Perfection?

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2001)

Let's not beat around the bush here. Anyone who's read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy will agree that it's quite simply the best work of fiction ever. The many layers of Tolkien's tale, ranging from the story of an unlikely hero to the struggle of a world forced to change the nature of it's existence, it's magnificent grandeur and it's subtle beauty, are what make it possible for almost every reader (and now viewer) to become ensnared in the magic of Middle Earth. This film respects its source in ways that few movie adaptations have. It also respects the fact that not everyone is familiar with the tale of the One Ring of power. Director Peter Jackson therefore crafts a film that for the virgin viewer will tell almost the entire story, and for the rest of us Tolkien readers he gives us little things like offhand comments made by the characters or stone trolls in the background that symbolize entire chapters of the books. One of the most marvelous things about this film is the way the grand scope of the changing Middle Earth is juxtaposed with the little world of Frodo and the Fellowship, Jackson is absolutely artful in this and the feelings of intimacy and of magnificence work off of each other so well that at times they seem to be dancing. Because of this, the audience is forced to feel the pressures that are on each member of the fellowship. This adds to another one of the films great triumphs, which is the sensation that each moment in the story leads directly to the next and each decision affects the outcome of the quest completely. Do not be afraid if you have never read the books. Jackson, along with absolutely brilliant performances by Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Sean Astin, and Elijah Wood make the story completely understandable and allow you to concentrate on the beauty of the world they have created rather than worrying if you've just missed something that a reader understood. That said, you probably have, but it's most likely simply a small detail of Tolkien's fantasy world that incidentally is probably more complex than the human genome code. Tolkien and Jackson seem to understand the human genome code as well, for their creative forces have come together and produced a nearly perfect film that will appeal to the hero in all of us.