Fellowship Manages To Thrill

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2012)

New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson fulfills his lifelong dream of transforming author J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling fantasy epic into a three-part motion picture that begins with this holiday 2001 release.This fantasy film based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.Set in Middle-earth, the story tells of the Dark Lord Sauron, who is seeking the One Ring. The Ring has found its way to the young hobbit Frodo Baggins. The fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as Frodo and eight companions who form the Fellowship of the Ring begin their journey to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed.
Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit resident of the medieval "Middle-earth" who discovers that a ring bequeathed to him by beloved relative and benefactor Bilbo is in fact the "One Ring," a device that will allow its master to manipulate dark powers and enslave the world. Frodo is charged by the wizard Gandalf to return the ring to Mount Doom, the evil site where it was forged millennia ago and the only place where it can be destroyed. Accompanying Frodo is a fellowship of eight others: his Hobbit friends Sam, Merry, and Pippin; plus Gandalf; the human warriors Aragorn and Boromir; Elf archer Legolas; and Dwarf soldier Gimli. The band's odyssey to the dreaded land of Mordor, where Mount Doom lies, takes them through the Elfish domain of Rivendell and the forest of Lothlorien, where they receive aid and comfort from the Elf princess Arwen, her father, Elrond, and Queen Galadriel. In pursuit of the travelers and their ring are Saruman -- a traitorous wizard and kin, of sorts, to Gandalf -- and the Dark Riders, under the control of the evil, mysterious Sauron. The Fellowship must also do battle with a troll, flying spies, Orcs, and other deadly obstacles both natural and otherwise as they draw closer to Mordor.
Peter Jackson has not only attempted the most ambitious film project in modern cinema history, he's pulled it off with a breathtaking mixture of nerve and verve, too.Visually striking, thematically poignant, and morally weighty, the first film of Lord of the Rings is superb for it manages to thrill and enthrall despite its length and repetition.The production design is a marvel, and the special effects are dazzling but nevertheless,it manages to stay attuned to the story and the character.