A wait worth the while!

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2001)

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS* Yesterday evening I finally saw the first part of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and if it were not for the other two movies left of the epic there would be no need to see another movie, ever!
As an avid Tolkien fan I have been waiting with much anticipation to see this film. As early as 1995 I and my friends were discussing the possible casting of the movies, and I must say that Peter Jackson far succeeded my expectations for the actors and actresses. Especially I would like to comment on the part of Frodo Baggins, played wonderfully, and believably by Elijah Wood.
At first when I heard about the casting of Wood, doubt crept in and I thought for some time that Jackson might not pull off the masterpiece that this movie should be. But I was amazed by Wood's performance, and I must say that he has matured and grown as an actor (anyone seen Flipper?).
The foreseen necesary changes to the original story are very carefully written and during some parts of the movie I think they actually make the story more believable than the original. Notable scenes where this is evident might include the entrance to the Mines of Moria and the imprisonment of Gandalf. I also liked how Mr. Jackson handled the epic of how the One Ring came into the hands of Bilbo Baggins. Only one major scene from the book I must say is missing in the film, and that is the gifts that Lady Galadriel gives to each member of the Fellowship. But after leaving the theater I heard a rumor that that would be dealt with more closely in the second movie, to create the friendship between Legolas and Gimli.
Everything about this movie is otherwise perfect, especially for someone like me who has gone deep into Tolkien legends. The conceptual designs of Alan Lee and John Howe are perfect and if not like I imagened, then better.
It is necesary to view the film from the point of someone that has no knowledge of Tolkien or Middle-Earth, and several people that I spoke with at the preview yesterday were utterly flabbergasted and I believe that many of them will see the inside of a bookstore today.
All in all, a fantastic film, it has already kicked Godfather to second place for me, let's hope that it does the same for imdb.com.