Fellowship Of The Ring


Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Liv Tyler, Sean Bean, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis. Directed and produced by Peter Jackson.

Long ago in Middle-earth, a series of rings were made giving power to good and bad kings and elves. But the very evil Sauron in the desolate land of Mordor fashioned a ring of unlimited power and consuming evil that dominated all other rings. Centuries ago, Sauron was killed and the ring was lost.

The One Ring was found centuries later by Bildo (Holm), an old man who now wishes to leave The Shire and leave the ring with his friend the wizard Gandolf (McKellan). He passes it on to the Hobbitt Frodo Baggins (Wood) to hide. But Sauron's spirit did not die with his body, and now powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it. The future of civilization rests in the fate of the One Ring, and a daunting task lies ahead for Frodo when he becomes the Ringbearer - to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.

But he can't do it alone. A Fellowship bands together to help Frodo - the wise Gandalf, loyal friends Sam (Astin), Merry (Monaghan) and Pippin (Boyd), courageous Aragorn (Mortensen) and Boromir (Bean), skilled bowsman Legolas (Bloom), and the strong and fierce dwarf Gimli (Rhys-Davies). They are aided in their quest by the elf Princesss Arwen (Tyler), and her father Elrond (Weaving), whose knowledge of the One Ring brings to light the true danger and the importance of their journey. Later they are helped by enchanting Elfen Princess Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). Along the way the Fellowship must overcome the obstacles or weather and the forces of evil to survive and keep the Ring safe from the forces of darkness.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, with over 100 million books sold, has been voted "Book of the Century" by several century end polls. It is revered by rabid devotees, many of whom read the very long books over and over. Tolkien and the surviving family members reportedly feared what Hollywood would do with his books and did not desire them to be taken to the screen. Director Peter Jackson filmed all three parts at a reported cost of $270 million, with the next two to be released Christmas 2002 and 2003. I have not read any of the books, but other reviews and articles attest that the film is very faithful to the book.

And the fans needn't have worried - The Fellowship of the Ring is a meticulously crafted and very well-performed film that is a stirring action-adventure epic. It is VERY SERIOUS. Nobody cracks a smile. A sense of humour is forbidden. Shakespeare isn't taken this seriously. But I digress.

The Fellowship of the Ring is a story of good versus evil. There is no room for sublety or shades of grey. Sauron represents the foulest, darkest evil forces imaginable, and his minions entranced by his spell have no redeeming values. Unlike many action movies, the film pays attention to character and coherent plot details, so that people like me who have not read the books are able to follow the complicated story. Visually, the film is often stunning. Filmed in Jackson's native New Zealand, the film is at its best utilizing its stunning scenery, from the lush green meadows of The Shire, to the magnificent mountain vistas that the Fellowship travels through (the ruins of an old church on a mountain side are just amazing), to the canoeing along rivers cut right out of the mountains. Less successful is the the film's heavy reliance on special effects to create the mystical places in Middle-earth. For me, the film relied on them too much, but there are some excellent effects, including a spectacular looking underground city of Moria, an amazing staircase into the fires of the earth, the Shangri-La-like garden paradise of Rivendell, and Galadriel briefly morphing into a scorceress.

There is a bit of romance - a twilight meeting between Arden and Aragorn is tender and dreamily lit - but make no mistake, this is an action film. There's lots of blood, gore and beheadings, but the camera does not linger on the carnage. In fact, often the camera is moving at warp speed in battle scenes such that it is hard to see what is going on. And our brave Fellowship members seem to kill an extraordinary number of supposedly fierce and fearless orcs with relative ease. But, I guess it is too much to ask for strict realism in a mythical fantasy.

The performances are quite good, but all are dwarfed by the masterful Gandalf of Ian McKellan. An Oscar nomination would not be out of order. Running the gamut from kindly and wise, to fierce and determined, Gandalf is the heart of the story, and when McKellan is not on screen the movie noticeably sags. Viggo Mortensen stands out among fellowship members as the handsome and noble Aragorn. This role is likely to propel him to deserved stardom. Cate Blanchett is appropriately other-worldly and regal. And a pleasant surprise for me, Liv Tyler is really quite good - her accent and presence first rate. Elijah Wood, a consistently solid actor, brings a gentle wide-eyed quality to Frodo that hints at a strength beneath.

For once, a much anticipated film matches its own hype. I'd have to say I admired the effort and quality of work put in by the director and actors, rather than really loved the movie. But, for enthusiasts of rousing action and adventure, The Fellowship Of The Ring is one of the better action films this year.




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