The start of an epic and memorable journey

Rating: 9/10 (29 June 2018)

At 3 hours and 20 minutes (I watched the extended version), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring initiates what might be the best cinematic fantasy trilogy I'm ever going to see. The runtime of this film and its two sequels have turned me off from watching them for years; I knew that they would be epics that took their time to develop the LOTR world and lore, and I was prepared for this film to drain all of my energy for the day. I'm definitely a bit tired, but it was worth it. Despite this film being backed up by its own source material, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring presents a fantasy that doesn't feel too whimsical but very accessible for the audience. Frodo's character arc and the overall plot of this film are easy to follow and very rewarding of any investment made by the viewer.
It's actually hard to believe how well this movie turned out, given the state of filmmaking on a technological standpoint during the late 90's to the early 2000's. Of course, times weren't that primitive back then but to tell a story like The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring does is demanding; the filmmmakers had to establish a world, it's regions, the characters and their associations (basically, the lore), all in a way that wouldn't completely confuse the viewer. Whether it be by narration, verbal exposition (which usually isn't so great to sit through except in this case), or heavy CGI, I believe that everyone involved in the making of this film succeeded in creating a fictional world that the audience can immerse themselves into and enjoy the ride.
Fantasies are usually lighthearted in nature, but The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring doesn't skimp out on the more emotional moments, as they are so vital to the character arcs. It details all the aspects of the trials and tribulations that Frodo (as well as the rest of the fellowship) has to go through to attempt to save Middle-Earth, thus creating a more well rounded story instead of a one-and-done kind of adventure.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring has many great character performances as well. Maybe it's his gigantic blue eyes, but Elijah Wood nailed his emotional and dramatic scenes. As Frodo is caught in the middle of this situation, he's overwhelmed for the most part and Wood does a solid job in portraying the emotions needed. I really liked Viggo Mortensen in this film, his character was the rock that I could fall back on when things were heating up and that definitely has to do with Mortensen's acting prowess, at least in portraying a character like Strider.
Even on its own, The Fellowship of the Ring creates a fantasy world that the audience can easily immerse themselves into and makes for an incredible experience with the characters that we get to know and love.