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The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Peter Jackson
PG-13, 178 min. (violence, mature themes) |
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Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee
Producers: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Sanders
Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Released: 12/19/01 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Directing the average film these days can be challenging, but tackling a project so grand, so epic, so huge like J.R.R. Tolkien's
beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy takes a man of great confidence and an insatiable desire to do it justice. So when little
known director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures) teamed with New Line Cinema to bring the story to life on the big screen,
more than a few fans were obviously nervous about its outcome. Stung once by the lamentable animated feature in 1978, fans were sought out
for advice, and Jackson's wise decision to stay within the boundaries of the books as much as possible results in a thrilling,
rip-roaring adventure that's clearly one of the year's best films. It has many Tolkien fans in a state of giddiness over its success,
and will undoubtedly make many new fans of the fantasy genre.
The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is not a good movie, it's a great movie. For once, it seems someone has
been able to transform a great literary work of the fantasy genre onto the big screen with impressive results. Peter Jackson
may have been anonymous to many moviegoers before this film, but not any more - he's almost sure to receive a Best
Director nomination from the Academy for his work here. The first episode of an already filmed trilogy (The Two Towers will be
released one year from now, Return of the King in 2003), Fellowship of the Ring has the daunting task of introducing us
to the characters, the basic storyline, and beginning a journey that is fraught with peril at every turn. Jackson had to decide
what the most important parts of the book were, then hope his location shooting in New Zealand could impart a look and feel
that would do justice to Middle Earth. He accomplishes this task, as the viewer is convinced they're really there, in a different world.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most expensive productions in film history, with an estimated budget of $400 million
for the three films and their marketing campaigns. It's a calculated gamble by New Line Cinema, and, if this film is any indication
of the future films, they should have no trouble making a record profit for their company. There was a lot at stake here for both
the studio and Jackson, but it seems they may have hit the jackpot for their efforts.
For a film of this magnitude, the casting is critical. Every role must be thoroughly researched to find the best fit possible, and
there's no question the cast chosen was nearly perfect. The story begins with a narrative by Cate Blanchett, introducing the
basic story of the rings to those unfamiliar with Tolkien's work. Then we visit the Shire, the home of the Hobbits, a small people with
hairy feet and simple lives. Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) is celebrating his 111th birthday, an unusually long life, and is visited
by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), who learns of Bilbo's secret of a strange ring he found 60 years earlier. Gandalf is
wary of the ring, especially since it makes its wearer invisible, and leaves to do some research on it. Bilbo's heir, Frodo
(Elijah Wood) is left with the ring when Bilbo leaves the Shire forever. Soon Gandalf and Frodo discuss the importance of this
ring - it's the evil ring crafted by Dark Lord Sauron to rule all other rings. The ring empowers its wearer, but also imparts
evil into them, as it tries to make its way back to Sauron. Sauron has returned to claim it after years of peace, and has sent
his servants, the Ring Wraiths to find it. Unfortunately, there's only one way to destroy the ring - cast it into the fires from
where it was forged, deep in Mordor (Sauron's home). It now falls upon Frodo to complete this difficult mission.
He won't be alone, however, as his three Hobbit friends, Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd)
accompany him on the journey. Soon there are others that join the Fellowship, led by humans Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and
Boromir (Sean Bean), the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and of course, Gandalf to guide them.
They will face many challenges, notably a mountain, the orcs, and a giant evil spirit deep within the mines of Moria. They
receive help along the way from the elves, namely King Elrond (Hugo Weaving), his daughter Arwen (Liv Tyler), and the
beautiful, powerful Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). But the traitorous Sauruman (Christopher Lee), a great wizard that was once
Gandalf's friend, will make life difficult for the band, which must overcome treachery in their midst to fulfill their destiny.
The film's greatest strength is the simple fact that it's a bona fide adventure. We're treated to visual delights, a wonderful
musical score by Howard Shore, and become geniunely entangled with the characters and their quest. It's a well-crafted story, with just the
right pacing for such a busy film. There's so much to show in a relatively short (although the film is three hours long) amount
of time, but Jackson is balancing the story, the characters, and the intense battle sequences in a precisely orchestrated
way. It comes off as polished and smooth, and most importantly never feels rushed or disjointed. We understand what's
going on, and even those with no previous knowledge of the story are able to keep pace easily. It's an exhilarating ride that
leaves the viewer longing for more - it's disappointing to see the movie end, but we'll just have
to wait another 12 months to quench our thirst.
It's easy to make relative statements between this film and Star Wars, because you sense many of the same characteristics
that made that film so memorable. There are clearly defined heroes and antagonists, with an obvious good vs. evil premise
that anyone can relate to. The fact that The Fellowship of the Ring is so unequivocal in its delineation of the two makes
the viewer even more inclined to absorb the film's storyline. Compare this with the year's other big fantasy tale, the overrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
and you quickly see the differences in their approaches to the genre. Although Harry Potter is
a decent film, it doesn't come close to the imagination or epic scale of either Star Wars or The Fellowship of the Ring.
Peter Jackson's approach to filming the movie can best be described as clever. Instead of relying too heavily on CGI effects
to enhance the story, he shoots as much live-action footage as possible in New Zealand to give the film an unvarnished look
that never feels faked. And when CGI is incorporated, as in the battle with the giant orc, it's seemlessly blended into the
characters' movements, making it one the better sequences I've ever seen on the big screen. The cinematography is
consistently amazing - I can't imagine a better location to capture the feel of Middle Earth. It almost seems as if Jackson could
do no wrong on this picture - it's just one of those times when everything seems to go right.
As aforementioned, the cast is well suited to their roles, with every character almost a perfect match. The performances are
also strong as evidenced by the fact that you hardly notice them. With a film like this, a bad performance would be an
obvious distraction, taking away from the many adventures the band encounters. It's difficult to pinpoint one particular
performance, but Ian McKellen's Gandalf is really at the heart of the film. Trying to imagine it without him at the center would
greatly reduce the film's effectiveness. McKellen is able to imbue strength, wisdom, and even vulnerability to a character
that usually knows what's about to happen. In the books, the Hobbits are the centerpiece of the story, but in the film they
are merely another character. This could represent the film's only real flaw, but I doubt many casual moviegoers will care
much about this misstep anyway. Other worthy performances include Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, both of whom
bring a presence to their roles that's hard to miss. Also of note, Liv Tyler's Arwen is suprisingly good, making it her best
effort on the screen to date.
The Fellowship of the Ring is exciting because of what may be ahead for moviegoers. Although I doubt any of the
three films will be a masterpiece own their own, taken as a whole the trilogy could become one of the decade's best
endeavors, much like Kieslowski's Blue, White, Red Three Colors trilogy in the mid-1990s.
If anything, this film will encourage many of those unfamiliar with Tolkien's work to seek out his literary masterpiece and
become more familiar with its unique world of rich characters and grandiose themes. The Fellowship of the Ring represents everything
you'd want in a great epic film - special characters, a riveting storyline, great directing, and superb performances. It's
been a while since I've left the theater in wonderment at what I'd just witnessed, but if this film is any indication, we've
got a lot to look forward to.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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