Oh, the agony!

Rating: Null/10 (22 December 2001)

No, this is NOT a bad review. This is a very good review. I was in agony during the whole 3.2 hours because i knew it had to end sometime, and that I would have to wait two years to finish it.
I read the LOTR after getting hooked on the Hobbit in 1970. I read LOTR every year for the next five years, but have not revisited since. Still, I have retold the story in simplified form to children since then, so my memory of the major plot details and characters is good, and I obviously love the story.
I even tolerated the Saul Bass animated versions of the Hobbit and Return of the King, and actually kinda liked the Ralph Bakshi semi-animated Lord of the Rings, which covered the Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers books (only to be finished by the Bass LOTR).
I argued for years with well meaning folks who thought only Disney could do LOTR justice. I knew that Disney would only sugar coat it. I despaired that anyone would have the proper combination of patience, love for the book, skill, funding, studio support, cast, etc; to really do the job well. And I really started to dread the new live action LOTR; the trailers did look good to me at all. I did not plan to buy advance tickets or stand in line for this one.
Well here I am, having just seen LOTR Fellowship for the first time, and I can only say that I cannot conceive of how they might have done a better job. As it unfolded, from the very first scene onward, I was transported to Middle Earth, and it was just the way I would have done it. the same kind of abridgements I have used to retell the story were used by the film makers, and I can understand why they did what they did.
Every character was wonderfully portrayed. The locations perfect, the special effects so seamless that I was never aware of them, knowing only that they had to be there because the things I was seeing could not exist that way. Even low tech effects which made full grown human actors appear to be radically different sizes, apparently right next to each other, was jaw dropping yet at the same time quite natural. Even the soundtrack was supportive without being really noticeable.
Yes, this is how I pictured Gandalf, elves, hobbits, dwarves, orcs, Gollum, etc. The cave troll on Moria was something I had never had a real picture of in my mind, but the realization here was perfect. The Balrog was even better.
The final battle on the river bank, when the fellowship breaks up was straight out of the book, and as scary, exciting, sad and necessary as I imagined it. The film ended on just the right note, as did the book.
I can't recommend this enough, and I can't wait for the next part in 2002.