The Whole is less than the Sum of the Parts

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2001)

The Fellowship of the Ring delivers on nearly every level: Superb acting (Ian McKellen and Ian Holm shine), CGI as you have never seen it before (without indulging in its own splendour), superb score (even if 'only' supportive of the action in the film) and great visuals. The different shrinking methods work superbly together.
What it lacks is the soul and spirit of the book. I know, that this opinion is not that of the majority right now, but I still believe that the sense of awe - that there is so much more in the world of Middle-earth than you read - is lost in the movie. Probably that's not the fault of its makers but rather of the nature of the story. I think that hardly anybody could have made a better film out of this material than Peter Jackson and New Line. Still I did not enjoy it nearly as much as the book.
You may have already guessed, that this is a review by a purist. I don't mind changes to the book, when they are necessary to transfer the story to the screen, but generally the film shines the most whenever it keeps closest to the words of Tolkien.
The things I liked least of the plot(*spoilers ahead*):

The sense of the passing of time is totally lost.

The typical Hollywood-problem: The bad guys - although equipped with great powers - seem just to be there to be beaten eventually. Tolkien makes you feel the mortal danger in every confrontation. In the movie Aragorn beats up five ringwraiths - I absolutely hated the way the last one instantly caught fire with just one throw of a torch -, Arwen sweeps the Nazgul away with just some ad hoc-sorcery, later Aragorn takes on the Uruk-hai all alone and prevails. However the Balrog works, but unfortunately its significance is lessened by the cave-troll which is given much more screen-time.

The changes in Bilbo and Galadriel when tempted by the ring.

Everything between Hobbiton and Rivendell.

Saruman. It was such a nice twist in the book, when you learn of the nature of his treachery only after he is cast down. In the movie he appears as Sauron's minion from the beginning onward. The wizards' duel also seemed rather ridiculous.

The comic relief. No big movie seems to be able to avoid it nowadays.

The things I really liked of the plot:

Character development. Even though there are a lot of main characters, each one of them is given his due.

The introduction. No information-overkill, but everything important is conveyed expertly.

Moria. As soon as that skeleton drops down the well, you are in for one of the greatest action sequences ever.

The ring. The idea of giving the ring its own personality and voice really works. Also the change in Frodos perception whenever he wears the ring is great. The Ring/Bilbo/Gandalf- and the Ring/Frodo/Boromir-scenes are also convincing.

The inclusion of Boromir's death in the first movie.

What non-readers of the book might find disturbing:

Too many names. It might probably have been better to use only one name for every person/location (ie there are three different names used for 'Moria' in the movie).

You never learn, why Sam calls Frodo 'Master'.

Sometimes the pacing is too slow as the movie approaches and passes two hours. Especially Lothlorien might be a problem. Of course Galadriels otherwordlyness is emphasized by her way of speaking, but it is more effective than any lullaby (I watched the German version, maybe in the OV it is different). On the other hand perhaps I shouldn't have watched the whole thing at 0:01 am (earliest possibility for 'ordinary' people in Vienna on the 19th).

Geography. Lots of references, where they might be or are actually going, but you don't get the big picture.

The ending. Such a cliff-hanger. Not everybody will be happy about it, even though there probably was no other way.

This movie is still the second-best I have seen this year (after 'Memento'), perhaps I just expected more since the books had been my favourite since childhood. I will watch it again, probably then I will see it more as a standalone movie and not a book-adaptation. For now I give it a 8/10.