One of the greatest novels of all time becomes one of the greatest films of all time...

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2001)

Star Wars... The Godfather... Soldaat Van Oranje... the greatest films ever made... and now they have great company among them... The Fellowship Of The Ring joins the super-elite class of films and lays all that has tried to compete with it to rest. Chris Columbus, J.K. Rowling, Steven Kloves, Ralph Bakshi, Peter S. Beagle, and Chris Conkling can all find themselves several large holes to bury themselves in. Peter Jackson, Frances Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, take a bow! John Ronald Reuel Tolkien would be proud of this film, despite the opinion that he and many others had that The Lord Of The Rings was "unfilmable". Digital technology and the love of a fan who would one day grow to direct has put paid to that word.
Of course, there are some liberties taken with Tolkien's masterpiece: details have been condensed, such as dialogues and some of the acts performed by various characters, and you have to expect this to a certain extent, but surprisingly less of this than you'd expect has taken place. The most obvious example of this is that Arwen Undomiel has taken on both her own and another character's role. I forget the name of the character that has been merged into her part, but I feel this was actualy a smart move, as were the rest of the condensations. The film has taken the story and made it more concise, easier to follow. However, this does not detract from the film in the slightest sense. Indeed, like running the journey of the four Hobbits parallel to the betrayal of Saruman, this keeps the story comprehensible to viewers who have read the novel and those who have not.
It is clear from the prologue that explains how Bilbo Baggins managed to get the One Ring out of Gollum's hands and into the Shire that Peter Jackson has treated the novel with the love and respect that it deserves. As Gandalf, played with an uncanny accuracy by Sir Ian McKellen, rides into Hobbiton for the celebrations of Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday, with are introduced to Bilbo's nephew, Frodo. Frodo is played with an uncanny accuracy by Elijah Wood, as is Bilbo by Ian Holm. After we are introduced to Frodo's companions, all played with a certain kind of wonder, we are introduced to the brilliance of the novel in a manner that it rightly deserves.
Even the very minor flaws, such as the portrayal of Arwen by Liv Tyler or the portrayal of Galadriel by Cate Blanchett, can be excused. It is very clear that Peter Jackson intended to turn the most brilliant book of all time into the most brilliant film of all time. Don't miss it.