[Review of] The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
Sir Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins
Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee
Billy Boyd as Pippin Took
Dominic Monaghan as Merry Brandybuck
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
John Rhys-Davies as Gimli
John Rhys-Davies (voice) as Treebeard
Sean Bean as Boromir
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Liv Tyler as Arwen
Christopher Lee as Saruman
Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue
Andy Serkis (voice) as Smeagol (Gollum)

A review by Ronald Epstein

One ring to rule them all,
One ring to find them,
one ring to bring them all and in
the darkness bind them.

Published in 1954-1955, J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece Lord Of The Rings trilogy still remains one of the
most definitive works of imaginary fiction ever written. The extraordinary efforts to get this trilogy to
the screen is a testament of how popular these stories are today. New Line has taken a gamble and risked
everything by filming all three movies back-to-back without knowing the fate of the original release.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the very first of the Tolkien trilogy. It will be followed up with
The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003).

As release date slowly draws nearer, everyone is holding their breath. Will this film live up to expectations?
Will this movie make a strong enough impact that audiences will anxiously want to remain loyal to the
films that will follow? The answer is a definitive YES on all accounts.

Lord Of The Rings will make its mark in film history. Fans will embrace this film and newcomers will
be in complete awe of one of the most visually entertaining films ever made....and this is only the beginning!

The film begins with lengthy female narrative that tells the story of Middle Earth - the ancient land of elves,
dwarves, hobbits, wizards and other creatures. We are told of the creation of the individual rings that
were handed down to the wisest and most noblest creatures of Middle Earth. We are then told of the ONE
ring that was forged out of Mount Doom -- the ring that controlled all others -- worn by the dark and
evil Lord Sauren. We are told of a battle and the defeat of Sauren and how his ring is eventually lost
only to be found by Gollum, a lowly creature that gets poisoned by its power. The ring is eventually
stolen by hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. And so, this is where the trilogy begins.....

It's a beautiful day in the Shire, the peaceful home of the Hobbits. A carriage rolls through a lone road
that parts meadows of lush grass and farmland. It is Gandalf the Wizard visiting his old Hobbit friend,
Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). It is Bilbo's birthday, and the old hobbit is more concerned about leaving the
Shire rather than partake in any party. Something is very heavy on Bilbo's mind, and Gandalf is watching
him closely. That evening, Bilbo's party is in full swing with some of the most amazing and beautiful firework
displays ever seen on film. When Bilbo makes a daring announcement to his party guests, Gandalf realizes that
Bilbo is in possession of a very important ring. Gandalf convinces Bilbo to give up the ring, and give it to
the very young Frodo (Elijah Wood). When the secret of the ring is finally revealed to the old Wizard, Frodo
is warned to leave the Shire at once. Hence, the adventure of a lifetime begins.

Clocking in at about 3 hours running length, Lord Of The Rings doesn't waste time. Every minute of
the film is used to remain as faithful to the book as possible. The most important aspect of this film is
that it had to properly tell the story as written. The end result is that this film becomes a definitive
and accurate recreation of the story.

Though it had been 20 years since I last read the trilogy, the film brought back every single memory I had
of the story with visuals that exceeded my own imagination. You will see visuals in this film that go beyond
anything you have seen before. The film is visually beautiful as we travel through the lush green grasses
of the Shire with the huts built into the hills, or, the beautiful mountain village of Rivendell, inhabited
by the Elves. With so much beauty also comes the darkness of Mordor and Mount Doom so grimly recreated
with cameras that swoop into the lowest depths of these locations as we watch armies of death manufacturer
weapons as they grow, amass, and hunt the one that holds the ring.

Make no mistake about it, this film is very dark. The most terrifying creatures of Middle Earth are
realistically brought to life. Whether it be the Ringwraiths, dark riders who are neither dead or alive
or the armies of orcs who inhabit the Mountains of the Dwarf kingdom, this movie manages to keep your
heart racing with scene after scene of edge-of-the-seat battles set to sweeping music of Howard Shore.

I have two favorite sequences in this movie. One involves a duel between Gandalf (Ian Holm) and the
elder wizard, Saruman (Christopher Lee). With each Wizard testing their powers against each other,
the duel becomes one of the most memorable scenes of the film as we see Gandalf helplessly spinning
around the floor. Another favorite sequence involves Frodo putting the ring on his finger and not
only becoming invisible to the outside world, but being visible to the inner world of darkness. These
effect sequences are creatively reproduced on screen to the point where you get chills running down
your spine.

The biggest hurdles that New Line faces with Lord Of The Rings is the 3-hour running time and
the fact that this is not a film that is going to appeal to all audiences. While the fans who read
the original books are going to be enthralled with its faithfulness to the book, I couldn't help but
hear many women of the audience talking afterwards about how much they were unimpressed by the whole
film. Fans of the books and Fantasy films alike are in for the treat of their lives. Lord Of The Rings
has accomplished what many thought was the impossible -- to bring a live-action film to the screen
that accurately portrays the books as written, with enough visual eyes candy and engrossing battle scenes
that could very well make this the STAR WARS trilogy of the new century.

Got the soundtrack last Tuesday, two copies of it actually: one with Frodo on the cover and another with Gandalf. And a few minutes ago I discovered that it accesses a secret LOTR website!

BTW, the soundtrack figured into my marriage proposal :-)

Please re-read the Hollin gate part again. It states that Gandalf uses every opening spell known to elves, men, and orcs. No Gandalf, the rest of the Istari or Sauron are not men, but the Ringwraiths were. They were Kings and Queens who were also powerful sorcerors. The Lord of the Nazgul is called "The Witch King" and the Mouth of Sauron was a man who was a powerful sorceror. So yes, men did wield magic.

I'm very excited about this moving coming out. For those wondering how true to the novels it will be, I do know of one major difference (don't read on if you don't want to know):

Tom Bombadil doesn't make the cut. I don't know why, though it probably has to do with cutting the length of the film. It will be interesting to see how they work around him, and I think it will be an awesome movie with or without old Tom Bombadil.

It states that Gandalf uses every opening spell known to elves, men, and orcs.

Known to, but not used by. You could be right that there were men who used magic, but none in this story.

No Gandalf, the rest of the Istari or Sauron are not men, but the Ringwraiths were. They were Kings and Queens who were also powerful sorcerors.

I don't remember the reference to the Nazgul being sorcerers. Were they sorcerers before or after they ceased being men? I'll comment a little more about them later.

The Lord of the Nazgul is called "The Witch King" and the Mouth of Sauron was a man who was a powerful sorceror. So yes, men did wield magic.

And now to my other point about the Nazgul. Does Middle Earth contain stories of any men who use magic who remain its master? Or does the magic always overpower the man? That's a real question for you, since you seem to have read some of the other things written by Tolkein. I've only read The Hobbit and LOTR.

Shalom.

Sauron may be a man, that part wasn't clear, but I think he was of the same race as Gandalf.

Your thought is correct. Sauron is not a man, but rather "Maiar." Same as Gandalf in a general sense. If I recall, this is not made explicit in the Lord of the Rings. It comes from the Silmarilion.

This work of fiction is truly a man's fantasy. I am a woman and I have been reading the 1000 page book for the last few days, and I am finding it quite dull.

The Lord of the Rings is very-much oriented towards males, particularly boys.

It is a tale revolving around small males (hobbits) coming from conventional lives who suddenly find themselves having to become more than they were, overcome impossible odds and god-like foes, and stick close to their buddies. It is a male-bonding tale which has women being very-much secondary. You could realisticly remove all the female characters and retain the guts of the book

My 13-year-old daughter also had difficulty retaining interest in it when she first tried it a couple of years ago, but she's giving it another shot. I think this will not be a successful "date" movie for the most part

This could've been Hillary's best chance at the big screen! She would have been a perfect fit for the part.

Oh good! A Hillary slam. I just can't quite start the day without one. Now, I can go do something constructive. :^)

When I first heard about this movie, I told my wife that there's no way Tom Bombadil will be in it. He adds such an interesting dimension to the story, but he's here, then he's gone. He saved the hobbits from the trees and the barrow wights (if memory serves), but other than that, he has very little to do with the War of the Ring. Still, it's a shame he's not in it.

You might want to read the Appendices at the End of The Return of the King, I think they deal with the Nazgul a bit. The Silmarillion is a great source of background, and the Histories of Middle Earth contain alot of stories and background. Off the top of my head, I can't recall a man who mastered magic and didn't come to a bad end, but I'm pretty sure there were a few with tales about them. The Numenorians were decended from Elros after all and they were very adept at magic.

But you are correct in that one of Tolkien's great themes is the corruption of power. Not just magic, but any power can corrupt in Middle-Earth and the wise know not to take for granted their power and not to use it too readily.

I think people use magic in this movie. I'm scared for my children's sanity.

ROFL...so hard!!! Good one!! :o)

I can't wait to see these movies. I heard they had already made number two and three. That they will be released "one" a year.

Can't wait to see them. We LOVE Fiction!!! This outta be good!!!

The author of this article said it was "dark" at times. I hope it scares me!!! I remember watching "The Twilight Zone" as a kid and the "Outer Limits". They were dark to. But you didn't see bodies getting all hacked to pieces. I do remember "jumping" and being startled..and then laughing that I had been scared. It was exciting and it was good clean fun.

Anyway.. your quote was too funny :o) (I hope you were joking.. I have been known to be naive about a thing or two in my life!!) :o)

The Nazgul were men, the Mouth of Sauron is a man, Gandalf tries every spell known to elves, men, and orcs to get the door at Hollin open, and Denethor and Aragorn use the Palantir. Those are just examples of men using magic, or knowing how to use magic, found in LOTR. There are many more examples in The Silmarillion and other writings. Yes, in Middle-Earth magic is rare, yes, it is dangerous, but no, it is not an inherent trait of elves and Maiar that men cannot know.

But you are correct in that one of Tolkien's great themes is the corruption of power.

Well, Aragorn had power and used it without being corrupt. Ditto Theoden. Denethor had a problem, but he lacked humility and attempted to challenge Sauron with one of Sauron's favorite tools. I don't think Tolkein's theme was power corrupting but the necessary humility for handling power. And one element of humility is that magic isn't for human beings. At least, that's what I got out of it without reading the appendices or The Silmirilion.

Shalom.

Re#35: As a woman, all I can say is "Well said!" I loved these books because of the sense of brotherhood and the adventure. My greatest fear about this movie was that Jackson would try to turn it into a love story! (Thank goodness, it sounds like he didn't). I, too, avoid the Lifetime channel like the plague. If I want a fine romance, I can watch Pride and Predjudice - one of my favorite movies. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for LOTR with great anticipation!

Well, Aragorn was in his 70's and had not pushed for status or honor, so he had learned restraint and humility. Theoden had become weak and had started listening to Grima. It was only with Gandalf's interference that Theoden showed the strength and power he did in his youth. Denethor was wise and restrained, but Sauron held the master Palantir and was able to slowly corrupt him (as he did Saruman).

Aragorn, revealing himself as the rightful heir, took a large risk at Helm's Deep by using the Palantir, but it was to force Sauron's hand to strike before he was completely ready. His first action as a proclaimed heir was to go to the Stone of Erech and claim the fealty that the dead owed Elendil. After the defeat of the Corsairs, he again hid himself until his coronation. Aragorn was one of the wisest characters in the story, and as such corruption was held in check. He even told Boromir that he wouldn't hold the ring under any circumstance because he feared the corrupting nature of it.

Oh good! A Hillary slam. I just can't quite start the day without one. Now, I can go do something constructive. :^)

LOL! There can Never be enough Hillary slams. She is just sooooooooo deserving of them. ;^)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.