The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
The Plot:
Set in mythic Middle Earth, a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a magic ring from his elderly cousin Bilbo. The dark Lord Sauron lusts for the powers that the magic ring holds, knowing it will enable him to enslave the people of land. In his effort to thwart Sauron, Frodo recruits the fellowship of a wizard, an elf, a dwarf and others on a mission to destroy the ring by casting it into the volcanic fires in the Crack of Doom. However, the ring unleashes its own power as a result of the struggle.... (From Yahoo Movies)
My Thoughts: (Reviewed by K-Billy)
The land of middle earth is a fantasy realm involving wizards, goblins, dragons, etc. In the olden times a dark lord named Sauron forged a mighty ring of power that would allow him to overtake all of the land. Through the unification of the peoples of middle earth Sauron was defeated, but through the corruption of men the ring was allowed to survive, thus keeping Sauron’s spirit intact. For thousands of years the ring was lost until it was stumbled upon by the creature Gollum. However he did not keep it for long, for a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins happened to take it from Gollum and bring it back to his home in the shire. And that is where it has stayed, undetected. Until now…for Sauron’s spirit has awoken and his armies are massing. He is readying to make his move to regain the ring and enslave all of Middle Earth. All hope lies in the hands of a small hobbit named Frodo Baggins, and his companions, Sam, Pippin, and Merry, all hobbits. Along with outside assistance from Aragorn the ranger, Boromir of Gondor, Gimli a dwarf, and Legalos the elf. Not too mention the all wise and powerful Gandalf, a strong wizard. Together they are the fellowship of the ring and seek to destroy the evil.
If I have ever been completely blindsided by a film it would have to be Fellowship Of The Ring. The first of three installments of the epic Lord Of The Rings tale. I had read the books quite a while back and had heard the buzz surrounding this picture, but really thought nothing of it. I have never been so surprised in my life. This is hands down one of the best if not the best films I have ever seen. Amazingly it has everything going for it. The Lord Of The Rings story is one of the greatest books ever released and as such this film and the two others to follow benefit from having some of the greatest source material ever to base the films on. Beyond that Fellowship has probably the best ensemble cast I’ve ever seen since the Godfather. It’s almost impossible to find a standout in the film because everyone is at such a high level with their performances.
The main role is that of the hobbit Frodo Baggins, played wonderfully by Elijah Wood, who can convey more emotion in his eyes then most actors can in their face. With little or no effort at all Elijah can merely turn and gaze at you and you find yourself enthralled with his character. Sean Astin, of The Goonies, and Rudy, is a wonderful companion to Frodo, loyal and unselfish. The comic relief would come in the form of Merry, played by Dominic Monahagan, and Pippin, portrayed hilariously by Billy Boyd. These two characters are hilarious in their mischevious exploits and plots but their prescence in the film never cheapens it for they are in no ways one dimensional comic relief characters. Viggo Mortenson probably brings the most crowd pleasing character to the mix with the action oriented Aragorn, one of the more kick ass characters in the movie, but again not without his depth. Legalos, played by Orlando Bloom, and Gimli, played by John Rhys Davies, seem to be to Aragorn what Merry and Pippin are to Frodo, likable companions who often quarrel with each other, which brings another uplifting element to the film. And where would the Fellowship be without Boromir, a conflicted character, torn between doing what he knows to be right, and resisting his unnerving temptation to take the ring from Frodo and bring it back to Gondor. He is played wonderfully by Sean Bean, who’s performance is altogether tragic. Probably my favorite character of the film has to be Gandalf. What an amazing performance by Ian McKellan. He brings such wisdom and depth to the richest of all the characters.
With the best visual effects I’ve ever seen Fellowship Of The Ring sets a new standard for films with CG. Right from the beginning the short battle sequence showcases amazing visuals. With armies of hundreds or thousands strewn out across the battle field with archers firing and Orcs charging, altogether impressive. Not too mention the vast CG environments that unlike Star Wars Episode II never create a sense of detachment between the characters and the world around them. Now that’s an accomplishment. On top of that the monsters and such look amazing, from the cave troll, to the fiery Balrog, who has the most convincing CG fire streaming from his body that I have ever seen. I give an immense amount of credit to the Visual Effects team for really bringing this film to life, for it could not have existed without special effects. Building on everything available to them the filmmakers have created an amazingly good looking film. From the wardrobe, to the environments that aren’t CG, this film has extremely top noth production values. I marvel at the beautiful colors and cinematography, which is most likely a result of the digital grading of the fim. As far as the direction it’s quite amazing really. Peter Jackson went from making comedy horror films such as Bad Taste and Dead Alive (possibly the goriest film ever) to taking the helm for this grand trilogy. And he does an excellent job with the first film, with an epic direction that matches the feel of the movie.
I have never been so caught off guard with a film, so impressed. The Fellowship Of The Ring, is probably the best the film I’ve ever seen. It is the first of a trilogy of three so I can only imagine that when all is said and done that this will probably be the greatest trilogy of all time, assuming the filmmakers don’t mess up the good thing they’ve got going here. The story is the best I’ve ever seen and rightfully so considering it’s part of the greatest book of all time, and the film lives up to it’s source material. The ensemble cast is amazing with incredible performances all around, and you will find yourself dumbfounded at how good the visual effects are in this film. It’s that impressive. When all is said and done it looks as though Jackson is about to become the biggest director in Hollywood, and this trilogy will rightfully take it’s place at the top of the heap. It’s hard to tell however, for the hearts of men are easily corrupted.
Starring: Elijah Wood,
Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Rated PG-13