| Product: |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (DVD) |
| Date: |
25/03/08 (54 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Superb in all aspects
Disadvantages: Some elements of the book left out
J R R Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous series of books ever written. In 2001, New Zealand Director Peter Jackson took the helm to direct the film of the first of the triolgy: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was a monumental project, with fantastic results.
The Plot
There is the One Ring, and the possessor of the Ring has the power to rule everything, destroy everything, and corrupt everything. While it is in existence, no one in the land of Middle-earth is safe. Hobbit Frodo Baggins and his three friends, Samwise, Merry and Pippin, embark on the quest to destroy the Ring, aided by a troop of skilled fighters and adventurers. These are Aragorn the Ranger, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, and Boromir, son of one of the Kings of the land. Their guide for this dangerous quest is Gandalf the Grey Wizard. And dangerous it is, for they must survive the forces of Sauron, evil timeless Dark Lord.
The Cast and Performances
The cast for the films was very carefully chosen and amended. Peter Jackson is an obsessive fan of Tolkien, and as such wanted to completely recreate the characters in his mind's eye. I believe he and the casting department have surpassed all other book adaptations in their casting.
Frodo Baggins is played by Elijah Wood. His performance is gratingly pathetic at gtimes, but then the whole point of Frodo is that he is an unlikely hero. Sean Astin plays faithful Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's best friend, and Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan are Pippin and Merry. The four combine excellently as friends of the Shire (where the hobbits live) and their camaradery comes through on screen.
Viggo Mortenson was already a well known actor before getting the part of Aragorn, and following his performance here and in the two sequels, he has been catapulted into stardom and now plays lead roles on a regular commercial basis. As Aragorn he is every part the Ranger and defender of the hobbits. Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies provide a large element of the light-hearted nature of the tale, as well as some of the pride in the races of dwarves and elves, and their characters are true to the book.
Performances from others such as Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler are brief but important to the trilogy, and are performed with the right amount of subtlety. Christopher Lee is also very subtle and humble as the Wizard saruman.
The stealer of the show is Sir Ian McKellen as the guide of the Fellowship, Gandalf. The wizard is the knowledge factor in the film, and virtually tells the story as it goes along. He has all the answers, and knows what they must do, and what must happen for the Fellowship to succeed. McKellen's screen presence is outstanding in this film.
My Opinion
When I was a child, I read the trilogy. I found it hard going, but always enjoyed it. I read it again a few years later, and then for a third time before the films came out. When I went to the cinema to watch the Fellowship, I was amazed at how close to my mind's eye the adaptation was. The scenery and atmosphere were amazing, and the direction from Peter Jackson was near perfect.
If I were to have a criticism, it is that there are elements from the book that are left out, elements which do have an effect later in the trilogy, but these omissions are handled well, and satisfactory adjustments are made, which appease me somewhat. I do firmly appreciate how impossible it would be to get every small detail of such a complex and long book onto film. Omissions are sometimes necessary.
The story and plot are faultless. Tolkien has created a magical world, eveidence of an extremely vivid and particular imagination. The transition from obscurity to heroes for the hobbits, and the personal development they undertake throughout the film are very well recorded, and the combination of heroes in the Fellowship is very well balanced. Jackson transfers this very well onto the screen, and takes us on what can only be described as a magical journey filled with adventure and breathtaking scenery and danger.
The score to the film is extremely well balanced, and the classical nature of the majority of the music suggests a long time has been spent on planning every aspect of it. A comparison to the suitablility of the score on Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey came to my mind when I watched it, such is the musical quality and timing.
Overall, the film is magnificent. I rate it at 5 stars out of 5 without a moment's hesitation, even though I do have a little niggle over the length and the omissions. At 171 minutes for the feature, this is a very long film. The characterisation and plot do mean that there is a natural point within the film to have an omission, and this does help to split it up. It is very hard to sit down for nearly three hours to watch a film, no matter how good it is, and this is perfect for someone like me who gets itchy feet when I sit down for too long.
DVD Extras
The featurettes on the second disc are very cleverly organised to fit in with the running of the first half of the film. These are the featurettes:
Finding Hobbiton
Hobbiton Comes Alive
Believing the World of Bree
Ringwraiths: The Fallen Kings
Rivendell: The Elven Refuge
Languages of Middle-earth
Two Wizards
Music of Middle-earth
Elijah Wood
Viggo Mortensen
Orlando Bloom
Cate Blanchett
Liv Tyler
Ian McKellen
Weathertop: The Windy Hill
As you can see, they also feature some of the main cast members. Each featurette gives an in-depth description and explanation to each part, and those featuring the actors gives an insight to the actor/actress themselves and how they mould the character.
Other featurettes on the 2-disc edition's second disc include some in-depth programmes under the heading: Revealing the Secrets Behind the Production of the Epic Adventure. There is also a 10-minute preview of the second film in the trilogy, The Two Towers, a theatrical trailer, Enya's 'May It Be' music video, and an insight look to what the special extended DVD version will contain. It also contains a look at what the videogame for the film looks like.
All the features are interesting, and held my attention as much as the feature film itself.
Conclusion
An excellent film, with superb acting, direction and the rest. It is obvious that a lot of time, effort and money has gone into this film, and I am very glad to own this on DVD.
The 2-disc edition is available from amazon.co.uk for £5.98
This review may also be posted on ciao.co.uk
Thanks for reading
Summary: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - the first of the trilogy
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