An uplifting narrative that sweeps you away.

Rating: 10/10 (29 August 2003)

For all its wonderful special effects, for me the most moving part of the film was the relationship between Frodo and Sam and Gollum and Frodo. Although not a verbatim copy of the book, Peter Jackson has caught the spirit of Tolkiens world and characters so completely that it left me emotionally drained.
From an initial reaction of disgust when first confronted by Gollum, Frodo gradually realises that the ring has almost destroyed the creature and that this process is happening to him as well. I found it profoundly moving to watch as this strange relationship builds between them. Peter Jackson has allowed Andy Serkis to express the full range of Gollums plight and the wizards behind the scenes have pulled of the greatest feat imaginable. They have given Gollum the ability to make us feel for him in creating a wonderfully and almost human schizophrenic creature.
The director has also pulled us headlong into a world created by Tolkien and made us believe. The breathtaking landscape 'is' Middle Earth, complete with the complex creatures that inhabit it. Those who gripe continuously about the differences between the book and the film are obviously unaware of the problems created by the different narratives. A visual narrative is very different to a literary one. Peter Jackson has very cleverly interwoven the spirit of Tolkiens world with the reality of cinematography and special effects.
I thought it would be difficult to better The Fellowship of the Ring, this has, and if the final episode is the best, then we're in for a truly staggering experience.