The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

4 out of 4

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee

Director: Peter Jackson

Time: 178 mins

Brilliant. Peter Jackson has done what many thought was impossible. He has taken one of the biggest-selling books of all time and created a movie version that's worthy of all the hype and expectation. The Lord Of The Rings is not just the granddaddy of all fantasy epics, it is a cult sensation that has sold some hundred million copies worldwide since its publication in the 1950s. The book is so huge the movie has been split into three instalments, to be released one year at a time. And at a reported budget of some $300m for all three chapters, it's one of the biggest gambles of all time as well. But it is worth every cent, as the first film, The Fellowship Of The Ring, is one of the best, if not the best, of the year.

Fantasy movies have rarely been critical or box office successes, unlike science fiction, its close relative in the genre of imaginative storytelling. I'm not talking about mythical tales like Jason And The Argonauts, or even fantasies masquerading as sci-fi, such as the Star Wars universe. I'm referring to those stories with a mediaeval theme, filled with knights and warriors, lovely damsels, wizards, magic, and horrific creatures. The closest Hollywood has come to a full-fledged fantasy movie of this ilk was (1996's weaker Dragonheart notwithstanding) George Lucas' Willow, way back in 1988. Even then, a slow first half and muddled narrative drowned its prospects and probably set the genre back some ten years. So it was a bit of a welcome surprise when two of this year's most anticipated films would be the movie adaptations of literary juggernaut Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone and, of course, The Fellowship Of The Ring.

We all know how well Harry has done since its release a few weeks ago. While generally considered a very faithful adaptation of the book, it was thought to be sterile and lacking a bit of heart and soul. This has been reflected in its rapidly declining box office after a mammoth $90m opening weekend. At one point it looked like it could have topped $450m in North America, but now it looks like it might just reach only $300m. With The Fellowship Of The Ring, its longer running time and more adult tone may have hindered its box office take in the long run. But judging by the interest, the media coverage, the advertising tie-ins, and the long lines at the cinema today (pretty much all the shows at the multiplex were sold out), it wouldn't surprise me if it did similar business to Harry, if not more.

I read The Lord Of The Rings back in 1985, straight after its precursor, The Hobbit. I loved The Hobbit, but thought The Lord Of The Rings had, if it could be possible, too much description. Heresy it might be to say this, but it seemed like every time we came to a new place or location in the book, Tolkien would unleash two or three long pages of description. I'm all for vivid scenes and amazing landscapes, but those long paragraphs wore me down after a while and slowed the narrative on more than one occasion. It is a very imaginative and self-contained work, definitely, with all those different races and languages, the history, and even the hobbit family trees. But those lengthy descriptions! Suffice it to say I liked The Lord Of The Rings, but I wouldn't be what you call a huge fan.

This first film instalment of the novel, however, has emphasised the best parts of the book and removed some of the extraneous chapters, like the Tom Bombadil encounter (which, as far as I remember, didn't have much bearing on the main quest anyway). Director Jackson hasn't reined himself in like Christopher Columbus did for Harry Potter, and made some minor changes to the narrative that works well for the screen. Some, like the expanded role for Arwen, the female elf, may have been done to increase the potential female viewership, but it doesn't hurt the movie in any way (Arwen has been heavily promoted on TV ads, but she still only has about fifteen minutes of screen time, in total). The Fellowship Of The Ring is not a perfect adaptation, but it comes very close. In my mind, only three movies have equalled or bettered the book on which it's based - The Silence Of The Lambs, The Exorcist, and The Godfather - and The Fellowship Of The Ring deserves to be in this elite class.

The story in The Lord Of The Rings is epic but fairly linear. There is a quest where the heroes must journey from A to B, and numerous nefarious creatures are out to stop them. I believe in the years after it was published, there have been better and more entertaining fantasy novels (The Belgariad, The Riftwar Saga, and Memory, Sorrow And Thorn are three that come to mind), but Tolkien's masterwork was the one that started and inspired them all. Set on the imaginary continent of Middle Earth, the opening narration tells of an evil ring forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron, who desires to use its power to rule the whole world. After Sauron is defeated in battle, the ring is lost, found, and passed to Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), a hobbit, one of a number of different human-like races on Middle Earth. The ring is no ordinary ring - it can make the wearer invisible, and can seduce anyone into wanting to own it and wield its power. When the great wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) discovers the true nature of the ring, he leads Frodo on a journey to the east, into the heart of Sauron's land, Mordor, to destroy the ring in the volcanic fires of Mount Doom. Together with fellow hobbits Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin), Pippin Took (Billy Boyd) and Merry Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan), the mysterious human ranger Strider (Viggo Mortensen), the proud human warrior Boromir (Sean Bean), the lithe elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and the feisty dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), this Fellowship of the Ring holds the fate of Middle Earth in their hands. The minions of Sauron, however, including hooded wraiths on horseback and huge armies of goblin-like orcs, are in hot pursuit.

Jackson, a New Zealander who is better known for his low-budget gore-fests like Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles, has done a magnificent job in translating Tolkien's vision to the screen. Using his scenic homeland as the backdrop for many of the locations, plus a mixture of innovative sets and computer-generated images, he has brought places like Hobbiton, Rivendell, and Isengard brilliantly to life. Snowy mountains, foreboding mines, enchanting forests, and long, winding rivers are a feast for the eyes, making The Fellowship Of The Ring even more of a visual wonder than Harry Potter's many eyecatching delights.

Jackson has kept most of the book's important moments in the movie, including the Flight to the Ford, the Council of Elrond, Lothlorien, and the Bridge of Khazad Dum. To those who haven't read the book, some of these scenes may seem a bit episodic and even confusing, especially the part featuring the Mirror of Galadriel, but I feel Jackson has chosen the right balance between action and exposition. There has to be enough story and "slower" moments to flesh out the rich histories of the lands, the people, and the characters, in order to add more resonance and relevance to the many action scenes. This is one reason why I'm happy the movie is almost three hours long - anything shorter and Jackson would have had to excise or gloss over more scenes. I would also have felt cheated, like in the recent TV mini-series adaptation of The Mists Of Avalon, a novel that is as long as The Lord Of The Rings but was condensed to only four hours. Obviously, Jackson couldn't add too much more, or else the pace would have slowed and the film would have ballooned to a lot more than three hours.

Speaking of action, The Fellowship Of The Rings has plenty. While the early part features numerous exhilarating moments with knives and swords and chases on horseback, it is the later adventures featuring the full fellowship that are even more exciting and awe-inspiring. The companions encounter avalanches, attacks by armies of orcs, and even a giant cave troll. My favourite sequence in the entire book is the lengthy journey in the Mines Of Moria, and the way Jackson has envisioned the setting and the non-stop action blew me away. And my favourite chapter, The Bridge Of Khazad Dum, is just the way I imagined it. Though I remember the events in the chapter fondly, seeing everything actually on screen had my heart pounding. This scene is absolutely sensational and worth the price of admission by itself.

Given The Fellowship Of The Rings is the first of a three-part novel, the finish of the movie is necessarily cliffhanging in nature, similar to the non-conclusive endings of The Empire Strikes Back and Back To The Future 2. Jackson excels in conveying the poignancy of the many momentous decisions made in these final few moments, something I don't remember feeling from reading the book. I must extend many kudos to Jackson and co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. About two hours into the film, I was happy to give the film 3.5 out of 4 - the movie was very good up to that point but just lacked some emotion. The final hour, however, throws so much at you that you feel exhausted at the end. The pain of loss, the fear of failure, and the desire for power are all featured prominently in the climactic twenty minutes of the film. The cliffhanging finish could have been awkward, but it is turned into a triumph. It leaves us satisfied, yet wanting more.

With nine Fellowship members and many others, The Fellowship Of The Ring could almost be forgiven for having a bunch of paper-thin characters we don't really care about. The truth is, while lesser characters like Arwen, Galadriel, Elrond, and even Legolas and Gimli, are not developed as much, others like Boromir and Strider are impressively fleshed out. Of course, the hero, Frodo, is noble and courageous, yet very frightened about what is happening and what he must do. Talented young actor Elijah Wood does a good job as Frodo, relaying the despair, the fear, and the desire to do what's right for the Fellowship. The other hobbits, played by Sean Astin and relative newcomers Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, are by turns comical, clumsy, lovable, and loyal. Ian McKellen as Gandalf is what I expected the wizard to be: old and frail in appearance, but a very powerful companion to have. McKellen's measured, stage-trained voice is perfect for the part. The other major participant in the story is Strider, played by Viggo Mortensen. He is also what I imagined the character to be: mysterious and brooding, yet ready to defend you with his sword at all times. Mortensen, who I'm not usually a fan of, brings the right amount of gravity to this difficult role.

Sean Bean, who has been memorable as villains in Patriot Games and Goldeneye, is also very good as the proud yet tormented Boromir. The character plays a pivotal role in the film's finale, and Bean conveys his many mental and physical struggles perfectly. Topping off a brilliant cast are the elven-featured Orlando Bloom as Legolas, the stocky John Rhys-Davies (Sallah in Raiders Of The Lost Ark, but almost unrecognisable here) as Gimli, Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) as the wise Elrond, Ian Holm (The Fifth Element) as the bumbling Bilbo Baggins, Christopher Lee as Saruman the White, and the two female characters: Liv Tyler, beautiful and beguiling as Arwen; and Cate Blanchett, majestic as Galadriel.

It has been a long gestation period, but the wait has been worth it. The Fellowship Of The Ring is an amazing experience, filled with humour, nobility, heartbreak and heartpounding terror. Guided by a director at the top of his form, most fans should be very pleased with the vision on screen. Initiates into the world of Middle Earth may miss some of the nuances, but there is enough passion and spectacular sights in this three hour extravaganza to please. I can't wait for the second instalment, The Two Towers, to arrive in cinemas next year. May the days till then pass quickly.

(c) Joe Wong (19 December 2001)