-inducing. It's a masterful piece of epic fantasy cinema, and the whole trilogy's place in my heart is secure.