In
case you want perspective, I had read Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings"
trilogy and "The Hobbit" as a young teenager, and I consider them among my
favorite stories of any medium. Although it will be difficult to remove
my memories of those books while writing this review, I feel it's my duty
to concentrate on this film as if the books did not exist, just as I would
if the books were obscure.
Regardless, the spirit and tone of the two
mediums is markedly different, with the books concentrating on the poetry
and life of the creatures that inhabit the mythical lands, while the film
breaks the tale down to the barebones of the plot and bolsters it up with
action sequences and special effects smorgasbords.
This plot revolves around a Hobbit (kind of a small, furry human) named
Frodo Baggins (Wood, The Faculty), relative of Bilbo
(Holm, The Sweet Hereafter), who has found a powerful magic ring
which has prolonged his life and also consumed it. This ring was once the
creation of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the destruction of the ring at
Sauron's defeat would have ended all evil in the land. Yet through
personal greed, the ring resists destruction, and now Sauron is
returning to claim that which is his. The great wizard Gandalf (McKellen,
X-Men) enlists the aid of a
motley crew of creatures in order to escort Frodo the the Cracks of Doom
to destroy the ring and put an end to Sauron's plans. Their trek is long
and perilous, bringing them face to face with the most repugnant and
dangerous monsters of all creation, while Sauron's wraiths are hot on
their heels.
The Fellowship of the Ring is arguably the most impressive visual feast
ever created to date, with awe-inspiring backdrops and fluid CGI
characters that inject just the right feeling of grandiosity to the plight
of the situation and also showcasing the beauty as well. The art design,
cinematography and costumes permit the atmosphere necessary to inject
realism into what is a purist form of fantasy. One might feel that such
concentration on the magnificent visuals would obscure the story as with
so many other films, yet this film is actually better because next to such
mammoth statues and architecture we realize just how insignificant a
character a Hobbit is to think he might hold the key to saving the world
from all evil.
Director Peter Jackson (King Kong) does a terrific job in maintaining the dark and
terrifying tone of the film, and in fact, The Fellowship of the Ring is
actually quite the scare-fest. Grisly creatures, haunting imagery,
bone-crunching sound, and a huge injection of gravitas for the creatures'
plights all make us truly frightened as viewers when the evil creatures
are realistically evil and the destruction is grand scale. Parents may
want to note the PG-13 rating and take it into consideration, since the
exclusion of all sex and foul language means the PG-13 rating is earned by
the violent and sometimes horrific images displayed, so young kids may
have nightmares after viewing it.
The Fellowship of the Ring is so expensive visually that it left little
money for big name actors, as is customary for blockbusters. Yet the
casting works very well, with some fine acting by Ian McKellen and Sean
Bean (Ronin, Patriot
Games) in particular to give dimension to the minimal characterizations in
the film. The Hobbits, led by Elijah Wood in the lead role, are
impressively created, and always in scale compared the the elves and
humans in the film, and after the initial moment when you realize how
small hobbits are, you are accustomed to their comparative size.
While I understand the initial reaction to this film will be
overwhelmingly over-inflated, try not to go in expecting a knockout.
The Fellowship of the Ring is a good film with moments of greatness, yet I
can't say it's a great movie as a whole. While the visuals are literally
breathtaking, there is just something too elemental and simplistic about
what amounts to a three-hour chase flick to make it deep enough to hit
home. But, if you go in expecting to be entertained, you won't be
disappointed, as the film has more than enough entertainment to satisfy.
In fact, my biggest wish after seeing it was, despite the 3-hour length,
not long enough. The Fellowship of the RIng is a terrific start to a solid trilogy of films, and highly recommended for all.
-- Followed by
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return
of the King (2003)
