Extraordinary

Rating: 9/10 (10 February 2009)

So many reviews have been written I don't really know how I can make mine original, so I won't even try. The story is familiar to all by now, four hobbits embark on a journey to Mt. Doom to destroy the dark lord Sauron's ring of power with the help of the Fellowship of the Ring, which consists of the wizard Gandalf the Grey, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, the warrior Boromir, and Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor. Frodo Baggins is the ring bearer and must prove strong enough to resist the ring's power, which his uncle Bilbo could not do. They are pursued by Ringwraiths, Sauron's minions who search for the ring, and Orcs sent by the evil Wizard Saruman.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy rivals movies like Star Wars in its creation of a new universe, Middle-Earth. I think the atmosphere is established very well by the prologue that gives us the history of the Ring of Power. Howard Shore's "Concerning Hobbits" theme gives The Shire a sweet, homely feel. You can listen to it and think "this is what music in the Shire would really sound like!" Jackson really built up the culture of the Shire and the impending danger that awaited the Hobbits and the rest of Middle Earth excellently. They are some of my favorite scenes in the series. The Ringwraiths are some of the creepiest baddies in recent years, and Christopher Lee is exceptionally evil as the Saruman, as usual! I cannot give enough praise to the costumes, production design, and special effects.
This entry is my favorite in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, mainly for the subjective reason that Gandalf and Frodo have the most screen time together. Ian McKellen (Gandalf) is the best actor in the series by far, and his small amount of screen time in the second movie is one of the main reasons it is my least favorite! Elijah Wood and McKellen have great chemistry, they form a relationship that reminds me of Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. Their friendship gives the movie a charm that I missed in the sequels.
Fellowship is the only movie where all of the members of the Fellowship are together. They all have great chemistry, except Orlando Bloom. I think Bloom went to the Keanu Reeves school of acting. The one actor I must really give credit here is Sean Bean. He portrays Boromir as a well intentioned man who is ultimately too weak to resist the ring. He is a tragic, moving character, easily one of the highlights of the film.
What sets this movie apart from its sequels is the lack of really grandiose battle scenes that would take place in The Two Towers and Return of the King. I think the smaller action scenes are more intense. They don't have as much of a fake digital look and they are not as over the top. This is a bit off topic, but a museum in Boston once had a Lord of the Rings exhibit with many of the costumes and props from the films. I was able to hold Frodo's sword, Sting, and I must say it was the only sword I felt comfortable holding. Gandalf and Aragorn's swords were so heavy the actors probably used fake swords for some scenes, just to make it easier on them. It gives you an appreciation for how difficult Medieval Sword fighting was!
Overall Fellowship is my personal favorite LOTR film and I think it was the best adaptation of Tolkien's work. The Two Towers took out a few things that created some problems for Return of the King.