Fantastic start to a great trilogy (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (2 February 2004)

Now being hailed as one of the greatest fantasy trilogies ever committed to film, it is worth taking a look at Peter Jackson's monumental and hugely successful effort to bring JRR Tolkien's books to the screen. Although the best plot elements of the plot are still to come, this first film gets the story off to a great start.
In the vast continent of Middle Earth, Frodo Baggins is a contented little hobbit living in the lush green country paradise of the Shire. He lives in Bag End with his uncle Bilbo (Ian Holm) and his best friend Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin) lives just around the corner. But dark forces are on the move. The evil Lord Sauron (Sala Baker) is preparing to rule Middle Earth. Along with corrupt wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), he seeks the One Ring that will enhance his power and make him unstoppable. This very ring resides in the Shire with Bilbo. At the command of wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Bilbo bequeaths the ring to Frodo and so the quest to destroy the Ring begins...
Much of the story credit naturally belongs to original author JRR Tolkien, who has created a rich complex tale around featuring hobbits, wizards, dwarves, elves, goddesses, orcs and the like. Within a story as good as this, these elements are not cliched but are rich and interesting. The Ring is depicted as a source of greed and corruption and it's fascinating to watch how this affects the characters. One of Tolkien's flaws though, was to bog down his interesting narrative with largely superfluous events and the script does well in keeping these to a minimum. As a result the story flows much better and is easier to follow.
There is some fantastic cinematography in this film, featuring a seamless blend of sumptuous location shots and digital imagery. The battles and daring escapes are very well done. Highlights include a chase and battle through the mountain caverns and the final riverside swordfight.
There is some great acting here. Elijah Wood and Sam Gamgee are excellent as the chief hobbits, Wood in particular good at conveying the anxiety conflict of will which comes with his burden. Both actors have abandoned their U.S. accents in favour of British ones. This a good move and gives their characters a more natural feel. Ian MacKellen and Christopher Lee are on form as the opposing wizards, their vintage British charm invigorating their characters. Of the others, Sean Bean is on fine form as conflicted but doomed warrior Boromir. Cate Blanchett isn't too bad either, as ethereal goddess Galadriel.
A splendid start to a worthy series, as well as being an invigorating and enjoyable fantasy adventure film.