Certification. PG
Running Time. 2 hours 58 mins
Director. Peter Jackson
Cast. Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood.
Rating. 84%
Despite derision from certain pockets of the literati, The Lord Of The Rings is routinely hailed as one of the greatest books of the 20th century (e.g. Waterstone's Books of the Century). In defence of J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, the poet W. H. Auden once declared, "If someone dislikes it, I shall never trust their literary judgement about anything again."
Back in the late 1990's, the then relatively unknown director, Peter Jackson embarked on the monumental task of translating Tolkien's trilogy into a film trilogy. At that point in his career Peter Jackson had directed half a dozen films, including The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures and Meet The Feebles [one of the most tasteless pieces of cinema I've ever seen].
Choosing to film all three instalments at the same time, the films were subsequently released over a two-year period and the trilogy fast became a box office behemoth. At the same time, the films garnered almost universal acclaim. Indeed, Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring collected the first four Academy Awards bestowed on the trilogy [a total of seventeen were awarded to the three films].
Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is a bold cinematic triumph in almost every way. Technically daring, and at the time unrivalled, the attention to detail with the makeup, costumes and production design are all first class. Unerringly cast despite the large number of actors required to bring the story to life. Elijah Wood, in particular, has the perfect combination of naivety, innocence and pluck to bring Frodo Baggins to life. He plays the part with such conviction that it is all but impossible not to embrace him in the role.
Yet, there are problems with Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. The three-hour run time feels like a three-hour run time and the film loses momentum and drags as the audience endures yet more panoramic vistas, more forests, and more prophecies and visions. Some of the CGI effects are a little dated, especially the rendering of the diminutive stature of the hobbits.
Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring was released a month after Chris Columbus' Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone and Peter Jackson's screenplay (written in collaboration with Fran Walsh and Philip Boyens) is considerably bolder than Steven Kloves' literal adaptation of J.K. Rowling's opening gambit. Like Tolkien's books, Jackson's adaptation has the weight of an epic historical drama, such as Ben Hur, Braveheart or Gladiator.
At the time, Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, and the ensuing trilogy, was very much a one of a kind cinematic experience that divided the audience - those who were caught up in and swept away by adventures in Middle Earth and those who simply endured the experience. Seldom before has the age old theme of good versus evil been portrayed with such conviction or imagination. Perhaps only Star Wars came close, transposing the theme to the realms of science fiction.
Some will claim Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is the opening chapter in the greatest trilogy ever made. Sergio Leone, Francis Ford Coppola or Krzysztof Kieslowski may disagree. Either way, this was clearly a personal and joyous labour of love for Peter Jackson.
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