Fellowship of the Ring (a non-Tolkien review)

Rating: Null/10 (24 December 2002)

I saw Fellowship of the Ring the day of it's US release, December 19, 2001. I had never read any of Tolkien's works previously, so I did not know what to expect. After nearly 3 hours, I left the theater feeling that though I had seen several moments of pure brilliance ... all in all, I had not seen a great film.

Since that day, I have seen Fellowship more times than I care to count. This review is for Fellowship of the Ring as a piece of cinema ... and I shall in no way attempt to review or compare it to the works of J.R.R Tolkien.

Before the main plotline of the film begins, there are seven minutes of backstory. The essence of which is: the dark lord Sauron created several rings of power which he gave away, and one master ring to rule them all. Using the "one" ring, he began conquering the world. However, he was stopped by an alliance of elf and men. Sauron defeated, the ring was taken from him. The ring could have been destroyed, but instead was kept by the human king, Isildur. With time, the ring and its history were all but forgotten. After many centuries of laying dormant, Sauron has returned and is seeking to recover his lost ring.
From here, the main story is the classic tale of a hero on a journey. Elijah Wood plays the lead role as Frodo Baggins, a member of a half-ling race known as Hobbits. As is the case with most heroes, the journey begins in the idyllic setting of home ... specifically the verdant Shire. Frodo's wizard friend and mentor, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) pays the Shire a visit just in time to celebrate the 100th birthday of Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). During the celebration we are introduced to three other key Hobbits: Samwise "Sam" Gamgee (Sean Austin), Peregrin "Pippin" Took (Billy Boyd), and Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan).
At the end of this celebration Bilbo gives a speech, vanishes (literally), and prepares to leave his home forever. It is here that Gandalf begins to suspect that Bilbo has in his possession Sauron's ring. At the behest of Gandalf, Bilbo leaves the ring behind ... and it is from this point that Frodo is thrust into a quest to save all middle Earth.
On his journey, Frodo encounters many friends: Humans - Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Boromir (Sean Bean); Elves - Arwen (Liv Tyler), Legolas (Orlando Bloom); and Dwarves - Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). His main opponents are Sauron's minions: orcs, wraiths, and the wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee).
The plot is as good as any of its kind. The acting is more than adequate... enough so, that I find no trouble believing that they are the characters they are in fact portraying.

Visually, this film approaches cinematic perfection. It is evident that costumes, sets, props, makeup, and even locations have been carefully chosen so as best to bring this world to life. It is easy to escape into the world of Middle Earth when immersed in such an array of meticulous detail. The camera work is also quite remarkable, adding to the film's already high aesthetics. In addition, the sound, songs, and music act to complement the visually rich Middle Earth environment, and are truly a highlight of the film.
The special effects are quite good, though the filmmakers felt it wise to limit their use. In fact, it's a decision that may very well prolong the life of the film ... seeing as special effects quickly go out of date. The use of special effects gives this story a modern feel ... but the scarcity of that use helps to maintain the sense of timelessness. All in all a good balance.

The downside to all this? ... the editing. Though not necessarily bad, certainly subpar when compared to the rest of the film. Indeed, the poor pacing was my biggest complaint when I first saw it. To illustrate: the first seven minutes are truly exceptional storytelling. Little time is wasted lingering on a scene when it's relevance to the story has already been established. Compare this to later sections where minutes go by ... yet very little storytelling may actually be happening.
I realize that this may be attributable to how the source material was written. Still, it is understood that 3 hours would not be enough time to show everything. That being said, it is questionable that some things were included and not others. Personally, I think the film could have done without prolonged shots of the New Zealand landscape. After seeing the extended edition, I have to wonder why the forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers were all left in ... at the expense of all the little character development moments that were left out.

Yet, after many viewings I have grown fond of the uncommon pace ... and have accepted that Fellowship is not in fact one film, but just the beginning of something greater.
There is no guarantee that everyone will feel the same way about this film as I. But as for I ... despite whatever flaws, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings is hands down the greatest fantasy film ever made, a true masterpiece. And for that reason I give it a 10/10 ... a must see for any fan of cinema.