There and back again

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2018)

This review contains spoilers.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in 2001 and is the first part to the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie is based off of the novel by JRR Tolkien of the same name. The movie follows Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, as he discovers a magic ring belonging to his uncle Bilbo Baggins.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a classic movie based on a classic book. This movie harkens back to an era of film-making similar to an epic. This movie has everything that composes an epic movie. The movie has a large cast of diverse characters. The movie has a long journey that is started but not completed by the end of the movie. The movie features large sweeping angles courtesy of the director Peter Jackson. This movie makes great use of being the first part of a movie trilogy by setting itself up well.
The movie feels well thought out with its pacing. The movie is a lengthy one at 178 minutes for the theatrical cut. The movie uses this time to develop the characters and setting. Any fans of the book will enjoy seeing the writings realized on film. It is impressive seeing The Shire, Rivendell, and Isengard. However this movie is not completely accurate to the book, I would still consider this movie a faithful adaptation.
The casting is absolutely perfect. Every actor and actress fits their role so well that it is hard to imagine anyone else playing the role. Sir Ian McKellen is perfect as Gandalf. Viggo Mortensen does a great job as Aragorn. There are no weak casting choices in this movie.
The actual plot of this movie is simple and easy to follow. The movie follows Frodo Baggins as the Fellowship of the Ring is formed and dissolved. This is a strength of the movie as this simple plot is still executed well. I have always believed that the Lord of the Rings did well with world building rather than the immediate plot. That is reflected here with how this movie is presented and directed.
The extended cut of the Fellowship of the Ring is highly recommended. This extended cut adds so much to the movie that I recommend watching this cut instead of the Theatrical cut.
Overall I would highly recommend The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Grade: A