The Model For All Epics To Follow

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2005)

LOTR has raised the bar in terms of large cinema productions. I truly believe prior to the first installments release, the movie-going world did not know what was in store. What they got was the beginning of on of the greatest journeys ever put on screen. The Series only gets better as it progresses. I jumped at the opportunity to see "Fellowship of the Ring" because I greatly enjoyed fantasy tales, despite not reading the books themselves. So much emphasis was put on the special effects and scenery that many of the actors were overlooked. Wood as Frodo hardly got any credit for his role, even Liv Tyler was more recognized for her part. Ian McKellen does a superb job as one of my favorite characters; Gandolf. The Movie also saw breakout performances from Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom.
"Fellowship of the Ring" was more artistic and contained less intense battle sequences then its two successors. Numerous people have stated that they despised this movie because of its length and slow pace. However it is this first installment that sets the pace for the excitement and the following movies. The 1st heavily focuses on character development and plot. This film does not deviate from the book at all from what i am told and is nice to see a movie that does not rely primarily on senseless violence to draw a crowd. My hat's of to Peter Jackson in creating a cinematic masterpiece of epic proportions.