There are many great books in this world, but not many transfer onto the big screen very well. Normally, the feel of the world you are reading about, or the multiple levels of characters you are reading about never really transforms, and you often are left with a shadow of the book. The Lord of the Rings (LOTR_ series was perhaps a gamble for Peter Jackson; to take one of the most beloved books of all time and try and produce three classic movies that satisfied not only the multitude of Tolkien fans, but also inspire a new audience was a near impossible task, and yet somehow Peter Jackson managed to pull the magic of LOTR into the movie theater.

Synopsis

The movie ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ is an excellent rendition of the first book of Tolkien’s expansive Lord of the Rings series. Perhaps the father of modern fantasy, Tolkien’s world is full of adventure, romance, good and evil, darkness and light. As a small intrepid band, or a ‘fellowship’ embark on a simple quest to destroy a magic ring, we begin to realize that the fate of Middle Earth (the land where the stories unfold) is in their hands. With a diverse group of adventurers, with a wise wizard, a grumpy dwarf, an aloof elf, a mysterious ranger (man), and barbarian and four Hobbits – two mischievous, one dutiful and one full of dount (Hobbits are basically little men with big hairy feet!) we begin to feel a strange kinship develop as they begin their arduous journey. They path is not easy and is thwart with dangers as the Dark Lord (Sauron) tries to stop their progress – his armies of orcs, goblins, ogres and his sinister lieutenants the Nazgul are forever on their trail.

Jackson’s movie has brought Tolkien’s world to life, with sprawling scenery, wonderful villages and cities (these are just as I imagined as Tolkien described them!), superb acting, exceptional sound and special effects, this movie introduces LOTR and the world Middle Earth to the audience very well. Slowly it builds on the characters and friendships as we move to a dark and frightening climax. This is a must see movie for all Tolkien lovers, and non lovers alike.



Full Opinion

When I was 10 my parents and I went on vacation to a place called Tenby in West Wales (UK); it was a wonderful summer’s week – I walked into a book store looking for something to read on the beach. I had read The Hobbit previously, and recognizing the name, felt a little daunted as I picked up LOTR. I read the whole book that week. The book transported me into a world of fantasy, and the ‘realness’ of the world was convincing. The books caught my imagination and catapulted me into a joy of reading (especially the Fantasy genre) – no series has caught me in the same way although a few have come close.
LOTR is quite simply a literary classic; Tolkien’s attention to detail is incredible, from his prose and poetry to the languages he invented, he mastered the art of storytelling, while somehow filling the world with wonder and reality. This combination of reality and fantasy is what makes it a classic. With the beautiful writing style of Tolkien, LOTR became almost real to me.

Peter Jackson therefore had a very hard task; to try and capture this in a movie is seemingly impossible. I already had a pessimistic view of the movie prior to viewing as I felt there was no way that Jackson could capture Tolkien’s world, there was no way he could even come close in my opinion.

After seeing an animated version of the first book, and an animated version of The Hobbit I was even more inclined to believe that his project was doomed to failure. It is perhaps harsh to judge a movie even before it had been released, but I wasn’t the only one doing so.

Not many fantasy movies has ever had critical applause, let alone box office success. Movies like Krull, Legend, Willow etc. had tried to fill a market, but had been done poorly or hadn’t quite captured the essence of a fantasy book. Despite what many may feel about the fantasy genre, true fantasy has a lot of depth both in story and characters – no movie managed to capture this and so these movies were more for the enthusiast than the mass audience. Jackson aimed to change all this.

Peter Jackson, perhaps in an inspirational move, and perhaps after seeing other directors having success with the same method decided to gamble and film all three movies of the series at the same time. My initial thoughts were that this could be a mistake as to keep a cast together for so long is thwart with dangers. Time would tell if the gamble paid off.



Story

The Hobbit, the prequel to this movie, tells about a Hobbit Bilbo who with the help of some Dwarf’s defeats the evil dragon Smaug. Along the way he has many dangerous encounters. One of these involves a sinister character called Gollum. With a game of riddles, Bilbo manages to save his life and in doing so also manages to win a ring from Gollum.


‘The Fellowship of the Rings’ starts several years later. Gandalf, a wise old wizard who assisted and in fact instigated Bilbo’s quest in the Hobbit decides to visit Hobbiton to discuss the ring with Bilbo. Galdalf had misgivings about the ring, and after many years of research has discovered that this is the One Ring of Sauron. Sauron lost this ring many years ago and many thought he was vanquished – his power is growing and he seeks the One Ring that will bind all the other rings of power to him, and assure his victory.

Bilbo however has plans of his own. It is his 111th birthday and he’s decided that it is time to pass on his ring to his young nephew Frodo. Bilbo has had the ring for many years, and has found it’s ability to turn the owner invisible very useful. He doesn’t realize how dangerous the ring is, or that by wearing it, he is essentially lighting a beacon for Sauron. Bilbo finds that he has a very hard time giving up the ring, but with the oversight of Gandalf the ring passes on to Frodo.

Immediately Frodo finds himself in danger, and with the help of his best friend Sam Gangee, and his friends Merry and Pippin sets out on a dangerous journey to meet the mysterious Strider, at the behest of Gandalf.

As their dangerous quest begins, they move to Rivendell where a council decides that the ring must be destroyed in the cracks of doom, which just happen to be smack in the middle of Sauron’s realm. A fellow ship is formed and the ‘fellowship’ sets out on a quest to destroy the ring – the way ahead is dangerous, with powerful Nazgul (or Ringwraiths) dogging their steps, allies turning into enemies, betrayals etc. Thus Frodo, the ringbearer starts our journey into the Fellowship of the Ring…..

What’s the movie like?

From the very first moment when we follow Gandalf’s cart into Hobbiton, we are immersed in Tolkien’s world. The movie starts slowly introducing some of the major characters in depth, showing them in the light, laughing and having fun. Hobbiton is almost taken from the books. The sense of joy and happiness are palpable, you almost feel that no evil could ever touch this rustic village. The energy of the village is wonderful and sets up the movie very well.

Soon we are catapulted into the sinister side of Middle Earth. With eerie forests and danger around every corner, we are swallowed up by the feel and depth of the story as our ‘fellowship’ begins to encounter the evil of the world around them. The movie grabs your attention early with superb atmosphere, and it never lets go. One scene particularly grabs you – a Nazgul is aware that the Hobbits are in Hobbiton, and as our Hobbits hide below the Nazgul and it’s war horse, the fear is almost tangible – you find yourself holding your breath waiting for the Nazgul to move away.

I was delighted when the party arrived at Rivendell – not just because they were temporarily safe, but because the city was incredible. Built into a vast forest, the living breathing city of Rivendell sprang right out of the pages of the book. It is simply majestic, and captured the grace and artistry of the elegant Elves.

As an aside I am reminded of an early Rush song – ‘Rivendell’ – on the Fly By Night album, that captures some of the essence of Rivendell and how it is almost a home away from home, a place of tranquility that is set aside from the evils of the world.

The movie continues, and seems to flow with its own energy. The tempo changes many times, from the quiet and relaxed start, to the heart pumping action of the escape from the Nazgul. This continues throughout the movie, although the pace generally increases as we move towards the end. Along with this the scenery changes and adapts. From the tranquility of Rivendell, we are pulled into the Mines of Moria. These are colossal caves and mines built by the Dwarves as a home. The sheer size and scale of them, and the simple majesty is incredible. This is part of the magic of the movie; the ability to immerse you in ‘real’ scenery enhances the experience.

Add to this the genuine feeling of evil you feel when you first see the Orcs, Goblins and other evil denizens of Middle Earth. The special effects and computer graphics are incredible. Gone are the days of Tron, you are now looking at creatures that seem so real that you feel you have to help the main characters escape their evil, and almost feel every thrust of sword that slays or fells an evil beast.

No other movie has quite captured me in the same way (Star Wars and Indiana Jones come close) – the immersive quality is amazing and makes the movie stand out even more. The characters, places and enemies all feel real and this is truly and great achievement by Jackson.

Part of this ‘reality’ comes down to the casting and acting. There’s no doubt that it’s very hard for someone to portray a beloved character – one that has formed images in the minds of the readers for 50 years or more. Aside from Harry Potter, no other book that has been made into a movie has quite captured the characters on screen in the same way as LOTR.

Elijah Wood has perhaps the hardest role. As the troubled and frightened Frodo, he has to show the emotions of a fearful young hobbit as he moves through each danger. Somehow he also has to portray the steel that is evident in the book, that grows as the book rolls on. Elijah manages this admirably. His performance portrays the torment of Frodo well – his fear, his anxiety, his need to use the ring and above all his compassion.

Ian McKellan is simply magnificent as the wizened wizard Gandalf. With a lot of humor, a twinkle in his eye and yet a fierce determination very evident, McKellan portray Gandalf very well. This is probably the strongest performance in the movie and one I felt merited an Oscar. McKellan managed to find the ‘larger than life’ quality that Gandlaf has, the quality that made you feel all would be well in the end, despite the dangers.

Aragorn is one of my favorite characters from the book. This broody, self diffusing and yet confident character is another difficult one to portray. Mortensen captures this, but also adds intensity to the character that tells of larger things at foot. This is another accomplished performance.

Saruman, an interesting character that isn’t as prominent in the movie as in the book is played well by Lee. I felt that his performance lacked a little passion, but overall was good. It would have been interesting to see far more of this character, and allow Lee to build on the foundations of the character.

Gimili is another favorite, with his subtle humor, his always complaining manner and yet his devotedness and friendship always on the surface. John Rhys-Davies is perfect for this role, playing the character in a rough and dower way that is similar to the character portrayed in the book.

Sean Bean, a fellow Sheffield United soccer player, could have been the perfect Aragorn in my opinion. While he was good as Boromir, I never really felt the temperament portrayed was correct. There was an underlying anger, but it wasn’t portrayed as a soul in turmoil, wanting only the best, but not quite doing it the right way.

Liv Tyelr and Cate Blanchet were OK as elves, but I felt that their beauty overwhelmed the characters – they felt a little ‘light’, and needed a lot more depth.

Overall I felt the acting was excellent and complimented the movie well.

The one thing that was essential for the success of the movie was for the director to have a passion about the books and the world he was creating. Peter Jackson evidently had this passion. The detail within the movie, the sheer scale and quality of the production and direction told of a man who loved the books and wanted nothing less than perfection. He elevated the use of technology to a different level, flawlessly incorporating CGI where needed.

From the very first minute we see his skill and attention to detail. While playing a minor part in the movie, Hobbiton was perfect. It simply looked like a real living breathing village. This detail was also seen within the characters and monsters, which mostly stay true to the books. Every costume, every city, forest, cave was perfect and transformed the movie.
Middle Earth came to life in my eyes, and this is down to the brilliance of Peter Jackson.

No movie would be complete without superb sound and music. With elements of Celtic music, male voice choirs, and full Orchestras the music matched the scenes very well. At times, the lack of music was perfect too.

Jackson’s attention to detail comes through again as many of Tolkien’s poems and songs are bought to life in the movie – many in the Elvish or Dwarvish languages. This adds an authenticity that isn’t obvious but adds to the whole.

The music also seems to match the mood – with jolly Irish music in Hobbiton, to haunting drum beats within Moria – this all adds to the immersive quality of the movie.

Overall

There’s no doubt that I love the books. I was simply amazed by the movies, how my imagination was simply out there on the big screen. It is one of the most immersive and complete portrayals of a book that I have encountered – many will point out that a huge chunk (almost 200 pages) of the book was missing, but for me Tom Bombidil never really seemed to fit into the book properly anyway and would have confused newcomers.

I was also amazed that so many people who have not read the books loved the movie. That is a testament to the skills of Peter Jackson and all who worked on the movie.










Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older