Greatest of all time?

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2002)

Given that, for the moment, this film ranks at the top of IMDb's Movie list, there has been a bit of debate in the reviews about whether "The Fellowship of the Ring" is the best film ever. (It probably won't stay that high; I would bet it eventually settles in at No. 3 or 4). Most people would say no, because most people have chosen a favorite already and are hesitant to stray from that conviction. "Shawshank Redemption" is a common, and wholly deserved, choice for many. While I also hesitate to say this is the best film ever, I can say this: I am hard pressed to think of a better one. There are several films which stand on the same level ("Shawshank," "The Empire Strikes Back," etc.) but none that I can think of which are clear and away better than "Rings." It is unquestionably the best work in the (admittedly small) genre, but this is insufficient praise when you consider that it competes with "Dungeons & Dragons", "Mortal Kombat," and "Krull" for that honor.
So praise goes to the individuals that made this film the triumph that it is. First, to Ian McKellen for covering the entire range of Gandalf, from the playful hobbit-friend to the imposing and powerful wizard. To Elijah Wood, for his best turn yet as Frodo. All four of the hobbits, indeed, captured the comfort-loving and adventure-wary attitude of Tolkien's hobbits perfectly. To Viggo Mortensen, who literally lived in his armor to capture the essence of Aragorn. To Christopher Lee, a long-overdue helping of praise for his portrayal of Saruman (his recitation of the power of Sauron's eye is just chilling). To John Rhys-Davies, not nearly as underdeveloped as Gimli as some would say. He just fit to character, never letting us forget the temperament of a dwarf. Having read The Two Towers I assure that his role will expand. To Orlando Bloom, a natural elf if I ever saw one. (Someone pointed out that in Caradhras he tiptoes across the top of the snow while the others slog through it - I have to go back and watch it again just to see that!) To Howard Shore, whose soundtrack gets better with each listening - it's the best one this year and should take home the Oscar and the Globe. (I was all suited up to hand that award to John Williams for "Harry Potter," because it had one jingle - you know the one if you've seen it - that was memorable. Shore's score has at least seven such themes.) To WETA, the special effects house, I can't say enough. The effects are the best in any film. This can be realized at the same time you realize that John Rhys-Davies and Elijah Wood are both close to 6' tall. Many of the seamless conversations and events of the film were acted in front of a blue screen, with characters interacting with wooden posts and the like. All is flawless on screen.
And most of all praise goes to Peter Jackson, an admitted fan of the trilogy. He had the vision to reshape Tolkien's story just enough to make it a masterpiece of cinema - the removal of Tom Bombadil was ideal, he being the character in "Fellowship" least connected to the rest of the story, who comes and goes and leaves the characters more or less unchanged, and the barrow-wights, which was so forgettable a portion of the book that I scarcely remember it. Also he had the temperance to leave the most important aspects of the story unchanged, such as the encounter with the Balrog (listen to Ian McKellen say that word in the movie. Classic!) and the Lady of the Wood.
The film is littered with the details of Tolkien's Middle Earth, and makes perfect sense to one outside the fandom - I had not read the novels until after I had seen the movie twice. I don't think it's crystal clear to some people that this is the first of three; a few people in my theater who were in shock when it ended with so little resolved, but that's a minor grievance and hopefully that information will spread faster than the film. Of course, that's a pretty tall order with a film like this.