Ian
McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm,
Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Brad Dourif, Hugo Weaving, Bernard Hill and Billy
Boyd.
Written by Peter Jackson, Fran
Walsh, Stephen Sinclair and Philippa Boyens.
Produced by Barrie M. Osbourne and Peter Jackson
Directed by Peter Jackson
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Based
on the popular novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the more anticipated films of
the year (if not the most) finally makes it to the big screen, and even with
all the hype surrounding it, “The Lord of the Rings” is nothing short
of amazing. It is a grand movie of epic proportions that will no doubtingly
join the likes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Star Wars”
in the non-independent film Pantheon.
Set in the mythical land of
Middle Earth, in an era of goblins and wizards, the evil Lord Sauron and his
dark forces once again threaten to rule all. The fate of the world relies on
who possesses the one ring, which holds unspeakable power and might. It was
Lord Sauron who created the ring out of the fiery depths of Doom Mountain years
and years ago, but it was during a history-altering battle where Lord Sauron
was killed that the ring changed hands. Because the ring is evil by nature,
greed and hatred overcomes the new bearers. Wars were waged to get the ring,
and consequently, the ring was lost. The threat of Sauron seemed to have been
extinguished…that is until the day the ring was found.
The ring
beckons the spirit of Lord Sauron, and the alliance opposing Sauron realizes
that the only way to defeat him and his forces is to destroy it. The ring is
entrusted to a hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), and along with a group
comprising of elves, dwarves, hobbits, humans and a wizard, a fellowship of
nine is created. They have the daunting task of taking the ring back to Doom
Mountain, for it is only there that the ring can be destroyed once and for all.
From the dark underworlds through the rugged snowcapped mountains, the
Fellowship of the Ring will battle evil and prevent Sauron from taking over
Middle Earth.
“The Fellowship of the Ring” is indeed the true
embodiment of what a “Hollywood” movie is set out to be. It takes you
to another time and place, with state of the art visuals and effects, an
engrossing story, awe inspiring adventure and a genuine sense of gravity. We
have gotten a lot of these qualities from other recent blockbusters, but it is
the last one that really won me over. A lot of times movies will have this
“end of the world” theme to it, but it doesn’t quite capture the
essence of the situation’s severity. The action is limited to only a
handful of players, and the rest of the world doesn’t even seem to be
aware that anything is wrong, as seen in “Armageddon” or “Tomb
Raider”. This is what elevates “The Fellowship of the Ring” from
the rest. The film captures the significance of what is happening and almost
reaches the same epic levels as those of Roman mythology or the Biblical tales
of The Ten Plagues, The Great Flood and such. “The Fellowship of the
Ring” is a work of fiction that seems authentically real.
Just
like “Star Wars”, “The Fellowship of the Ring” is the first
installment of a forthcoming trilogy, which means it will be the slowest of the
three. Characters will need to be introduced, situations to be situated and at
almost three hours, it takes its time to do all these. The first half presents
all the background information we need, and the adventure doesn’t actually
begin until the second half. Some will find the movie slow, especially
children. I had this one kid about seven years old sitting next to me who kept
fidgeting through most of the film. However, it is very crucial to have a
careful introduction to the story, and rushing it would have been a mistake.
This is the “Harry Potter” for the older crowd.
“The
Fellowship of the Ring” is far from being perfect, however. There were
scenes that irked me for being a bit excessive or melodramatic. Take for
example the scenes with Cate Blanchett, who plays the elfin Galadriel. The soft
light used on her is just overly done, and Blanchett is reduced to a mere white
blur on the screen. Or the unnecessary melodramatics of a near-drowning towards
the end of the film. The movie could have done away with these, but they are
very minor quibbles when one looks at the overall picture.
The sense
of adventure that we get from watching the movie can hardly be surpassed by any
other. I admit that I am not the biggest fan when it comes to the realm of
goblins and ogres (except maybe for an occasional game of “Magic the
Gathering”), but one does not need to be into Dungeon’s and Dragons
to get into the movie at all. “The Fellowship of the Ring” does not
disappoint when it comes to action and emotion.
In a year fraught with
misses, “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” hits the
mark. No need for reverse story telling. No need for a bizarre nightmare
through the streets of Los Angeles. No need for a cutesy green ogre. With a
solid cast and an engrossing adventure, this is definitely the best movie of
the year. It has been a long while since I have picked a “Hollywood”
movie to be the best of the year, but “Fellowship of the Ring”
deserves it.
4/5
Reviewed by
Mazzyboi
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