Overall Rating
  Awesome: 76.54%
Worth A Look: 11.1%
Average: 4.81%
Pretty Bad: 2.63%
Total Crap: 4.92%
23 reviews, 736 user ratings
|
|
| Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The |
by MP Bartley
"Raises the bar. On everything. Forever."
|
In the past I've always been pretty kind to your average popcorn flick. Films like The Mummy or Charlie's Angels I would always defend as being harmless, enjoyable fluff. But not anymore. There can be no more excuses for miscasting. No more excuses for poor CGI. No more excuses for pitiful adaptions of well loved works. Because we now have a film that can define our generation. A film where we can say 'We were there' when it came out.First, of all a disclaimer. I've never read any of Tolkiens work. I attempted to read 'The Hobbit' when I was about 8 but gave up and went back to Asterix. So this review will not be about how closely it sticks to the book. But it will be about how 'The Fellowship...' sets a new benchmark for films following in its footsteps.
If, like me, you've never read the book, you're still probably aware of the plot. A young Hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is entrusted with a ring by his retiring friend Frodo (Ian Holm). However another of Frodo's friends, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) recognises the ring as a source of immense power that could restore the dark lord Sauron to power. Realizing the danger this poses to middle earth, Frodo and Gandalf set up a fellowship of hobbits,elves, dwarves and humans to destroy the ring while avoiding the servants of Sauron who are slowly but surely tracking them down.
On it's release 'The Fellowship' has immediately been compared to fellow fantasy film 'Harry Potter'. I'm sorry but that's like comparing Ryan Adams to John Lennon. As much as I enjoyed 'Harry Potter' it remains a kids film. It's a light, whimsical fairy story. These are things you can never excuse 'The Fellowship' of being. This is a story about how a whole world is on the edge of being plunged into war, chaos and death. And Jackson never lets us forget this fact. The whole film is shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere of impending dread. Sure, the Hobbits may offer a little comic relief at times, but it comes across as a more natural, nervous reaction to their on-going situation than laughs for the sake of laughs. By constantly showing us the Ring Wraithes tracking them down, or the Orc armies slowly building forces to attack, we are in constant fear and doubt for the heroes. When was the last time you saw a film where you really weren't sure who was going to make it to the final credits? (unless you've read the book obviously)Did anyone go to see 'The Mummy Returns' and really think that Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah weren't going to be riding into the sunset, laughing about their hi-jinks by the end? 'The Fellowship' offers no such comforts for the unknowing. By the time we are faced with the final battle, I was actually perched on the end of my seat, digging fingernails into my palms, as I was convinced that I was about see the slaughter of all the fellowship. And I can't remember the last time I was that entranced by a film. And this scene comes after the flight from the dwarf mine of Moria. But I will say no more about that and let you discover that for yourself...
The first round of thanks has to go to Peter Jackson, the guy is now on my Christmas card list for eternity. Who'd have thought that the man behind 'Braindead' could have come up with this? For Jackson is just about the only director I would put up there with Spielberg who knows how to use CGI. And I don't even think Spielberg would have created a middle earth anything like this. George Lucas must have been crying into his breakfast when he saw what Jackson has been striving to make. Because his middle earth makes Lucas' phoney worlds of The Phantom Menace look like the gaudy, kids tv sets they really were.
The realm here convinces absolutely and constantly, from the forests of Elrond and Galadriel, to the Mines of Moria, to the pits of Sauron. Jacksons camera soars and swoops over landscapes both real and CGI and at more than one point I wanted to call the projectionist and ask him to rewind the film so I could just witness again what I'd seen. It's a film that for once deserves the moniker awe-inspiring. Because Jackson has shown what CGI can and should be used for. Whoever was behind getting Jackson to commit pen to paper for this deserves our thanks and a blow-job every morning for the rest of his life.Or maybe just our thanks.
As does the casting director. Because this is a film which shows it truly pays to have the right actors for the right parts, and not just stars to guarantee dollars. Take the pivotal casting of Frodo. At the beginning of the shoot, Jackson was adamant that all the hobbits should be English. Non suitable could be found however until Elijah Wood sent in his audition tape. And he fits the part perfectly, summing up the characters bravado while constantly being on edge and fearful, never letting us forget that this is a character who doesn't want to have this mission.He doesn't want to be risking his life over a ring. But he's forced to and he's uprooted from the comfort of his home, to travel in fear and loneliness and Wood gets this point over superbly.
Ditto Ian McKellen as Gandalf. When it was announced that the Rings trilogy was to be filmed, accepted wisdom said no-one other than Sean Connery could fill the pointy hat of Gandalf. Well accepted wisdom was wrong, because quite simply McKellen invests Gandalf with the kind of intelligence, integrity and humility that no-one else could. Can you seriously imagine Connery doing this part. He'd have insisted that Gandalf gets it on with elf queen Galadriel or some such nonsense! One of my favourite scenes is the duel between Gandalf and renegade wizard, Saruman (Christopher Lee)simply because you just don't get two old acting pro's striking sparks off each other like that anymore.It's really a privilege to watch at times.
And every bit player gets their chance to shine.Liv Tyler (and no, she doesn't let the side down.At all)as elf Princess Arwen brings a more gentle side to the darkness and even relatively small players like Orlando Boom's Legolas make a definite mark on proceedings. The rest of the Hobbits bring a sense of vulnerability to the film and acquit themselves well. It's unfair in such a well cast film to single anyone out for special attention but if I had to pick a star, it would be Viggo Mortensens Strider. Mortensen has never struck me before as a particularly powerful actor, but he knocks everyone off the screen here, not an easy thing to do. Strider is a reluctant hero like the rest of them, but when he pledges his life to protect Frodo you know he means it.Mortensen is ideal as the conflicted and uncomprising warrior that accepts lives will be lost in battle and when he gets stuck into some orcs at the end..well it's dazzling, it really is. I seriously think that if he'd had more screen time we'd have been talking Russell Crowe/Gladiator stardom/plaudits.
But you cannot get away from the fact that this is undeniably Jacksons film. Where, in retrospect, the adaption of 'Harry Potter' now seems a timid retread of the book, Jackson makes 'The Fellowship' a defiantly original film.He makes changes that actually make sense (elevating the Arwen/Strider relationship, giving Saruman a more physical presence)and give the film a more structured feel.
And then there's the beautifully realised ending, where the remaining fellowship go their necessary ways. It's not actually an ending so much as a further development.You leave sad that they're going, but under no doubt that their futures are still intertwined.I'm well aware that this review has been one long, gushing praise.But I don't care. I came out desperate to see it again, and then the next two (those who complain about the ending are missing the point. It's supposed to leave you asking questions). Damn it, this movie made me care and love the power of movies all over again. And when was the last time that happened?
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=897&reviewer=293
originally posted: 01/12/02 03:24:45
![[printer]](/images/icon/printer.gif) printer-friendly format
|
Trilogy Starters: For more in the Trilogy Starters series, click here.
|
 |
USA
19-Dec-2001 (PG-13)
DVD: 29-Aug-2006
UK
19-Dec-2001 (PG)
Australia
11-Dec-2001 (PG)
|
|
Articles 
subscribe to this feed![[AllPosters.com]](/images/icon/ap.gif){kind=icon}
