The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Review

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The Fellowship of the Ring, based off the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, follows Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship, as Frodo is tasked with taking the Ring to Mount Doom to save Middle Earth.

Often times, the first movie in a trilogy gets overlooked, especially when the goal stretches the entire 3 films. But Fellowship is phenomenally rich movie that perfectly sets up Middle Earth, the lore behind the rings, the big villain, and of course the characters we will be following from here on out. Even on multiple viewings, I am continuously awestruck at the beauty and purity of this movie and the heart it brings. Visually it’s a stunner, using giant miniatures, groundbreaking VFX on Weta Digital’s part, and the natural beauty of New Zealand to capture a world filled with Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, and so much more.

The performances also live up to their reputations, featuring Sean Bean, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, & Viggo Mortensen, who is very clearly the coolest character in these movies. Wood as the reluctant hero Frodo also is what gives these movies so much power, as he is our star but he never wants to be, something he struggles with throughout. He plays Frodo with such a youthful purity that we see slowly get ripped from him on the journey, losing both Gandalf and Boromir. That’s also not to take away from powerful, almost magical performances of everyone else though, especially the obvious choices in Viggo and McKellen.

Peter Jackson crafted a near perfect first entry that, while 3 hours long, doesn’t feel that long at all due how entertaining and heartfelt this movie is. His style is now synonymous with LOTR and it’s hard to imagine seeing it brought to life any other way.

I also can’t forget to mention the terrific score by Howard Shore 5”that fills our hearts with joy and hope, but also with great fear at times. It sets the tone from the jump and brings all of these pieces together cohesively to be so enjoyable.

Fellowship is an amazing and magical standalone film with heart, adventure, and the dangers that follow. The journey to Mordor starts here and is endlessly hopeful.

10/10