The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cate Blanchett, Noel Appleby, Sala Baker, Sean Astin, Sean BeanDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 178 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-08-06
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: New Line Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Instant Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
This review refers to the version seen in the cinema and NOT the extended edition, which as we know makes a HUGE difference: most of my criticisms fell away after having seen the extended edition, but the movie I'm reviewing is the one Jackson offered us in the cinema, so that's what I'll go with:
Let me start by saying that I liked the movie a lot, though it has some quirks I was having problems with while sitting in the cinema at the time. The prologue was pure genius and really made me excited for what was to come.
I loved the Shire sequences and the whole cast was brilliant, with a standout in McKellen as Gandalf, which wasn't a surprise looking at his body of work until then. The problems start after that: the Nazgul were ok, but scary? Not really. The arrival in Bree, even though I knew the Bombadil and Barrows chapters had been skipped, still hit me as rushed. Pippin's and Merry's motives to accompany Sam and Frodo were not mentioned, they just do. The introduction of Aragorn was handled well and Vigo Mortensen immediately felt right for the part. Gandalf's duel with Saruman (who was magnificently performed by Christopher Lee) was rather ridiculous looking, as if they were in a break-dance contest. Orthanc itself however looked fantastic.
The scene on Weathertop didn't convince in the sense of Aragorn taking on no less than 5 Nazgul only armed with a sword and torch, while all other fellowship members look on helplessly. It very much reduces the level of threat you perceive coming from the Nazgul, if one guy, all be it an extraordinary guy, can hold off five of them.
I'm not a fan of Liv Tyler as Arwen; I thought her character was uninteresting and way too sweet, too American, though I must admit I never liked her character in the book either and much preferred Eowyn (always thought Aragorn married the wrong woman), so I'm not sure to what extend my dislike stems from Liv Tyler's performance. Replacing Glorfindel with her in this movie was no problem for me. Again not convincing how she could escape all nine Nazgul. Let me put it this way: I wasn't very impressed with these Nazgul and had I been Sauron I would have fired them (probably literally) on the spot.
The weakest part of the movie I considered the Rivendell scenes: The scenery was spectacular, but the buildings seemed as if they were designed by former residents of Bavaria, Germany, very fake. I couldn't take Hugo Weaving as Elrond seriously even for a second, as he looked and talked (intonation wise) exactly as in his role as Agent Smith in The Matrix, which was a letdown as I know the man can act; when the fellowship left I expected him to say "Goodbye, Mr. Baggins", in that voice we all know. The reunion of Frodo with his friends wasn't done very convincing and especially the one with Bilbo was very weak; Ian Holm was overacting as if his life depended on it and the effect of his face changing monstrously as he sees the ring caused the whole audience to laugh out loud in the cinema I was at (all three times I went to see the movie). The Council of Elrond was done very hastily and left no impression. The reforging of Anduril being omitted felt unforgivable at the time (I obviously didn't know at the time it was only suspended until the third movie), as we all know it's crucial and symbolic for Aragorn's part and place within the story.
Caradhras was handled brilliantly, great acting from Sean Bean, when he holds the ring; it even improved on the book I thought.
Moria in one word was breathtaking. Fantastic from the first until last minute. Visually very impressive and the Balrog very much exceeded my expectations. Only false note was Gimli's weeping at the tomb of Balin, which was badly acted, as Rhys-Davies in general was one of the weaker links in the cast. The Orthanc scenes and creation of the Uruk-Hai was great and didn't distract me from the main story.
Lothlorien was done wonderfully and Cate Blanchet, as opposed to Liv Tyler, was completely convincing as Galadriel. A shame the fellowship only stayed there for such a short time in the movie, but well, that to me was the main problem with the movie anyway: At times you feel like a tourist traveling in a bus on a trip called "See Middle Earth in three hours" with "... and there on your right is the Shire, oh and on your left you see Bree appearing and in ten minutes times we'll drive into Rivendell...". This of course is one of the problems of turning this book into a movie; it's almost impossible to take the time to really breathe in this world and the people and creatures that live there. We jump from one high mark to the next, creating the strange effect that this movie feels both rushed and too slow at the same time. Rushed for the reasons mentioned above and too slow as three hours do leave their mark and by the end of it my legs were cramping up (not mentioning adding half an hour of commercials and previews).
Boromir's death was heartbreaking and brought tears to my eyes; top marks for Sean Bean; the most moving scene to me in the movie.
Summarizing: fantastic sets and scenery of New Zealand, which will likely have seen its flow of tourists quadruple after this movie. Just Rivendell's architecture didn't convince me. The acting in general was good to outstanding, with the exceptions of Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies and Orlando Bloom (Legolas, though I loved his action sequences). Too little time for character exposition. The fellowship never felt as a unit to me and they've hardly come together before they split up again; you never really feel the connection between them. Howard Shore's music is fantastic, a bit too much in the background even at times, but this could have been due to the sound system in the cinema I was at as well as me at times really turning op the soundtrack in my home.
It may appear that I didn't enjoy the movie, but it was quite the contrary and I did go and see it in the cinema multiple times, which the movie can stand easily as there is so much to take in.
I have the greatest respect for Peter Jackson, who realized the hereto deemed impossible, bringing this movie to the screen in all its mind boggling complexity, artistically and logistically and was very brave to take such a huge risk.
As I said at the beginning of the review: these were my first impressions after I saw the movie in the cinema. The extended edition we got subsequently improved the movie to no end in my viewer experience.
Summary of The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition)
As the triumphant start of a trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring leaves you begging for more. By necessity, Peter Jackson's ambitious epic compresses J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings, but this robust adaptation maintains reverent allegiance to Tolkien's creation, instantly qualifying as one of the greatest fantasy films ever made. At 178 minutes, it's long enough to establish the myriad inhabitants of Middle-earth, the legendary Rings of Power, and the fellowship of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and humans--led by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the brave hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood)--who must battle terrifying forces of evil on their perilous journey to destroy the One Ring in the land of Mordor. Superbly paced, the film is both epic and intimate, offering astonishing special effects and production design while emphasizing the emotional intensity of Frodo's adventure. Ending on a perfect note of heroic loyalty and rich anticipation, this wondrous fantasy continues in The Two Towers (2002). --Jeff ShannonBased on J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is an epic adventure of good against evil, the power of friendship and individual courage. The saga centers around an unassuming Hobbit named Frodo Baggins who inherits a Ring that would give a dark and powerful lord the power to enslave the world. With a loyal fellowship of elves, dwarves, men and a wizard, Frodo embarks on a heroic quest to destroy the One Ring and pave the way for the emergence of mankind.
DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
DVD ROM Features:Exclusive online content
Documentaries:3 in-depth programs that reveal the secrets behind the production of this epic adventure, including: -"Welcome to Middle-earth" in-store special as shown by Houghton Mifflin -"The Quest for the Ring" as debuted on the FBC Network -"A Passage to Middle-earth" as premiered on the SCI-FI Channel
Featurette:15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler and others. Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of the next The Lord of the Rings theatrical release, The Two Towers.
Music Video:Enya "May It Be" music video
Other:An inside look at the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Preview of Electronic Arts' video game, The Two Towers Double Amaray Packaging
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer:Original theatrical trailers
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