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The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (10 - 12 of 60 Reviews)

Compelling and thoughtful
Considering the amount of detail and background that "The Lord of the Rings" books encompasses, the film might have suffered a "Dune"-like outcome: too much drama crammed into too little time. Happily, Peter Jackson's movie proves that theory wrong (at least here), and delights the Tolkien reader with visuals to match the imagination.

All the characters are well-acted. Gandalf's role as wizard and protector of the Shire comes across strongly in Ian McKellen's lined face. Viggo Mortensen does a fine job with Aragorn, the Ranger and future king - he's neither creepy nor too-heroic, but rather a man struggling with the weight of Middle-Earth's battles and legends. Elijah Wood deserves an Oscar simply for giving us Frodo Baggins in the flesh: all wide eyes and simple hobbit determination. I thought Cate Blanchett was a great Galadriel - although played a bit too mystical, as if there was a ouija board hidden in her robes.

The visuals are stunning. Middle-Earth is as real as our own world (thanks to New Zealand) and the landscape changes dramatically with each chapter. Even invented scenery (Moria, the mallorn trees of Lorien) are convincing. The orcs are suitably horrible, and the Balrog (my favorite) is exactly the flame-and-shadow apparition that Tolkien described.

One quibble: the music gets too much. The film needn't have had the same overblown score that every epic predictably offers. It occurred to me while watching it on DVD that the sound of Middle-Earth should be as unique as its appearance. Or better still, ease back on the violins occasionally and horns and let us hear the world that Tolkien described.

Another irksome detail was Liv Tyler's exaggerated role in "The Fellowship of the Ring." Arwen did not fight off the Nazgûl at Bruinen Ford. That was Elrond (with Gandalf's help) in the form of a foaming flood. Anyway, the film is worth watching repeatedly. If the second and third installments are as good as this, it'll be a classic.

Oh, My "Lord."
Before I sing my praises, let me first admit, with slight embarrassment, that I haven't read a single page of the Tolkien books on which "Lord of the Rings" is based. But that didn't prevent me from appreciating this movie. Quite simply, I was literally blown away. Quite possibly the greatest epic adventure since "Lawrence of Arabia," "Lord of the Rings" thrills, captivates, enthralls, and entertains you from start to finish. It's the great fantasy adventure that "Harry Potter" should have been (and can never be). I saw the extended 3.5 hour version late Friday night, and I watched every frame of the movie until 3:00 in the morning because I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. You can tell that director Peter Jackson invested a lot of love into this project through the scenery, the performances, the breathtaking action sequences, and the pacing. Elijah Wood is badly underrated as Frodo, who along with his cohorts, begins an adventure in which he protects a ring with magic powers against various forces of evil. Viggo Mortensen and Sir Ian McKellen also shine tremendously, especially McKellen, who was robbed of a Supporting Actor Oscar. Unfortunately, women don't have much of a presence in this movie, though Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler make the best of their underwritten roles. When "Lord of the Rings" first came out in DVD in August, I deliberately avoided the 2-disc version, for I knew that a deluxe edition was forthcoming. And while the pricetag is somewhat steep, it is worth every dime. I never saw the original theatrical release, but the 3.5 hour version passes along nicely and never drags. If there is one DVD you must buy this year, this one is certainly it. It's bound to be remembered as a beloved classic, and having finally seen it, I now eagerly await the next two "LOTR" films.

my jaw dropped, numerous times
I went as a thirtysomething pragmatic yuppie cynic, hoping for entertainment value and that the CG wasn't going to be too laughable. I returned from the theatre shocked. Overwhelmed. Blown away. Stunned. I don't think there are enough superlatives in the language.

I felt that the changes made were appropriate, especially for the benefit of all those who never read the book and/or aren't JRRT geeks. There has also been a lot of discussion that material necessarily left on the cutting room floor for sake of brevity will resurface in a "non-rated" Director's Cut DVD version, and I eagerly await that interpretation as well.

I'm a Tolkien nut who's read all his works repeatedly. They are phenomenal stories from an inspired imagination. However, I will admit (probably going to get burned at the stake here) that the LOTR trilogy are incredibly convoluted, wordy and difficult reads, and are at times mind-numbingly trivial in detail. The changes made to the movie for sake of plot logic and pacing were carefully thought out and well executed. The incredibly controversial interpretation of Arwen (I felt) was a brilliant adaptation done to consolidate roles with a secondary and somewhat pointless "loose end" character. This in turn provided motivation and immediacy to Arwen's character, who in the books was rendered so incredibly remote and idealized that one wonders how she could possibly achieve something as earthy as falling in love with a mortal man. Story line, scenes, dialogue and characters essential to drive the plot were faithfully rendered in loving detail. When Frodo puts on the ring, the wraith world he sees is vividly hallucinatory. The interpretation of wizards battling is as a force of Nature, no cliche firebolts thrown here!

I think folks should cast aside the hype, preconceived notions, and the opinions of both professionals and armchair critics like myself. Go with an open mind and take your sense of wonder. Everyone who has read JRRT has their own, "treasured" view of how the story should look. The movie adaptation may or may not correspond in every sense, but as a film and screenplay it was (IMO) the most moving media experience I've ever witnessed.

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