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Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The trilogy of books by J.R.R. Tolkien that are collectively known as The Lord of the Rings are amongst the most obsessively pored over novels ever written. Stunning in their depth and span, they have spawned endless debate and consideration. Long considered unfilmable, they are now being brought to the screen. The first one, Fellowship of the Ring, automatically becomes one of the most highly anticipated films in memory. An intensely loyal fanbase is all but drooling at the possibilities of a well made film version of these much beloved books.
So how well does this movie make the leap from the pages? Quite well, thank you. Director Peter Jackson has done an admirable job of creating a film that can visually tell the same immense story and keep intact the rich peoples, myths, cultures and diverse lands that make the novels so endearing. Starting with a brief prologue that introduces Tolkien's Middle Earth to those who haven't read the books, the movie is off to a fast and impressive start. We quickly learn the history of the Ring of Power that is the impetus for this entire story. Then things settle down and get to spend a little time in the Shire, home of the hobbits. For those unfamiliar with the books, hobbits are a race of short chubby people who like nothing better than to eat seven or eight meals a day, smoke their pipes and enjoy their beautiful spot in the world. The story focuses on one particular hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood).
Frodo's uncle Bilbo (Ian Holm) is throwing a huge party to celebrate his 111th birthday. He has invited most everyone in town as well as the wizard Gandalf. Many years ago, Bilbo and Gandalf had a grand adventure during which Bilbo found a magical ring (see The Hobbit for details). The ring makes Gandalf nervous and he advises Bilbo to leave it to Frodo upon his retirement. This he does very reluctantly. Gandalf engages in a bit of research and discovers that the ring is actually the One Ring of Power, a source of great evil being actively sought by its maker the dark lord Sauron. Gandalf orders Frodo to take off immediately for a safer area with the ring. Sauron has sent nine ringwraiths, former kings enslaved by the power of the ring, out to find the ring.
Thus begins an incredibly long and dangerous quest to destroy the One Ring before Sauron can reclaim it and use its power to take over the world. The story is entirely too long and complex to do anything other than quickly summarize. This is a fantasy epic on a scale never really attempted on film. Tokien's world is one of astounding depth and Jackson has his hands full just trying to give us a taste of it. Large sections of the book are left behind but for the sake of translation to film, this was wise. Gone is the strange character of Tom Bombadil but as that character is of little consequence to the bigger story, no harm is done. Similarly gone are the detailed descriptions of travel and the songs and poems used to entertain travelers on the way. Jackson has the advantage of showing us the landscape of Middle Earth, where as Tolkien had to describe it in detail (and did so with great regularity). This saves a lot of time, which is good because there is a lot of story to tell.
Tokien's great imagination is largely why this film was considered impossible to film for decades. Modern special effects have improved now to the point where almost anything is possible and Jackson takes advantage of that. The effects run from stunning to subtle. For instance, the hobbits are supposed to be about three feet tall but normal size actors were employed, requiring considerable trickery to make them look much shorter than the other actors. Then there's the need to have massive armies of various species battling each other on scales never put to film. Or maybe designing and animating fanciful beasts like the Balrog, which Tolkien himself never really tried to describe. These effects are largely successful, giving the film a certain sense of wonder. If you thought Harry Potter's mountain troll was something, just wait until you see his bigger nastier cousin in this film, the cave troll.
Acting is solid all around with Ian McKellen standing out in his role as Gandalf. He completely disappears into the character and brings the mysterious to blazing life. Ian Holm does fine work with Bilbo and so does Wood with Frodo. Wood does good work but the harder acting will come in the later films. He will probably stand out more then. The same can be said of Viggo Mortensen as the ranger Aragorn.
There's really only two problems with the film and both were unavoidable. One is the length. Three hours will test the posteriors of even the most veteran of movie goers. Not that there isn't plenty going on to keep us involved and entertained. It's good stuff, but three hours is simply a long time. Given the amount of material to work with I'm actually surprised that Jackson got it down to that short a time. The other problem is the ending which Tolkien fans know is coming but novices will likely find highly unsatisfying, particularly considering that they must wait a year to see the next film.
Fantasy fans have to be happy this season. First they got the very nice Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and now the grand daddy of fantasy The Lord of the Rings. Personally I prefer this film with its much greater scope and darker material. This isn't the better film to take your young kids to but it is the better film. If the next two can match its quality this will stand as one of the more impressive movie trilogies of all time.
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