Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) by Swati — 04 Dec 2013

To describe this movie as merely epic would be a gross understatement. As epic movies go, it has all the diverse conflicted characters, fighting against insurmountable odds, clash of interests, difficult decisions concerning life and death, matters of the heart and so on.

The movie starts off with an introduction to the present conflict pervading Middle Earth. Sauron is established as the main villain. Not much is shown about his past. We do not know why these people are fighting against each other. You'll have to read The Hobbit or The Silmarillion to catch up on that. The rest of the first half hour is used to establish the abode of the Hobbits, The Shire.

Then the pace picks up as the main characters leave and we get to witness the vast abundance of Middle Earth, and its people and races including the Elves, who are the most intriguing of them all.

Aragorn, also called Strider, is the action go to guy. Far from home and not ever wishing to return, he literally strides into the story and takes command. He is the person most people would form a bond with, I know I did. Then there are others like Legolas, an elf; and the dwarf Gimli. They form the core among the group. And Boromir the son of the steward of Gondor, whose family has taken care of the affairs of the state with the departure of the last of the kings. Gandalf the grey, a member of the order of wizards, is the old guy counselling and protecting our protagonist, Frodo Baggins, on his quest to destroy the ring that can wield a power greater than any other.

Their journey is perilous, the odds pitted against them deadly. The Ringwraiths, servants of the Dark Lord Sauron, seek to return the ring of power to their master and cannot rest until they have done their duty. The Orcs or Goblins, a dark twisted species, are the footsoldiers of the evil side. As if this was not enough, the ring has the power to influence those around it toward claiming it for themselves and fight to the death for it. As Frodo's uncle Bilbo was the previous owner of the ring, it is felt that he would be better able to withstand its effects.

Peter Jackson has the talent to capture the sense of the epic with the camera angles he employs. Always in fear of failure to grasp the location of the visited places and their relativity to each other, I was amazed how easily everything became clear. The special effects were revolutionary for its time. The art department did a commendable job with the sets, costumes and make-up. The locations used for shooting were serene and exquisite, making me want to visit New Zealand where it was shot. The score did a wonderful job keeping you on the edge of your seat and never letting you really relax and lose the sense of urgency, though the greater credit for that feat has to go to the editor. I also watched the extended version of the film, so I can understand the decision to cut out several scenes of relative unimportance to the plot, but I found their presence to be complementary and fulfilling.

Fantasy movies are always hard to do right. People watching them are willing to be swept off their feet, yet slight inconsistencies could be disastrous. Jackson commits none of those mistakes. Fellowship is my favourite from the trilogy, as it focussed more on the characters. The major battles are part of the sequels, which some might find more alluring. This is a fantasy movie which was done perfectly, in my opinion, and the others in the genre should be held against it for comparison.

Extended edition felt more satisfying. Lady Galadriel had more scenes with the main characters, so did Aragorn and Boromir talking and arguing with each other. A bit of Galadriel's palace was shown. In the final skirmish with the Orcs, Boromir's and Aragorn's scenes were increased, making the sequences which felt rushed before more fleshed out and satisfying. A bit of humour was added too.