I've never been too fond of this movie,I much prefer the sequels instead of this slow paced but interesting entry

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2009)

The problem for me anyway with this one,was it's slow pace in the middle. The story isn't as strong as it's sequels,and sometimes felt like it was taking forever to get going. I was very absorbed with how it was starting,I loved how it was developing the relationship of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins,and how you could start to see a slight bit of tension due to the ring. But things just seemed to sour after all that,I lost interest in quite a bit of stuff. The set pieces are absolutely incredible,as are the special effects but it's often too dark for it's own good,the sequels had a good sense of humor about them,this one was mostly serious which hurt it in the long run.The performances helped make it bearable,along with a couple of outstanding action sequences that can literally take you're breath away,character development was quite decent as well. Moregoth vs Gandalf was quite a visual experience,it kept me on the edge of my seat,and did a good job of making an emotional impact. Fellowship is definitely well made,it's quite a sight to look at but as far as the fun factor is concerned there isn't a lot there,Ring fans will love it,but as far as regular audiences I'm not too sure.
The Performances. Elijah Wood was pretty decent for the most part,while he looks much more comfortable and at home in the sequels,he manages to pull it off for the most part here. His chemistry with Sean Astin is absolutely excellent,you believe in there friendship,and the script manages to make you care about what happens to him. My only major gripe is I thought he overacted in the infamous demise of Gandalf "GANDALLLLFFFFFFF!!" I thought it was a bit over the top,but that's just me. Sean Astin is an actor who i'm not very fond of,but he's very likable here. Like Rudy he proved he can be a capable actor with the right material and his character has that right material. Ian McKellen is a revelation as Gandalf. He's completely intense,yet vulnerable with a great sense of humor,it's just a great performance for a memorable character. Viggo Mortensen is OK here. He's definitely not the actor who pulled of Oscar worthy performances like "The Road" or "History of Violence" but he's adequate. He has a certain charm that manages to overcome his somewhat wooden performance at times,his above average chemistry with the actors also helps. Orlando Bloom has one of the coolest characters without a doubt,for an elf he looks completely bad ass,with a lot of charisma..loved him!. Billy Boyd&Dominic Monaghan are the comic relief and it shows,they were bearable but just barley. Ian Holm is very credible as Bilbo putting on just the right amount of emotion and vulnerability. Christopher Lee Is simply chilling,often frightening his role is even more expanded in Two Towers. John Rhys-Davies got on my nerves one too many times with his sch tick,it seemed like he belonged in another film. Liv Tyler I didn't know what to make of,she's certainly great to look at but her performance seemed force and her chemistry with Viggo was mediocre. Hugo Weaving was alright he had a certain presence he brought along with him and did what he had to do well. Cate Blanchett didn't have a lot to do but did it well. Sean Bean was excellent as per usual. His character is completely unpredictable and had me on the edge of my seat whenever he was possessed by the ring.
Bottom Line. Fellowship is a worthy film,but it's often too dark to be considered truly enjoyable. There were a lot of things I liked about it no doubt,but I most definitely prefer the two sequels there more action packed with better stories,and most importantly humorous. Recommended though.
8/10