A cinematic milestone!

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2002)

Peter Jackson's The Lord Of THe Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular epics ever made! Not since Gone With The Wind has such a beloved novel been adapted so successfully. This is truly a fantasy to rival all fantasies, bringing Tolkien's magical Middle-Earth to the screen while at the same time holding on the myth and the characters that made the novel a classic. Almost everyone I know loved this movie, many of whom felt it was an improvement on the book. Even adamant Tolkien fans are pleased with the results. When I first saw Lord Of The Rings, I had never read the book. I was looking forward to it, but, knowing little about Middle Earth, it was purely objective anticipation. I was hoping this would be the kind of of movie we sit and wait for, the next Star Wars, or Titanic, something which the media has not overhyped, that is as good as everyone expects. This movie surpassed all those expectations. I have seen it 5 times in the theatre to date, and at a running time of three hours, I am still not bored of it. Enthralled by the movie's recreation of Middle-Earth, I recently read the book, mainly as an epitaph to the movie. While it was a definite classic, I feel the movie surpassed it in characterization. All the creatures and characters of the book were made more human by the scripting. Ian McKellen offers a brilliant portrayal of Gandalf, while Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood make stalwart heroes. The orcs are positively hideous, the sets of Rivendell and Lothlorien are amazing, and the story has translated to the screen beautifully. I honestly cannot wait for the Two Towers this christmas. I feel that Peter Jackson has given us the sort of movie we hope for. I believe very strongly that in due time this will become a classic, reminiscient of Star Wars, yet with superb writing and beautifully portrayed characters, it manages to stay away from the cheesy dialogue that plagues the Star Wars trilogy. This is a cinematic milestone, and I feel it was shamelessly robbed at the Oscars, where, defying all convention, being the film with the most nominations (13, the second highest amount ever) did not garner the best picture oscar. It is a brilliant film, to be seen and seen again.