Time to revisit this gem.

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2003)

Now that the trilogy is complete, I thought I would return and add my comments to the film that started it all.
This film, unlike the other two is perhaps the only one of the three that appeals to Tolkien aficionados and lay people alike. Why? That is difficult to answer but here are some of my thoughts none the less:
As the first film in the series, director Peter Jackson pursued the path of least resistance: ie. stick to the source text whenever possible both in term of story line and dialogue. It surprised me that almost every line of dialogue in this film is from the text of the book.
Yes, sometimes it is from the mouths of different characters, eg."...the world is changing, I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth" narrated by Galadrial at the beginning of the film is actually said by Treebeard near the books end.
Of course Glorfindal the elflord is replaced by Arwen, but this can also be easily overlooked knowing Tolkiens love for the story of Beren and Luthien.
Furthermore, for fans of the book, we were just happy to see the characters we knew so much brought to the big screen.
Lastly, this film has an aspect of Tolkien, the author, the others do not: the Shire and Bag End. For Tolkien himself, this idyllic little tract of land, be it fictional, was close to his heart. It abounds at once with spring time renewal, peace, and simplicity. Indeed, it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.
With the second films wide departure from the book and the last films cheesy schlock, I for one am certainly glad that Fellowship of the Ring is there on my shelf for return viewings. We'll always have the Shire.
For those who have not seen this film and for those wanting a second look: it is time to revisit this gem.
the Pond