A very solid start to a great trilogy

Rating: 9/10 (19 October 2010)

J.R.R Tolkein's books are wonderful, with memorable characters, an enchanting atmosphere, strong narrative and dialogue and an epic story. Peter Jackson's trilogy mayn't be necessarily true to them, but it does have the memorable characters, the epic story and enchanting atmosphere that the books do. The Fellowship of the Ring is probably the weakest of the three, but it is a very solid start. It is I agree slower in pace to the other two, and there are some talky scenes that drag it down a tad.
However, I cannot deny that this is a great film. One of the many strong assets of this picture are the visuals. The cinematography is marvellous, the costumes are splendid, the effects are great, the makeup is immaculate and the scenery is fantastic especially with Rivendell which was like a Utopia. There is also the score, what an amazing score. As much as I do like Howard Shore, his scoring for the Lord of The Rings trilogy is his most memorable for me and probably his most complex as well. There are so many beautiful and haunting parts here, sometimes even at the same time, as well as the charming Hobbits theme, the ethereal theme played while at Rivendell and the sinister bombastic sounds while at Mordor.
Now I am not going to say that Peter Jackson is a bad director or an outstanding director, but he has directed some wonderful films especially Heavenly Creatures, and this is no exception, where he does a very capable job directing. The story still has its epic scope, with standouts being the confrontation between Gandalf and Sarouman, the scene in the mines with Balrok and Boromir's death scene. I also liked the pursuit of Frodo and Arwyn and Frodo with the Black Riders which was beautifully shot. Then there is the dialogue, which on the whole is excellent, Gandalf in my personal opinion gets the best of it.
And the acting is very good. I do think Frodo is developed more in the sequels than here, but Elijah Wood does do a likable enough job here, while Sean Astin's bumbling yet well meaning persona suits Sam well. Cate Blanchett is a lovely Galadriel, and Liv Tyler is stunning as Arwyn. And then there is Christopher Lee, whose presence always ensures that the performance is going to be good, and indeed it was, and Ian Holm is very good as Bilbo. Sean Bean also does well with Boromir, and John Rhys Davies is a welcome presence. Aragorn like Frodo is developed more in the sequels than here, here he is more brooding and charismatic above all else. Not a bad thing really, as Viggo Mortenssen does do that very well. The standout though is Ian McKellen, who is an absolute revelation as Gandalf, the delivery to the camera, the delivery of the lines, perfectly judged. In fact the only real weak link in the cast is Orlando Bloom, yes he is dashing and handsome, but in the process he does come across as a little uncharismatic and bland.
In conclusion, a great start. 9/10 Bethany Cox