I loved the first movie. It just works so well. (The Galadriel part always makes me feel uncomfortable because of how cheesy it is.) Also, Sean Bean is Alive and Attractive, and Aragorn is Alive and Dirty and Therefore Attractive. The Sam-Frodo romance hasn't completely bloomed yet, and there aren't insane swaths of time devoted to Charlie Pace Merry and Pippin. A lot of win-win-win.
Aside from the things I just bitched about (where Jackson kind of "trivialized" essences that Tolkien deeply perceived, the same problem existed in expressions of power among the Istari), I think the first movie is an example of how to modify a book for the screen. The replacement of Glorfindel (a glorified elven extra) with Arwen worked because Arwen was meaningful and relevant to the story; Boromir actually came off deeper in the movie than in the book (he was VERY extroverted and un-self-aware in the book, a "surface" kind of guy, and I think Bean's portrayal had more core to it); and Aragorn went from an impenetrable plot device (he's just the foretold king, and he never really changes in the novel or fears or grows) to a living breathing human in the movie. Some things were done very right.
The second movie only works because I have a love-hate battle to the death with Eomer's eyebrows (they get second billing after all). The inspidness of that chick who's name I forget because she's so ridiculously forgettable makes me want to hurl myself on an orc. And the third movie breaks my heart because someone encouraged Aragorn to Take A Bath and Put Clean Clothing On. Legolas is too pretty and too "A diverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrsion" for attraction.
Well apparently we'll get all that in spades. Along with a nice CGI flying dragon. Alas. If i have to watch yet another embodiment of darkness or at least selfishness just being some brainless mindless video-game dragon, I'll smash the Arkenstone myself.
I love all three LOTR films but the first one is still my favourite. Although I'm never going to love what they did with Lothlorien and the elves in general. Too weird and spooky, instead of radiantly beautiful, calming and serene.
I like my elves to be a little unsettling, although I think you're right... it was a little too cold.
I kind of agree about Aragorn's clean hair just not being the same.
But...the bit at his coronation where he sings the song and there are all those white whirling flowers completely dissolves me. I become a blubbery mess. It's just too beautiful. Plus when he meets Arwen again, and then with the hobbits "you bow to no one."
Lol. I don't even REMEMBER that scene. That's how little engrossed I was. It doesn't sound too bad the way you described it. The only scene meaningful enough to stick with me is when Denethor sent Faramir off to die, he's ripping into his meal like an animal, and Pippin's singing this beautiful aria overtop the cut scenes. Don't ask me how a director who could hit a scene of such power completely miss some of the easier scenes to film. Oh well. (The other scenes I remember are the stupid ones -- a flaming Denethor falling off the top of Minas Tirith, Saruman falling out of Orthanc and getting impailed, etc.)
There is still nothing like the old Rankin/Bass cartoon though. it is goofy in some ways, but I'll never forget it, it was burned into my mind during that impressionable time and I won't be able to excise it. Even the music sticks in my head (with the words ripped right out of the story):
Fifteen birds
in five fur trees
the feathers were fanned
in the fiery breeze
what funny little birds
they had no wings
oh what shall we do
with the funny little things
oh what shall we do
with the funny little things
And that thing the cartoon added when he says he's dumping the dwarves at Mirkwood, and they grumble, and he's like, "now now, I'm already late from bothering with you people." It's starting to veer into Gene Wilder's "Willy Wonka" persona, with that kind of underlying sarcasm.