And the adventure finally came out of the book and onto the screen!

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2006)

I consider this a great film, and its sequels better. But, as most of you who read my comments know; I live, breathe, to criticize. And though it pains me, Fellowship of the Ring is full of things to criticize.
I have earlier had little faith in Cate Blanchett as actress material for big, heavy roles. I saw her play Queen Elisabeth, and I wasn't impressed at all. So, when I heard she had been cast to play Galadriel, I thought; 'Oh no, this is gonna suck...' I'm so relieved to say that she proved me wrong. She impressed me, and I was happy. But I'm sorry to say that Marton Czokas (which I knew from Xena: Warrior Princess as Borias) wasn't the best choice. He did a great job, but unfortunately, he doesn't have that charismatic presence that I expect from an elf. I could maybe say the same about Hugo Wearing, playing Elrond, but Hugo has this really great facial mimics that I just can't help but love. I have mostly seen Viggo Mortensen in roles in movies that I don't like too much (both before and after LotR), but his Aragorn was brilliant. Or rather, Peter Jackson made a brilliant decision in casting Mortensen. (I can't really put my finger on which Aragorn moment was my favorite because I never really saw a bad Aragorn moment.) Elija Wood as Frodo was absolutely a great performance, and so was Ian McKellen's Gandalf (adding humor to the character was really good, I liked that). But no one, and I mean NO ONE, came close to Sean Astin. When I read the book, I came to a conclusion: Samwise was the most annoying, whiny, cowardly guy I've ever read about. And Astin portrayed him just like that! Of all the characters in the book, Samwise was undoubtedly the one who was best transfered to the screen. Big hands to Sean Astin for this.
Now, the orcs... I don't really know what to say here. The orcs have their own language, so I was a bit disappointed that no one single word of their language was spoken. Wait, that's not true. One person speaks it; Gandalf. But GANDALF ISN'T AN ORC! The orcs are always portrayed physically in different ways, so I have no right to say that these creatures did not look like orcs. But Alan Lee, one of the most famous Tolkien artist was hired in to make conceptional sketches of everything, including the orcs, and as I know his artwork, I just have to ask; why didn't all the orcs resemble his art? The Uruk-Hai didn't look like those he has drawn/painted in the past.
Now, to my absolute favorite character: The Balrog! I - Love - The Balrog! I've always tried to picture how the balrog would look like, and most of the time I haven't gotten a grasp of it. Then I've looked at some of the pictures and paintings that has been made of it, and I have thought; 'Hey, that looks really cool!' But then, it is due for a film adaption. How would that work out? Well, personally, I was obviously impressed! This is how I realized that. When I was at the premiere, and the balrog had fallen, my side man said: 'You must close your mouth and swallow too, man.' I had just taken a drink of my coke, and now I was sitting there with my mouth open and coke was pouring down from my mouth and onto my shirt. People, I never get that impressed by films, no matter what! The balrog is the first, and so far the only, creature on film who has made me stare in awe.