One Trilogy to Rule Them All...

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2001)

It could be very easy for me to rehash the plot points and the differences between this film and the literature of which it is based. I will say that I have been a fan of the Tolkein books for several years now, and I have read them on multiple occasions. That being said and done with, I will also state that I have been a fan of Peter Jackson's work for years now, and seen his films on multiple occasions. What kind of outcome could be expected? The first installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy has exceeded my expectations to such a point that I can say that it is perhaps the finest film to come out in my lifetime. Period. Perhaps its because Hollywood has not treated its audience very well in the past decade or so, I cannot tell, but I've never been so completely overcome by a film. The three hour running time is indeed felt, felt in the same way as a marathon run perhaps. The pace never slows, in fact it runs faster and faster throughout, without even a moment for a breather, until the ending hits you like a brick wall. Its enough to wear you out, assured, but its also enough to say that this movie could have gone on another 9 hours and I would have enjoyed every minute of it. Now I have to mention the differences between the book and the film, as it has been adressed many times on this forum. Yes, there were many changes, enough so that it becomes an entirely different entity from the book itself, but I do not see that as a bad thing. Stanley Kubrick drastically changed the films from their original source material. those films were uniquely Stanley Kubrick's, they belonged to him. Just as Lord of the Rings belong to Peter Jackson. As with Kubrick as with Jackson, what makes a good movie is the love and respect for the material itself. What I'm saying is that it is obvious that Peter Jackson feels nothing but respect for the books, and that love can be felt in Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.
10/10