Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) by Dustin D — 14 Nov 2015

As a huge fan of Tolkien's work, I didn't think his fantasy epic was filmable. I didn't particularly look forward to seeing this film when it opened, and was dragged to the theater by my coworkers one night after our shift.

I stood corrected. Peter Jackson's trilogy was perfectly cast and did justice to the books. The mix of practical effects and CGI was almost seamless. I was especially impressed with how wonderfully the filmmakers brought the Shire, the Mines of Moria, the ringwraiths, the Balrog, to life that so closely matched the way I pictured them when I read the book--it was almost like telepathy.

This is a triumph of special effects, storytelling and modern filmmaking.