An ambitious technical achievement that spends more time setting things up than actually showing them; still, it's enjoyable when it's moving.

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2018)

'The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)' is an ambitious technical achievement that, slightly unfortunately, sticks remarkably close to its beloved source book but, because of this, is a rather undisciplined affair from a narrative stand-point. It's an exposition-filled and not all that pacy adventure that spends more time telling you what happened before it began - up to two thousand years before - and setting up what might happen after it reaches what is essentially a non-ending than it does showing you anything particularly in-the-moment, anything that ought to take up its whopping three hour run-time. Still, there's a lot to like and the most memorable moments are the most kinetic ones, when our fellowship is on their journey and besieged by the dark forces of their unseen enemy. These are filmed with an undeniable spirit and rag-tag inventiveness (amplified to fit its budget), both evident by the plethora of brilliant behind-the-scenes footage available on the blu-ray, that penetrate even the most unnecessary - and, by extension, dullest - of segments. It is a bizarre beast for sure, at one time my favourite of the three for its sheer amount of 'story' but now sitting somewhere in the middle because that 'story' is mostly just 'stuff'. Each time I watch it, I have a slightly different reaction. Nevertheless, I'm entertained for most of its massive run-time and the fact it can provoke a reaction each time says something in itself, I think. When it moves, it really moves and the most memorable of scenes have stood the test of time almost like no others. When all the exposition falls away and Gandalf faces off against the Balrog, the Hobbits try to outrun the Nazgul or, most powerfully, Boromir takes a stand to save his two new friends, it's a great time. 8/10