The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Review

"One Ring to rule them all."

The year was 2001 and I was just 10 years old, not knowing that my life was going to change when I stepped into the theater to watch this film. It's time to look back on the movie that reignited my love for movies and the drive to become a filmmaker.

The Plot

The Hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), learns from the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) that the magic ring of his uncle, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), is actually the One Ring. A powerful weapon forged by the dark lord, Sauron. A ring that was meant to control all life on Middle-Earth. As the forces of Sauron begin their hunt for their master's ring, Frodo must embark on a journey to destroy the ring in the only place it can be destroyed: Mount Doom, the heart of Sauron's lands in Mordor. He will be joined by three other hobbits (Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd), a ranger (Vigo Mortensen), an elf (Orlando Bloom), a dwarf (John Rhys-Davies), a knight (Sean Bean), and Gandalf the wizard on this dangerous mission.

Review

There was a moment when young children in the 70s watched Star Wars and were in awe of what they saw. It was a life changing experience for them. I could say this film had the same effect on me, but in a different manner. Because when I first saw this movie, I was disappointed.

Disappointed that it had no ending. That it just stopped. I wanted to see the journey continue, but it just ended. And it ended in a place that had me yearning for a continuation. And because I was a child when I saw it, I had no idea that there was another one. But when I quickly learned that there was going to be two more because the films were based on a trilogy, all of a sudden my views on it changed to one of wonder.

The acting in this film is definitely incredible. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd were just wonderful as the carefree hobbits who find themselves thrown into a darkly situation. It can almost be compared as a young naive teenager discover the dark and terrifying real world they actually live in. And these four play it well. Especially Wood, who quickly acknowledges just how serious the situation and is willing to take responsibility, but at the same time also knows how overwhelming the pressure is. I can only imagine Wood used his own pressure of having to please Tolkien fans with his portrayal of Frodo as a fuel to his performance.

Vigo Mortensen is compelling as Strider, later revealed to be Aragorn, the rightful king of Gondor, as he showcases a man who has turned his back on his birthright yet still has the gravitas needed if he should one day return to it. Given this was Orlando Bloom's first big breakout role, it is difficult to judge his acting because in retrospect he's an adequate actor in later roles, yet still his performance here was strong enough to match up with the experienced powerhouses. Particularly his character's relationship with John Rhys-Davies' character. Davies delivers a stellar and boastful performance as a cocky dwarf with such vigor that you would be glad to follow him into battle. This film was also Sean Bean's solidification in pop culture as the guy who always dies. Don't be mad, that's not really a spoiler at this point. But nevertheless, Bean delivers a strong performance by showing the dark side of humanity and how easy it is for any member of the fellowship to be corrupted.

But to me the big standout performances belong to the two wizards in the film. Ian McKellan's Gandalf and Christopher Lee's Saruman were my favorite parts of the film. Both of these classic English actors deliver incredible performances as these powerful beings who walk among men. It is no wonder that McKellan got a nomination for best supporting actor the year this film came out, but that should not take away from how Lee is almost equally as good. With them you see two sides of the same coin. Two wizards who believe in what they're doing is the best for the entire world, yet one of them is obviously wrong. They also have the most incredible fight sequence in the film which I was completely impressed with the simplistic approach of showing two wizards fighting. But it will be Gandalf's face off against the demonic Balrog that highlights the film. Which brings me to another point.

The visual effects and the practical effects in this film are stunning. In a post 2010 world, most big budget films would opt for having everything entirely CGI. But in this film and the two others that followed it, CGI was a tool only to be used when it is impossible to do it practically. This blending of the old and the new is what I believe is the best way to do visual effects spectacles. And the best part is, they don't overtake the narrative.

Final Thoughts

This film marked the beginning of the fantasy renaissance in film, which never really amounted to anything. But what this film did is show that a fantasy film can be put in the conversation as a legitimate film. In other words, have legitimate drama and storytelling. This is shown with the very tamed yet stunning visuals, the powerful acting, the tight script, and incredible direction. But since this is an obvious part 1 instead of a standalone film, it may not have that "umph" factor to fully consider it a good solo film. But it is an incredible beginning. A beginning that will have people coming back for more.

SCORE: 8.5/10 - An incredible beginning that hopefully will continue to be so in the next one.

For a review of the next film, CLICK HERE