Lord of the Films (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (DVD))

Member Name: Karon

Product:	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (DVD)
Date:	11/02/02 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: first rate effects, great acting, great plot

Disadvantages: may be too long for some people, no upbeat ending

I don't make the effort to go to the cinema much anymore (too expensive) and it's an even rarer occurence for me to go more than once (never in the last ten years). I've been to see Lord of the Rings twice so far and I wouldn't mind going again. At roughly 3 hours long, there is a lot to take in at one viewing for starters, and inevitably I missed quite a bit first time round!

The film sticks very close to the book : Fellowship of the Ring, and where it has had to cut large chunks of the story out, it has done so sympathetically. For example, Tom Bombadill has been cut entirely, as have the adventure the hobbits have with the barrow-wights, but the film does not suffer for this. It is obvious that this is a film which has been made for the fans of Tolkien by fans of Tolkien.

There are lots of little touches and references which the film makers could have left out or glossed over, but they haven't, and this adds an extra depth to the film. For example when the Fellowship are trudging waist deep through snow, Legolas the Elf walks about on top of the snow. In the book, this is a throwaway reference in part that was cut from the film and could have been left out; including it satisifies the huge Tolkien fans and gives the rest of us something to look out for on repeated viewings.

The casting is absolutely superb, and I feel that using a cast largely of unknowns (or little knowns) works well for the film. The audience can view the characters with no baggage of other films or characters attached. Orlando Bloom deserves special credit for managing to create a believable character even though Legolas has few lines, but most credit should go to Elijah Wood who really brings Frodo to life and does an impeccable job throughout the film.

On the downside, because the film is part of a trilogy, it doesn't have the upbeat and finality of ending that we immediately expect . Roll on the rest of the trilogy!
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The effects are on the whole, excellent and there is good use of persepctive between the different sized characters, however occasionally it is really obvious that children are used to play the hobbits in distance shots: children move differently to adults and when they run, it is particularly noticeable.

On my second viewing I also spotted the now infamous "car in the background" in the scene where Sam announces that it is the furthest from the Shire he has ever been. I wouldn't definitely say that it is a car, but there is certainly something moving at speed in the background and kicking up a tremendous amount of dust.

I can't wait for the DVD release with the extra footage and I hope that this adds even more to what is already a very memorable film, and possible the most believable realisation of a fantasy world that I have ever seen.

Summary: