Not a masterpiece, perhaps, but assured and entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (24 February 2003)

An assured and entertaining vision of Tolkien's world. If it is not quite the masterpiece many fans (and critics) have made it out to be, it is still a work of great integrity. Peter Jackson and his team have been painstaking--sometimes frighteningly so--in their attention to detail. If you haven't read the books since you were a child, I guarantee you'll experience shivers of recognition as those familiar names and images come flooding back. And yet Jackson never allows the narrative to get bogged down by the pedantic fussiness that spoils some readers' experiences with Tolkien; nor does he ever let the special effects really run away with the show. He seems to realize that to make an epic feel real, one must exercise a little restraint. Very wise.
And he's certainly helped along by his near-flawless cast of familiar character actors, perhaps the film's strongest element. Standouts are Viggo Mortensen's moody Aragorn and Christopher Lee's ice-cold Saruman, but really all the male performances are excellent.
Contrary to popular opinion, `Fellowship' is not without its problems, however slight. The pacing lags here and there (the stopoff in Lothlórien, for instance, nearly cripples the film in its third act). And the female performances (Liv Tyler's breathy Arwen and Cate Blanchett's steely Galadriel) are millimeters away from high camp.
Moreover, moviegoers who were more Jackson fans than Tolkien ones going in are bound to be a little disappointed. Of course, his hand is obvious everywhere, and yet, largely on account of the somewhat stuffy subject matter, the film has neither the emotional depth of `Heavenly Creatures,' nor the wit and insane verve of `Braindead' and `Bad Taste.'

But why carp? Jackson has done what was thought to be impossible, creating a faithful, dramatic, accessible piece of entertainment out of Tolkien's esoteric magnum opus. And, happily, the movie only improves on repeat viewing. So enjoy. (Oh, and for my money I prefer the extended DVD version--though you probably won't want to consume it all in one sitting). 8.5 out of 10.