Extremely Faithful Adaptation

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2001)

After 9 months of waiting, I was not disappointed. The only disappointment I felt when I left the theater was that I had to wait another year for the next one to come out.
The Lord of the Rings. It, in itself, is one big novel. The story for the next picks off where the previous left off, with no time gaps or plot jumps. Peter Jackson gives this feeling admirably in Fellowship. The main title of "Lord of the Rings" is shown, on a black background, to stand out. But, when "Fellowship of the Ring" is shown, the actual title of the movie, it's down at the bottom of the screen, as we watch Frodo reading a book. Between these two titles is the main thing that was worrying me about the film. They had to have some sort of prologue: The history of the ring, what it is, how it was lost, and most importantly, how it was found. I have to say they did a very good job with the telling of the story, which is basically the prologue to this movie series.
The other thing which worried me about the movie was the role of Liv Tyler. Not her, especially, I was looking forward to her role. But, the fact that the character she portrayed, Arwin, was 5th on the cast list, but wasn't even in the first book. My guess of where she showed up, from the previews, was correct, and the only real inaccuracy from the books to the movie. The reason for it, I believe, is quite simple. All movies nowadays have to have some sort of love interest. The only romance in all the books is the romance between Aragorn and Arwen, but this isn't shown until the 3rd book. So, the screenplay writers decided to give her a few scenes in the first movie (and most probably the 2nd) to foreshadow her role in the 3rd (she's one of the MAJOR characters in the book).
Other than a few minor scenes taken out, Tokien's work was basically untouched. There were even surprisingly few changes in the Tolkienian dialogue. A lot of the lines, much like Darabont's version of The Shawshank Redemption (another great film), are taken straight from the novel.
The visuals are just plain amazing. From vast scoping landscapes to majestic castles and spires, to even small sets (Bag End) looking amazingly authentic. Some of the CG done to facial expressions at key points (i.e. Bilbo at Rivendell) are shocking, and extremely well done, showing people the realness of the corruption the ring bestows upon it's bearer.
The acting is second-to-none. An all-star cast has been assembled, and everyone played their role to a T. The true standout, and the only actor that really worried me since I read the cast list a year ago was Elijah Wood. After seeing the previews, my worry was lost, and not unfoundedly. Elijah Wood turns in an oscar-worthy (yes, oscar-worthy) performance. Never have I seen a character portrayed so well: hopelessness, loss, grief, anguish, torture. Elijah Wood truly went beyond anything I ever would have expected. The minor standout was that of Sean Astin. Astin has been extremely typecasted ever since such roles as Encino Man, Rudy, Harrison Bergeron, and Toy Soldiers. He always plays the same character: The everyman, dealing with some sort of uneasy situation. Now, not to knock Sean, he's one of my favorite actors for this type of role, but he was nearly unrecognizable as Samwise Gamgee. From his shy eagerness, to his amazingly crafted accent (everyone's voices were great in this), he truly stood out. I look forward to the chemistry of both these characters in the upcoming movies. Everyone else was nearly as good.
The direction was extraordinary. You will never see so many close-ups or cut-shots in any other movie. The feeling of togetherness in the fellowship was portrayed very well, and the feeling throughout the movie, that this is a hopeless journey that cannot be completed, is felt in every gesture and line of every scene.
A great movie, one of the best, technically, and physically I have ever seen. You probably already have, but if you haven't, go see it now. 10/10