Over to you George.

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2001)

This time last year I had no interest in LOTR, I hadn't read the books, I hadn't seen any footage of the movies and I couldn't tell a Hobbit from a Orc. For some reason however I started to become interested in the movie project. Trailers started to come out and my interest peaked, I bought the books and I haven't looked back. Now, finally I got to see the film.
I'm not going to beat around the bush here, for me Fellowship Of The Ring is my movie of the year.
From the opening salvo of great wars of the past to the moment when the lights go up (was that really three hours?), I was immersed in a world so vividly realised I could have swore I could smell the smoke coming from Gandalf's pipe.
Peter Jackson and his creative team have worked wonders, seamlessly blending CGI and practical shots to flesh out the world of Middle-Earth. This is the most realistic use of computer images I have yet seen. Battles rage, Trolls salivate and it all looks real, not like a cartoon (cough, Mummy Returns, cough), but real.
The acting is off the highest standard. Sir Ian McKellan is glorious as Gandalf The Grey, laughing and Joking with the Hobbits, but he has a knowing glint in his eye that betray's his real power. Elijah Wood is a joy as Frodo, he has a look of such innocence that it's heartbreaking to know what lie's ahead of him. Vigo Morteson is fantastic as Strider/Arragon, oozing a gritty nobility as the man who would be king. Special note goes to Orlando Bloom as Legolas the Elf, this guy is going to have a big future. I could go on, but be rest assured that no-one puts a foot wrong.
I touched on the look of the film earlier, but words really cannot do justice to how good this film looks. Everything from sets to costume to make-up is perfect, I can smell the golden statues from here.
The soundtrack is spot on, perfectly mirroring the on screen moments. Be they high emotion or gritty battle sequences.
If I was nitpicking I could say that large portions of the book have either been removed or so radically altered as to be unrecognisable. This is of little matter if you haven't read the books and off little consequence if you have as you are swept away by scene after scene of the world you have read about and loved.
FOTR is everything I hoped it would be, a cracking adventure movie with a strong story, engaging characters and stunning looks.
Over to you George.
5/5
=)