Seat belt required

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2001)

In my short life, I have not remembered a time where I literally sat on the edge of my seat for a movie lasting 3 hours while disregarding the consequences of drinking a 40 oz. Coke. The Fellowship of the Ring has it all. Most of the big budget action movies have been one dimensional, with only the special effects carrying the picture. This movie not only had mind blowing visuals and sound, but a solid, believable plot (despite the fantasy genre) and an amazing all around acting performance by the ensemble cast. I accredit the acting to Jackson's decision to use mostly experienced stage and British actors (i.e. Ian McKlellan and Ian Holm) instead of main-stream, unskilled American actors to make Tolkien's characters come alive. The movie differs from the book in several minor ways, but nothing will disappoint any fan. One advantage of this adaptation is most of the explanatory parts are eliminated, resulting in a film that is a series of action sequences, preventing audience relaxation. I did not even breathe through the mines of Moria section. The drawbacks of this film are that it does has a long running time and the main character will oft be misinterpreted. Frodo will come across as wimpy and annoying to many non-Tolkien fans. This happens because Frodo's true character is not developed until later in the trilogy. If one watches the whole trilogy, they will notice a transformation from weak to strong and will then relate to Frodo's anyman personality. Other than that, I will warn you that there a few jumps and frightening scenes that will not suit well for the young, elderly or weak at heart. If you were disappointed with the Phantom Menace, the Jurassic Park sequels, and all the other garbage that the movie machine has pumped out for the past 5 summers, this movie will return hope and bring you back to the better days of movie making.