To refute its importance is foolhardy!

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2015)

Released to immense critical success, "The Lord of the Rings" was for a long time considered a novel that could never been adapted into a motion picture. Such a perception was virtually rendered idiotic when "The Fellowship of the Ring was released to cinemas in 2001, garnering the respect of both critics and fans alike. To this day, it seems the near perfect adaptation of a novel to a film.
Frodo Baggins is tasked with setting out to destroy The One Ring, a weapon forged by Sauron during the Second Age of Middle Earth. He is accompanied by eight other companions, into a company known as The Fellowship of the Ring, to go to Mt. Doom to destroy this all powerful weapon.
Jackson's abilities as a filmmaker were not too well tested prior to this near impossible project, so for New Line Cinemas to give Peter Jackson the rights to Tolkien Estate can be considered foolish. How can a director, with only two noteworthy credits in "Heavenly Creatures" and "The Frighteners" exceed such a reputation to bring forth J.R.R Tolkien's vision to life? Yet, what Peter Jackson managed to do with cast and crew, is now an inspiration.
For "The Lord of the Rings" to work as an adaptation, the casting must be near perfect. The world is foreign to many viewers, the characters often are not human characters (though they obviously possess human traits) so the cast must be able to evoke a sense of humanity into them. Elijah Wood is wonderful as Frodo, conveying a sense of naivety but also a sense of extreme courage and determination. Sir Ian McKellen is phenomenal as Gandalf, calm and reassuring at all times, but also very kind and caring towards Frodo especially. Viggo Mortensen captures Aragorn seamlessly, his struggles with dealing with a failed bloodline and his desires to escape his duty to his people. Then there is Sean Bean, whose portrayal of Boromir is stunning. The only member of the Fellowship to be killed (and not resurrected), Boromir's presence is ever lasting during the trilogy. Virtually a broken warrior, mostly due to his father's extreme demands and the declining of Gondor as a kingdom. Sean Bean, in many scenes, perfectly captures the moral complexities the character faces. We see in his conversations with Aragorn that he desires to do good for his people, but brings himself to do it in an immoral manner. We see during the course of the film that he is further broken down in spirit, culminating in a moment where he attempts to seize the Ring by force from Frodo. Almost immediately realizing his mistake, he gives life for Merry and Pippin. He is forgiven for his wrongdoings by Aragorn, who then promises the longevity of their people. The redemption of Boromir also enforces into Aragorn a necessary responsibility he must begin to accept: he is heir to the throne of Gondor.
When reading through the first two volumes of J.R.R Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" novel, there are moments throughout that feel utterly unnecessary. The major event being the hobbits meeting Tom Bombadil as the Nazgul chase the hobbits. This event constitutes an entire chapter, and in the process, diminishes from the suspense and momentum that had been established. Peter Jackson, realizing the event has little significance on the overall plot, omitted this, to the indignation of most fans of the novel. Peter Jackson, alongside Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, wrote a near perfect script that wonderfully represents the nature of the book. One of the fine little touches, that fans have enjoyed, is the quick set of events that occur after the hobbits leave town, such as "concerning hobbits" or "a shortcut to mushrooms" - chapters from Tolkien's novel are tightly condensed and converted into a cinematic medium through which they can be accessed.
The cinematography to this series of films can be described as swooping, breathtaking and majestic. And it certainly is. But it also provides a means to an experience. Why many fans of the series find it an experience is due to the cinematography, as the camera is rarely static but always in motion. Contrasting this with the prequels to Lucas' "Star Wars", the camera is fixed and the actors are given limited space through which to act. Those films feel like a mental prison, the viewer is stuck under the confines the characters are stuck and cannot escape. Of course, this notion applies very differently when considering films like "The Shawshank Redemption" but for fantasy/sci-fi adventures such as "Star Wars" and "The Lord of the Rings", the cinematography must be enriching. It provides an experience, rather than just a mere film. Starting with "The Fellowship of the Ring", this series of films is certainly an experience.
"The Fellowship of the Ring" remains a defining achievement in modern cinema, it re-invented and redefined the meaning of a blockbuster and has paved the way for countless fantasy films. Arguably the greatest of its genre, "The Fellowship of the Ring" deserves every ounce of respect it gets. It is one of a rare kind of films that is so perfect in every aspect, from music to acting, from direction to cinematography, from editing to sound design, that to refute its importance to cinema is foolish. Peter Jackson did the seemingly impossible task of adapting one of the great pieces of literature into one of the great pieces of cinema.