immersive new world

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 2016)

Dark Lord Sauron forges the One Ring to rule them all. He loses the battle and the ring is lost. It passes through the hands of Isildur, Gollum, and finally lands with Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) arrives in the Shire to visit Bilbo. Bilbo goes on a personal journey leaving the burden of the ring to Frodo (Elijah Wood). Frodo sets off on a quest to save the world with his best friend Samwise (Sean Astin). Along the way, others join this Fellowship of the Ring.
Peter Jackson delivers a near-perfect execution of this fantasy classic. The CGI is state-of-the-art but the movie does not get bogged down with battles of massive armies. The action is visceral and thrilling. The characters are compelling and the performances are near perfect. The internal conflicts over the ring actually drive the narrative and ultimately generates great paranoia and isolation for Frodo. This is a great start.