Spectacular adventure

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2002)

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", the first movie in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, is a spectacular movie epic in every way. This film succeeds in all departments: acting, directing, writing, cinematography, editing, art direction, costume design, music score, sound, and special effects. You name it. The big name cast that takes part in this outstanding motion picture includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Ian McKellen, and Christopher Lee. They (along with others) play characters that were originated by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of "The Lord of the Rings" books, and brought to life by director Peter Jackson (who shot this and the two "Lord of the Rings" sequels simultaneously in his native New Zealand). This, along with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", stand head and shoulders above all the other 2001 movies. But I don't want to say that "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is the best movie of 2001 yet. Right now it is (with "Harry Potter" at #2), but there are still a few other 2001 releases that I want to see that I haven't seen yet (like "Black Hawk Down" and "Gosford Park"), so probably a month or two from now I will know for sure if this terrific fantasy/adventure will finish on top as my favorite movie of 2001. But what a fantastic movie this was.

**** (out of four)