A Masterpiece and my favorite of the three.

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2004)

I am a fan of Lord of the Rings. I've read the books and seen the movies, and I would like to say that these are my favorite movies, and this one of the three. The acting is stupendous, the sets and costumes and props all artful and beautiful, the special effects unbelievable, the themes romantic and wonderful, and the scope epic and brilliant. The one thing that make this movie so great, though, is the cinimatography, especially as it pertaines to the New Zeland landscape. The world of Middle-Earth is brought to you in wonderful ways by Peter Jackson. You can sit back and marvel at how beautiful the entirety of this movie is. Every frame is honed with wonderfully contrasting colors and images. Every wideshot is so grand and detailed that I could watch them go on for hours and nt complain. This movie transports you to another world, and that's just what movies are meant to do.

The reason I think this movie is the best of the three has three parts. The first is that this film has a single narrative, which is only deviated from briefly and at good moments. It is a road movie that basically follows only one character and his friends that are immediatly around him. The second two all follow three or four or five diffenent story lines, and while they do it well, they aren't as good as "Fellowship" because of it. The second part is the pace. "The Two Towers" sees the beginning of the war, meaning that it has not yet begun in "Fellowship." There is more time for leisurely strolls through beautiful countryside and heroic exploits of a band of friends on a mission that gets lost later on due to the importance of what's going on. There is more time for Gandalf to impart words of wisdom unto Frodo. There is action, of course, but it is more controlled and therefore a bit more fun, though not as grand in scale. The action may be the only aspect of these movies that really gets better later on. The third part is that it is, in fact the beggining, and that means you get to see the motivation for why the main charectars fight later on. The Shire is the most beautiful place that I've ever seen in a movie, and made to look so envious that it's no wonder the hobbits (and Gandalf) are willing to fight and die later on to protect it. There is one sene near the beggining where Gandalf and Bilbo have a smoke outside just before a party. There's definatly no time for anything like that in the next two films, which makes it all the more special and intimate where it is. Things get tense and exciting later on, and that's great, but this chapter allows you to relax and enjoy the beautiful world of Middle-Earth, while also offering a taste of the action to come in Moria, which was the most exciting part of the books, and wonderfully translated to film, I thought.

I am a huge fan of the books, and I don't agree with all the changes Jackson made from them, but I do respect and understand them. You can't translate a book directly into a movie because they are simply two different forms of media. "Fellowship," however, has the fewest alterations, most of them being things left out, of the three, and I find that exceptable. The important part is that Jackson capture the spirit of Lord of the Rings, and I think he did that and more in a way that blows most movies completly away.

I am also a huge fan of the extended version of this film. It is basically the same as the origanal version, only a little better. It adds senes in flawlessly, as if they were never meant to be taken out. It has six hours of bonus materials spread over two discs, and they are not at all boring, if you are at all a fan. It also has four feature length comentaries, which is a more generous offering of time and patience for the viewers then I have ever heard of in any movie. Everyone should buy "the Fellowship of the Ring" on DVD, and everyone who likes the movie should buy the extended edition.

The big question in this movie was if Sir Ian McKellen could pull off being Gandalf, one of the most beloved literary characters of all time. I fell that he did a wonderful job, and is the acting highlight of the entire movie. Another noticable performance, though is Sean Bean, who brings wonderful depth to Boromir, and give one of the best death senes I've ever seen.

Again, "Fellowship" is my all time favorite movie. A movie is comprised of many things, from acting to editing to music to sets and senery. All of them are not only wonderful in this movie, but blend wonderfully together. I give this film a full ten out of ten, which is something I hardly ever do. This is a great movie in almost every way.