The Lord of the Rings - An epic tale you will remember!

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2010)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy adventure based on the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. Following the book, the film picks up the adventure with the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holmes) celebrating his birthday in the peaceful town of Hobbiton. Bilbo bequeaths his prized magical ring to his nephew Frodo, played by Elijah Wood, while he himself leaves his home for one last adventure. Adventure finds Frodo, however, when the wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellan) discovers that Frodo's new ring is really "the one ring of power" (Jackson, 2001) sought by the Dark Lord Sauron. Frodo must set out to destroy the ring by returning it to the fires of Mt. Doom where it was forged. He is guided by Gandalf, and aided by his gardener Sam (Sean Astin) and protected by a Fellowship that includes, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Pippin (Billy Boyd), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), Gimli (John Rhys-Davis), and Boromir (Sean Bean). Christopher Lee plays a role as the wizard Saruman while Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, and Huggo Weaving make appearances as Elves.
The Lord of the Rings is a classic tale of Good vs. Evil and the struggle to overcome temptation in the face of corrupting power. Frodo must resist the power of the ring if he is going to return it to Mt. Doom, thereby destroying it. Frodo is set upon by beasts and ghouls throughout his journey and must even escape his own companions to achieve his goal. This archetypal theme of good vs. evil is also seen in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker must defeat the evil Empire while resisting the temptation to turn to the Dark Side. Both films show the triumph of unlikely heroes over incredibly powerful enemies.
The music in The Lord of the Rings was composed by Howard Shore, and is a thematic element that enhances the overall feeling delivered by the film. There are many journeys within the film, and the music helps to establish the transitions from one journey to the next, such as when the fellowship was leaving Rivendell to begin their trip to Mordor. The music also enhances the dramatic element during scenes that involve the temptation of the ring, or scenes that show the components of evil.
Another element that contributes to the theme is the use of lighting. The scenes involving the dark lord and the ringwraiths are dark and gloomy. During the meeting at Rivendell, Gandalf spoke in the tongue of Mordor and the lighting quickly darkened and changed the mood of the scene. However, when Frodo first awoke at Rivendell, everything was very bright and colorful. Through lighting techniques, and sound effects, the director has created a film that helps control the intensity and mood of each scene throughout an epic tale that deals with good vs evil.