The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. (2001).
Cert PG. Director - Peter Jackson. Writer - JRR Tolkien, Peter Jackson. Starring - Sir Ian Mckellan, Elijah Wood, Vigo
Mortenson.
Premise - Based on JRR Tolkiens classic books, this is the first film
in the planned trilogy. Concerning the story of Frodo, the barer of the
one ring and his quest to destroy it with the help from the 9 members of
the fellowship. This time last year I had no interest in LOTR, I hadn't read the books,
I hadn't seen any footage of the movies and I couldn't tell a Hobbit from
an Orc. For some reason however I started to become interested in the
movie project. Trailers started to come out and my interest peaked, I
bought the books and I haven't looked back. Now, finally I got to see the
film.
I'm not going to beat around the bush here, for me The
Fellowship Of The Ring is movie of the year.
From the opening
salvo of great wars of the past to the moment when the lights go up (was
that really three hours?), I was immersed in a world so vividly realised I
could have swore I could smell the smoke coming from Gandalf's
pipe.
Peter Jackson and his creative team have worked wonders,
seamlessly blending CGI and practical shots to flesh out the world of
Middle-Earth. This is the most realistic use of computer images I have yet
seen. Battles rage, Trolls salivate and it all looks real, not like a
cartoon (cough, Mummy Returns, cough), but real.
The acting is off
the highest standard. Sir Ian McKellan is glorious as Gandalf The Grey,
laughing and joking with the Hobbits, but he has a knowing glint in his
eye that betrays his real power. Elijah Wood is a joy as Frodo, he has a
look of such innocence that it's heartbreaking to know what lie's ahead of
him. Vigo Mortenson is fantastic as Strider/Aragorn, oozing a gritty
nobility as the man who would be king. Special note goes to Orlando Bloom
as Legolas the Elf; this guy is going to have a big future. I could go on,
but be rest assured that no-one puts a foot wrong.
I touched on the
look of the film earlier, but words really cannot do justice to how good
this film looks. Everything from sets to costume to make-up is perfect, I
can smell the golden statues from here.
The soundtrack is spot on,
perfectly mirroring the on screen moments. Be they high emotion or gritty
battle sequences.
If I was nitpicking I could say that large
portions of the book have either been removed or so radically altered as
to be unrecognisable. This is of little matter if you haven't read the
books and off little consequence if you have as you are swept away by
scene after scene of the world you have read about and loved.
FOTR
is everything I hoped it would be, a cracking adventure movie with a
strong story, engaging characters and stunning
looks.
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10/10 for The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. Poster Quote - Your move Mr Lucas. |