My review of Lord of the Rings : Fellowship of the Ring

Peter Jackson, thank you for creating one of the greatest motion pictures I've ever seen.

Hang on a minute, that's a bit of a strong statement isn't it? Yes, but Fellowship of the Ring is a strong film. Stronger than I ever imagined....

It's 3:29pm on Wednesday 19th, 2001. I'm sitting in a large, comfortable seat, slap bang in the middle of the rows of Screen Room 1. I've been waiting 3 years to sit here. It's been 3 long years since I first heard the news that Peter Jackson would be making a film adaptation of all 3 parts of Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings. Having read and loved the book, to say I was looking forward to this day is an understatement. At times, it felt so distant, so remote, that it would never come. But it has.

I am not Tolkien-geek. I know the story, yes, but I'm no expert, nor do I intend to be. I do not live my life by Tolkien nor do I think it a healthy habit. I'm a fan, but not a freak.
However, over the past month or so I had become somewhat more obsessed with Fellowship of The Ring, as the days ticked by to the release date. In fact, it wasn't until the 18th that I really became excited about seeing this movie. The lights go down, it's 3:30pm...

I had read numerous reviews of the film from critics and fans alike, the level of praise and the liberal use of words such as 'masterpiece' and 'historic' in the reviews was both encouraging and surprising. So you see, I knew this was going to be a good movie. I had read the reviews, it was going to be good. But I had no idea how good...

The film begins and somewhere in my mind I can feel something change. I sit back...I watch...I listen, and I hardly move an inch for 3 hours. I gasp in awe at the battle of the Last Alliance, I expected epic, but this was so much more than just epic...this was Biblical in scope. My eyes unscrewed in disbelief as I watched the prologue...I couldn't begin to tell what was real and what was generated by other means. Nor did I care. It was too vast, too fluid, too vivid to even question. I gripped the armrests and just watched....and watched...

Then we move on, the prologue brings us up to speed. Brief glimpses of scenes from The Hobbit...Bilbo...Gollum........and The Ring.

60 years later and I see it's 3:39pm. From this point on, I dare not even take the liberty of taking a glimpse at my watch. It's The Shire. Frodo, an older Bilbo and a very old Gandalf make their appearence. You know the story, if you don't, then you should. I'm not going to recount it here.

Things that ware only touched upon or recalled by character's in the book are here blown into life by Jackson. These creative additions are just one of the many ingenious parts of the film. Although the whole picture is a masterpiece, special mention must be made of a number of things.

From an early stage we see the Black Riders, the Nazgul. In fact, we see them in the prologue as human kings yet to be turned to wraiths....they stare at the camera, almost through the camera as Cate Blanchett tells of how the Nine Rings were comsumed by the greed and lust of power exhibitied by mankind. For those who have not read the book, this quick scene means little, to those who have there is something disturbing about seeing these 9 men as mortals. We know their fate only too well, we know what they well become...
It is not long into the film proper when we see the 9 again. This time as wraiths, comsumed and rained by the ring, now servants of Sauron. Clad in black and riding horses they gallop out from Barad-Dur shrouded in mist and accompanied by the 200 voice choir chanting Shore's composition. It's a dramatic moment. The Black Riders dominate the first half of the film. Jackson is masterful in visualising their terror. From Hobbiton to Bree, from Weathertop to the Frods, everytime they enter the scene the effect they have on the the music, the sound, the characters and even nature itself is stunning.

Of the myriad of visual computer wizardry used by Weta Digital, the most consistently amazing is the 'ring effect'. When Frodo wears the One Ring, we see the world from his perspective. A surreal world dragged and pulled at the edges, flushed with blue and white hues and accompanied by a rushing, whispering wind like cacophany of voices. The creative mind behind this style of computer wizardry deserves much praise. It's a flawless and breathtaking effect. On Weathertop the Nazgul take on their true form and appear to Frodo disrobed and terrible. Their sunken faces, ghostly cloaks and cold swords sear our imagination. The sence of terror and awe is palpable. Stunning.

I always wondered how the Eye would be portrayed in the film. Once again, an amazing job has been done to create this effect. Sauron's eye is huge, beast-like in form but massive in size and most importantly of all both terrible and luring. Flames and lava straddled by a black slit. It seems windswept at the edges, but always reaching and tempting. Perfect.

I could go on about other parts of FOTR which I was specially impressed with: Moria, Cave Troll, Gollum's face, Isengard....but I'd be typing all night.

But this film isn't just about arresting visuals or breathtaking camera work. A lot of the time all this takes a back seat to acting. And superb acting at that.
For me, the biggest surprise was Elijah Wood. For a young actor with little/no experience in anything but kids films and shallow Hollywood features, Fellowship of the Ring has been a transformation. Though there were times when I felt his voice wasn't carrying or his acting was simply average, special mention must be made of the times when Wood excelled as Frodo. First, on Weathertop, we empathise and feel his pain, his terror. Next in Rivendell, his emotional ( and sometimes shocking ) exchange with Bilbo is terrific. But for me, it was the moment after Gandalf fell into darkness in Moria that proved Wood's worth. His expressions and screams of mixed rage and dispair were heartbreaking. This is not the same Hobbit laughing and dancing in The Shire.
Sir Ian McKellen fits like a glove in the role of Gandalf. Not only has he the appearence, but also the voice and facial expressions to match the Gandalf of all our imaginations. Top class acting, and no mistake.
Again, I could pour praise on Hugo Weaving, Chrisptor Lee, Sir Ian Holm and the excellent Viggo Mortenson. But then I'd be forgetting Liv Tyler's surprisingly good acting, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Orlando Bloom. However, I simply must isolate Boromir, played by Sean Bean, for praise.
Bean gives the performance of his career as the troubled, proud, couragious warrior Boromir. He lives and breathes the role so well that it's almost frightening. His temptation and redemption at the end of the film is wonderfully done. Anyone unmoved by his dying words to Aragorn should check their pulse : "I would have followed you, my borther...my King"

At this point, before I forget, I'd like to thank New Line Cinema. After all, it is this studio that made this all happen. Miramax originally planned to fund LOTR for Jackson, but on the condition that LOTR be a 2-film production and with a list of alterations and constraints as long as a Balrog's whip. Though it didn't seem so at the time, it was destiny and luck that caused Miramax to drop LOTR at the last minute in 1998. It was American studio New Line Cinema, that had the foresight, courage and belief in that rotund New Zealander with a passion for Tolkien. New Line took the an epic gamble when they gave the green light to Jackson to make 3 films concurrently with a recently estimated budget of a staggering $NZ 700 million. If Jackson let them down, it would be a blow that New Line would never recover from. He hasn't let them down, and now they will justly get their reward. On it's opening day in the US alone, FOTR took in almost $19 million. Not only that but it has been nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and been hailed as a materpiece by most critics worldwide.

The whole Lord Of The Rings production required a cast and crew of thousands and an estimated 26,000 extras ( most of whom won't be seen until the 2nd and 3rd films are released ). But for me, there are 2 men who stand head and shoulders and above the rest. Andrew Lesnie and Peter Jackson.
Andrew Lesnie, the cinematographer for FOTR, shows he is the master of the lens. No task is too great for him. From stunning helicopter shots of the beautiful New Zealand wilderness to fast moving action in Moria, to the rich and arresting close-ups of the actor's faces; Lesnie proves his worth.
When you take into account the collection of technical insanities that had to be dealt him while filming hobbits beside humans convincingly ( forced perspective, blue-screen, digital resizing and false focusing etc ), you begin to see what an amazing job he has done. Andrew Lesnie has won a multitude of awards in the past, if he's not nominated for an Oscar for FOTR, then there's no justice in the world.

Peter Jackson though is the keystone to all this. Not only has he masterfully directed 3 epics films at once, he's also co-written the script with his wife Fran and freind Phillipa Boyens. He's also co-produced the trilogy. It is Jackson's own untested Weta company that provide all the stunning effects. And of course, it is Jackson's own Wingnut firm that has been the heart of the production.
He's been involved in every level, and it shows. He's been working in pre-production for LOTR for almost a decade, and it shows.
His creation is a triumph, a masterpiece, a wonderfully spellbinding combination of excitement, awe, love, courage, loss and hope. Peter Jackson has given us a very special gift in the form on Fellowship of the Ring. This Christmas time, go and see the film, and you too will emerge from the cinema, like I did, feeling the need to thank Peter for a very special Christmas gift.

Ok. I think I finally have mulled this over long enough. Now for *my* review.

As many will have already noted, there are a few things which deserve unbounded praise:

Casting. I'll admit I was skeptical of a few choices before seeing the movie. For example, Elijah Wood struck me as a bit of a lightweight for the important role of Frodo. But all doubts were laid to rest. And then some.

Elijah Wood's Frodo is all expressive eyes and innocence and reluctant hero. He carries the burden of the ring visibly, and it progressively adds to the emotional depth of his character. Acceptance, longing for what once was and can no longer be and sad courage play across his face when he realizes what he must do.

Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn exudes all the qualities of an Arthurian knight on the quest for the Holy Grail. He is a noble, brooding, haunted presence whose inner struggles are palpable.

Sean Bean as Boromir is unbelievable. Scratch that: he is beyond believable... he IS Boromir. Pride, envy, recklessness and the desire to bring honor to his name all simmer visibly just below the surface of his skin. And his struggles to resist the temptations of desire for the power of the Ring flitter across his face as almost physical pain. He is magnificent.

Orlando Bloom makes elves COOL. He can whip out an arrow and string them in his bow almost quicker than the eye. Lithe and slender, pretty without being effeminate, Legolas is a mythological statue come to life. I only wish he had had more lines...

Johnathan Rhys-Davies... how the heck was it possible to reduce such a big man to dwarfdom? I'm convinced they gave him a magic potion which turned him into Gimli, because at no point is his stature unbelievable. He provides one of the rare camp lines in the film (those who've seen it know what I'm talking about: on the stairs in Moria...)

Ian McKellan imbues Gandalf with all the wisdom and affection one expects in this character. Rumpled and wise, he is at once grandfatherly and majestic.

Hugo Weaving as Elrond is wonderful. His expressive brows, proud posture and knowing looks go far to flesh out his character. I did, however, keep waiting for him to throw on a pair of Matrix sunglasses... ;o)

Sean Astin does a sensitive portrayal of Samwise Gamgee. His loyalty, affection and depth of friendship are almost heart-wrenching at times, but never sink to treacly excess.

Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan as Pippin and Merry are the (somewhat) comic foil of the nine. Their characters cause all kinds of mischief but they portray obvious emotional and personal growth during the course of the film. The import of the quest their characters have undertaken sinks in, and as they eventually put themselves at risk to save Frodo, these actors make a believable transition from bumbling adolescent to responsibility.

Oh, and Christopher Lee gives an absolutely DELICIOUS turn as Saruman. His stage training shines through as he delivers lines in a stentorian voice... he quite makes you shudder when he's on screen.

Marton Csokas plays Celeborn, king of Lothlorien. His screen time was so brief as to barely leave any impression, other than elvish grace.

Cate Blanchett looks like a medieval princess, to be sure, a cross between the Lady of the Lake and a faery queene. Her character appeared almost so ethereal as to be not of flesh and blood.

Ian Holm IS Bilbo Baggins. EXACTLY as I had pictured him in my mind's eye.

Cinematography. In a word: stunning. Absolutely breathtaking. A seamless blend of New Zealand shots and special effects wizardry that was so lyrical and soaring, it pulls the audience through the screen.

Effects. Perfect. Perfect in that they did not hit you over the head announcing: ***HERE ARE F/X*** They gave credence to the existence of the Shire, Moria, Rivendell and all of the mythic locations of LOTR. Minor gripe was that Rivendell and Lothlorien looked like Myst/Riven brought to the big screen, a teensy bit twee for my taste, but that is serious nitpicking. The battle scenes literally blow one away. When Sauron's finger is slashed off, and a near-nuclear shockwave resonates across the battlefield, you feel knocked over in your theater seat.

All that being said, another thing stands out: the attention to DETAIL. From the individually crafted chain-mail shirts, to the effortless use of weaponry, to all the athletes cast as Orcs (nary a one was without a black belt), to the jewelry (leaf pins holding cloaks, the elvish crowns, the necklace worn by Elwen and given to Aragorn)... every tiny detail makes Middle Earth a REAL place, full of real beings we know MUST exist somewhere out of sight off screen.

Others have noted, and I will again: the Ringwraiths, the Black Riders deserve special attention. They are truly frightening. The menace of their flying black cloaks, the faceless evil... their enslaved souls bound by greed and lust for power... they BRILLIANT, absolutely BRILLIANT.

You CARE about these characters without feeling manipulated to do so. You feel your adrenaline rush at the battlescenes. And most of all... at the end, you want to scream: I can't wait another year for the next installment!!!

Saw it this afternoon. I give it an 8 out of 10, and I'm a Tolkien scholar.

I have to gauge how the younger set deals with the intricate plot. I believe that the scenery and action carries much of the day for this younger age group. Interesting plot replacement of Glorfindel with Evenstar. It works.

I was initially underimpressed with the casting of Galadriel, but was won over [with reservations] in later scenes. My wife pointed out that the ability of the Men to deal with multitudes of Orcs strained credulity. I explained that Orc size onscreen was somewhat constrained by actual human actor attributes, and that the Men (though not the equals of their forefathers) in the trilogy had the physical characteristics of the Dunedain.

I find their handling of the Isildur/Strider nexus to be most excellent. This is a very subtle thing in the book, and must needs be changed for the screen. It's interesting watching it unfold, because it is a significant change in Tolkien's original story line, and requires nuance to make it work. They did not re-forge Narsil in Rivendell, but I believe that this omission will significantly improve their chances of bringing off what I consider to be the most crucial part of the book/film.

Christopher Lee & the actor who portrays Gandalf are superlative.

The director has done it. I am not at all offended or troubled by the plot changes, because Jackson respected the original text. Tolkien himself well understood the nature of storytelling, and presentation.

I'm not saying that he would have approved of this telling, but while grumbling under his breath, he would have looked twice. ;-)

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