A great start to a classic trilogy

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2005)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, begins what is destined to be one of the greatest trilogies of all time (rivaling the original Star Wars and the Back to the Future trilogies). It's very obvious that the director Peter Jackson is very passionate about the material, and after seeing his earlier 1994 film, Heavenly Creatures, proved he was the actor's director. The performances are top-notch in properly cast roles (Ian McKellen really stands out as Gandalf in this film and the two sequels). The production and visual effects design is heavenly, and Howard Shore's score rivals that of John Williams' Star Wars score in its ingenuity and complexity. The only complaint I have is that it has no ending with only an Act 1 (but that only makes sense since this film is considered the Act 1 - Act 2 and 3 would be the sequels). An almost perfect 9 out of 10.