Jackson brilliantly mines the mother load

Rating: 10/10 (20 October 2006)

Until 2001, Lord of the Rings had passed me by. Although I love books, for no real reason I hadn't read it. As this movie's release date approached, I felt shamed into doing it. The first attempt was not encouraging. The prologue launches into an explanation of the differences between the three types of Hobbits, for heaven's sake! Was this really necessary? I'll read The Hobbit, I thought. Maybe that'll help, and after all, it is the start of the story. This lightly taken decision changed my life. Suddenly I was in Tolkien's brilliantly realised world. This saga of the Ring is very simply the veritable mother lode of stories, from the first comical meeting in The Hobbit between the naive, totally unsuspecting Bilbo, and the canny, worldly wise Gandalf, until LotR's final concluding moment when Samwise Gamgee returns home to his family, with his heroic life behind him and another, just as full, in front.
I was now concerned that the movies would not live up to Tolkien's writings, but I need not have worried. After first seeing The Fellowship of the Ring, I felt inspired and exhilarated by this triumph of movie-making, so good in every detail. The two Ians, as Bilbo and Gandalf, launch the tale perfectly, with a powerful meeting of hearts, minds and wills. The movie's pacing is ideal, with Tolkien's meandering opening chapters distilled into a tension filled embarking of the hobbits' epic journey. Christopher Lee is magnificent as the evil Sarumann, Viggo Mortensen flawlessly portrays the mysterious Strider, and the unfairly criticised Liv Tyler is totally convincing as the brave, beautiful Arwen. Peter Jackson's direction is simply brilliant throughout the whole movie. For example, The Council of Elrond scene is wonderfully balanced and nuanced, showing off Jackson's self-assured willingness to take risks. The stirring moment when the Fellowship is formed is immediately cheekily undermined by Pippin's ridiculous question.
The criticism that the movie is too episodic, or even worse, a mere "road movie", is rather ill-informed. After, Tolkien wrote it this way, and the story should follow the original narrative very closely until the overall scenario and the characters within the Fellowship are established going into The Two Towers. Besides, the overall thrust of the story is so compelling that Hollywood-style convention is not even a consideration. When the Fellowship hits the road the movie really kicks into gear. Sean Bean brings his powerful presence to the screen, which with the arrival of Cate Blanchett's Galadriel helps the movie compensate for the loss of Ian McKellen once Gandalf takes his famous dive into depths of the dwarf mine of Moria.
It is in Moria, of course, that the ever increasing tension finally explodes into breathlessly exciting action sequences. This extended sequence is the pivot of the whole movie, with Ian McKellen gently implying to Frodo that he, Gandalf, may have to die to ensure the Quest's survival, before all hell breaks loose. Jackson, aided by Howard Shore's excellent score, takes us on a tremendous emotional roller-coaster which culminates with the unforgettable scene of the Fellowship sprawled on sun-bleached rocks bitterly grieving Gandalf's apparent death. Epic movie making simply does not get any better than this.
The following interlude in Lothlorien is a potentially awkward, because the Elves are very hard characters to portray convincingly. How can a young, beautiful woman like Cate Blanchett pretend to be unmeasured thousands of years old? At first, I was not convinced by her very slow, mannered speech, but by the end of the Mirror of Galadriel scene I felt the essence of the character had been conveyed, with incomprehensible power, yet also compassion for Frodo. Elijah Wood does some of his best work in the whole trilogy in this part of FotR, effectively conveying Frodo's quiet determination to see through the Quest in the face of more and more terrifying odds.
Far too often, a movie of exceptional quality for most of its length ends with a whimper, not a bang. In the case of FotR, this was never a risk, due to Jackson's commitment to putting Tolkien's story onto the screen without compromising its integrity. We are transfixed by the horror and confusion of the Uruk-hai attack at Parth Galen while the Fellowship is broken. Viggo Mortensen truly comes into his own here, showing truly kingly qualities during the fight scenes, then when he farewells Frodo, comforts the dying Boromir, and charges Legolas and Gimli to join his pursuit of the Uruks. Sean Bean is simply unforgettable, and Sean Astin is excellent in foreshadowing Sam's total devotion to his master during the rest of the story. Nearly everyone I spoke to about the film shared the same feeling, which was hard it was to contemplate a year's wait before we could all enjoy The Two Towers!
Some comments about the Extended Edition are appropriate because those who have not read the books may doubt the need for it. The EE is a more uncompromised vision of FotR, which adds some of the richness of Tolkien's incredibly detailed books. After the original prologue Jackson adds Bilbo's hilarious introduction to the world of Hobbits, and a later there are two added scenes which add depth to Sam's character, mentioning his crush on Rosie and his desire to know more about the mysterious world of the Elves. The added mystery of the man Strider's origins and relationship to the Elves is also delved into with two more new scenes, on the road from Bree, and in Rivendell itself. Many of the existing scenes are extended, adding greatly to plot and character development. The Council of Elrond scene now adds greatly to the menace of the Ring. Personally, I love the way the extended scenes enrich Aragorn's and Boromir's complicated relationship of mutual respect yet also mistrust concerning the Ring. If you really love this movie, you will also love the EE.