Very, VERY few movies reach this epic!

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2003)

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is by far one of the greatest movies ever made. There is so much drama, so many great performances that will keep this film alive for the ages.
The story focuses on hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood). Frodo is given a magic ring from his uncle Bilbo (Ian Holm), and soon finds out that this ring holds the evil of distant warlord Sauron. Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) tells him this, and sends him on a secretive mission to Sauron's homeland, Mordor, to destroy the ring. Helping him are such colorful characters as human Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom).
Every performance goes beyond A+. From McKellan's gruff, grandfatherly (and Oscar nominated) Gandalf to Mortensen's grim, quiet Aragorn.
The high point of drama, as many would agree, would be when Gandalf faces off against and evil creature known as the "Balrog". You can see anger, fear and strength in McKellan's face, proving what a terrific actor he is. I don't know how well Jim Broadbent did in "Iris", but it must have been amazing to beat McKellan.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is one great cinematic step, and the start of a classic, epic trilogy, 8.5/10.