The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)January 3rd, 2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien)
Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Sean Bean, and Christopher Lee
Grade: A
Let's get it out of the way right now: I'm the only nerd in America who hasn't read Tolkien. One reason I avoided those books was that they seemed so intimidating, especially since there were always a half-dozen "guides to the Tolkien universe" on the bookstore shelf beside them. Thus I was worried about seeing "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first in a series of three films to be released annually. Although there were a few places where the dialogue was loaded with Tolkien jargon and incomprehensible to the uninitiated, I was riveted to "Fellowship" from start to finish.
The plot concerns a magic ring created by an evil creature named Sauron centuries ago. This ring can control all the other magic rings in Middle Earth, and it seduces wearers to evil. Decades ago the ring came into the possession of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). Now, just as Sauron is waking up after a long slumber, Bilbo passes the ring along to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood). Frodo soon finds himself pursued by ringwraiths (Sauron's henchmen) who want the ring back. Much running and fighting ensues.
Frodo discovers that the only way to keep the ring away from Sauron is to take it back to the Mount of Doom, where it was forged, and cast it into the fires. Getting there is a perilous journey, so a fellowship is formed to aid Frodo. This Fellowship of the Ring includes a wise wizard named Gandalf (Ian McKellen), three hobbit pals (Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan), two humans (Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean), an elf archer (Orlando Bloom), and a cranky dwarf (John Rhys-Davies). Leading the opposition is an evil wizard, Saruman (Christopher Lee), who raises an army of monsters to pursue the heroes.
Director Peter Jackson, whose previous work has ranged from the indie suspense of "Heavenly Creatures" to the goofiness of "The Frighteners," creates a mythical world that seems both believable and fantastic. State-of-the-art computer-generated effects create vast armies and spectacular locations. Even more impressive, Jackson draws on old school trick photography to create some effects. For example, the hobbits are supposed to be about half the size of Gandalf, and Jackson creates this illusion partly through the use of forced perspective (placing the "tall" character close to the camera and the "short" character farther away).
Elijah Wood is the heart and soul of the film. He still has the wide-eyed boyish charm that made him a likable child actor, and that quality works perfectly for the young pure-hearted hero who manages to resist evil while everyone else is tempted. Another standout performance comes from Sean Astin (of "Rudy" and "The Goonies"); as Frodo's best friend Samwise Gamgee, Astin plays Sam's bravery and devotion with a disarming earnestness.
Be warned that this is "Episode One" of a trilogy that will continue in December 2002 with "The Two Towers" and conclude in December 2003 with "The Return of the King." Although "Fellowship" reaches a climax, it's major conflicts are left unresolved. However, when the complete trilogy is available, I predict that it will join "The Wizard of Oz" and "Star Wars" in the pantheon of fantasy films.
© 2002 Christian L. Pyle
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