Middle Earth and its characters come to life!

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2002)

I came away from "The Fellowship of the Ring" feeling that I had finally gotten a chance to actually see the world and characters of Tolkein's classic. Middle Earth is beautifully recreated, and the characters are true to life.
I suspect that viewers who haven't read Tolkein's books will have a little trouble at first figuring out what is going on. I would suggest, if at all possible, that they read the prequel to "Lord of the Rings" - "The Hobbit" - before going to see "The Fellowship of the Ring". They should also be prepared for the fact that "Lord of the Rings" is really a single story that spans 3 books (and now 3 movies). Consequently, the end of "The Fellowship of the Ring" is like the end of a chapter rather than the end of a story.

Fans of the books will notice that some material has necessarily been cut to keep the movie from lasting 6 hours (instead of 3). And, while the basic plot line of the story has been preserved, those who are familiar with the books may be irritated at times by minor but needless inaccuracies in the movie, and by the lack of an accurate sense of the amount of time that is passing at certain points in the story.
But, all in all, I suspect that fans of the books will be glad they went to see the movie, and that those viewers who haven't read the books may be inspired to do so once they see the movie.