Outshines your average good movie the way a supernova outshines a star...

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2002)

**SPOILERS**"Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky/Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone/Nine for mortal men doomed to die/One for the Dark Lord on his Dark Throne. In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie/One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them/One Ring to bring them all and, in the darkness, bind them/In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."
--J.R.R. Tolkein, Opening poem for all three books of The Lord of The Rings trilogy
I made a point of memorizing the above verse back when I was in high school, just as I made a point to read the trilogy and its prelude, "The Hobbit". That said, I could not and shall not claim to be a true Tolkeinite. I don't religiously follow the books the way some have, but I do think that they are some of the finest gifts that the nation of England has ever given to the world, right up there with the complete works of William Shakespeare. When I first heard about the adaptation of these books coming to pass, I was neither suspicious nor prepared to scream blasphemy. I've seen enough film adaptations to know that some things would inevitably be changed (the merit of such changes, I leave to more die-hard fanatics and anal-retentive scholars than myself). Indeed, just before "Fellowship of The Ring" came out, Sir Ian McKellan addressed that very issue in an interview I saw in Newsweek, referring to how he always had issues with film adaptations of the work of Charles Dickens, but also said that this was intended to be a tribute to Tolkein, not a crass commercialization that too much of Hollywood indulges in. So I had hope. When I finally saw it...my hopes were surpassed by a VERY large margin (considering how high they were, no mean feat).
Yes, there are changes to the story. Even my vague recollection of the tale showed several parts that had been rearranged and/or excised from the film (though I've been given to understand that some of the scrapped bits shall reappear on DVD release). When all's said and done, I can live with that. It takes nothing away from the film itself, which follows the main storyline closely enough to where only the most die-hard Tolkeinite would be displeased.
Also, too many people have complained about the CGI in the cinematography, almost as if there was something ignoble about it. I simply see CGI as a tool, one that, while often misused, is capable of being an important partner to a film and not just the only reason to see a film. Inevitably, there were certain parts of Tolkein's universe that could not be duplicated any other way in the real world, ergo CGI was the only way to achieve the desired effect. About the only other director who has been able to use CGI as well as Jackson does here is George Lucas (which, I suppose, is a no-brainer).
The acting company involved included many of my favorite supporting players: Sir Ian McKellan (one of the most well-deserved Oscar nominations in the history of the academy), Ian Holm, Sean Bean, John Rhys-Davies, Hugo Weaving, and last, but certainly not least, Christopher Lee (who, even at this late date, has lost none of the menace and majesty that made him Hammer Studios' version of Count Dracula). I never thought that I'd actually see them all in one movie together, but, as I know myself, Tolkein's epic story has that kind of pull on people. Why should the acting fraternity be any different?
One personal benefit that the movie has given to me is helping me see the roots of Tolkein's saga more clearly. Odd that they never occurred to me while I was reading the books, but does now that I've seen it on screen. While Tolkein always bristled at the suggestion that it had anything to do with what went down in the real world (I doubt that he would have been persuaded by the late Dr. Issac Asimov's assessment on the subject), I wonder if he would have agreed with what I saw as references to classic legends and mythology:
The One True Ring--This corresponds with the Ring of the Niebelung, an accursed ring in Germanic myth forged by Alberich of the dwarves (who has counterparts in both Gollum and Sauron) that caused nothing but calamity by all those who wound up possessing it.
Strider's shattered sword--Suggested perhaps by the legend of Siegmund and Siegfried Volsung (whose lives played a major part in Wagner's "Ring of The Niebelung" cycle). Siegmund's invincible sword was shattered on the god Odin's magical spear, to be reforged by his son Siegfried.
Strider--He seems a throwback to King Arthur, who, it will be recalled, was raised by a far different father than his royal sire before taking his rightful place on the throne.
Boromir's betrayal--This also seems to follow the Arthur model, making Boromir the Sir Lancelot figure of the fellowship. The only noticable difference between the two is that Lancelot betrayed his king for love of his queen and Boromir betrayed Frodo and the others for want of the Ring's power.
Boromir's death--It wasn't until Boromir blew the horn of Gondor that I realized that it paralleled the title character's death in "The Song of Roland". Roland, too proud to call for reinforcements before it was too late, blew his horn just in time for his uncle and lord Charlemagne to find his dead body.
If there is any one reason why I cannot help but think of this as my favorite movie of all time, it comes down to this: it's the fantasy film I've been wanting to see all my life. No other fantasy movie I have seen--not "Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie", not "Willow", not even, to some degree, "Clash of The Titans"--wove the slow but sure spell that this movie did when all was said and done. Rare is the movie that runs for three hours plus and still leaves you wanting more. While I applaud the wisdom on the part of the filmmakers to break the saga up into three seperate films, I cannot deny that there is a gnawing frustration in the bottom of my soul for the next two parts. Without question, I have no fears that the next two films will wind up being a couple of the best Christmas presents I have ever received.