An outsider looking in

Rating: 9/10 (28 March 2012)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is adventure and fantasy filmmaking at its finest, and I see no reason why fans of the novel and the series all together would not find it commendable or laudable. It exceeded my personal expectations, and I have never read J. R. R. Tolkien's acclaimed trilogy, nor did I possess any prior knowledge of the stories ahead of time. The experience was open for many surprises, and boy did it bring some.
The story, which I will do my best to explain, is set in Middle Earth, sixty years after the Dark Lord Sauron tried to conquer it by using the One Ring, which rules and binds the people together. At the time of the attempt to conquer the land, the ring was left in possession of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who has now passed it on to his nephew, Frodo (Wood). Wizard Gandalf the Grey (McKellen) informs Frodo of Sauron's powerful forces and sends him and his friend Samwise (Astin) out of town so they can destroy the ring and prevent any abuse of power. Along the way, they pick up numerous friends and acquaintances, and together, they are off to destroy the ring. The wonderful ring of...Middle Earth.
It may come as a surprise to some people that this is actually the third attempt to bring J. R. R. Tolkien's book to film. The first attempt was done in 1978 by Ralph Bakshi, while the second was a Television film called The Return of the King in 1980. It almost seemed The Lord of the Rings series was plagued of having inferior, slightly incompetent films and was unable to adapt to the big screen, until Peter Jackson blew everyone, including the Oscars, away with his star-studded, beautifully made adaptation of one of the world's most beloved series.
Yes, The Lord of the Rings is a beauty. Mainly in its art direction, which is heavily detailed and breathtaking in appearance. Special effects run rampant in Jackson's film, and they are used as an enhancement tool rather than as a simple distraction. This wasn't long after The Matrix was released, so having the audience treated to a world-wind of special effects still wasn't very common in films. I have been told from many fans of Tolkien's work was that what made the novels work so well was (a) they were long and unexpected, almost seeming as if anything could happen, always leaving the reader in some essence of suspense and involvement and (b) were extremely vibrant, detailed, and descriptive. Atmospheres were always described intricately, suspense and peril were captured with a great sense of urgency and delight, and the characters were sweet, charming, and very, very developed.
If I had to knock the epic for being one thing, it's that it seems from all the things I have read and been told about the novel, it's as if the film focuses a bit too much on action and swordplay. Still, there's enough buildup and dialog to keep one interested. The film may have a simple plot, but it evokes it as if it was a complex, never-ending journey through the sands of time.
The performances are to die for. Sean Astin, a very underrated talent whom we saw in Encino Man and The Goonies, is all grown up and spunky here as Sam, the wisecracking admirable Hobbit, and Elijah Wood is capable and simply mesmerizing as Frodo. But the grand performance of the epic easily goes to Ian McKellen as the always intriguing and slightly ominous Wizard Gandalf. McKellen plays a wizard how I believe a real one would act. Witty, a tad clumsy, but very insightful and enriching every time he speaks, as well as providing much needed reassurance and optimism. It can be considered an unforgivable crime not to have awarded him the Best Supporting Actor award.
And now, for the question of the hour; will I pursue the other two films? As of now, I don't plan on it. The Fellowship of the Ring was a marvelous excursion, but a protracted and extensive one, sometimes providing boredom. Fantasy has never been my cup of tea, as I have always preferred my films with a sense of realism, comedy, suspense, and characters. There are people who take the genre seriously and I can't blame them. We must treasure works of mythical art in the time of depressing and oppressive circumstances, and to the ones who get very involved with a franchise or series, I admire and envy you. It was just never my thing.
But who knows? Perhaps one day I will complete the odyssey that is The Lord of the Rings. I told myself going in that this film had to be very, very immersing and reach untold levels of excitement and involvement for me to move on to two other films totaling in over six hours. It was very good, but not good enough for me to invest one fourth of a day in the rest of the material.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, and Ian Holm. Directed by: Peter Jackson.