The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

A young hobbit is given possession of a powerful ring that must be destroyed. With the help of eight friends, including a dwarf and a warrior, he sets out for Mount Doom. Along the way they encounter various obstacles care of evil lord Sauron. The 1980s was a prolific time for the fantasy genre, but such was not the case in the 90s. Not that they weren't made, but there were fewer involving characters like elves, fairies and wizards. It would be a really long time before we'd see an epic scale fantasy film the likes of Willow on the big screen again.

Fans of the genre know that the bulk of fantasy films and television series were inspired by the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. However, apart from a few animated films, none of his 'Rings' trilogy was adapted for the screen. The truth is that they are all epic in scope, making turning them into films quite a daunting task. It needed to happen at the right time when film technology had become advanced enough. By the new millennium, it appeared that the time had finally come. Thank goodness, because otherwise we wouldn't now have three of the greatest fantasy films ever made.

The first of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, details the story of how the One Ring ended up in the hands of a young hobbit. In order to tell the story of his journey with eight friends, the film needed to be pretty lengthy. Enter Peter Jackson, creator of cult favorites like Bab Taste and Dead Alive. Since his early days, he's made some very different kinds of films and very well I might add. Some were probably apprehensive about his taking on this project. The result is nothing short of amazing for a multitude of reasons, Jackson's directing being one of the highlights.

From Elijah Wood to Christopher Lee, the film is both well cast and acted. Though there are some stars here, all of them do a great job at making us believe they are these characters. And with a strong director at the helm, how could anything go wrong? Jackson nails both the big and small moments, never letting the film feel bloated or pretentious. The script, co-written by Jackson, is tautly written and a good job is done at developing things. With so many characters and subplots you'd think it would be near impossible, but the writers make it work.

The score by Howard Shore is just awesome and the main theme is hard to forget. The effects, both computer and practical, are also first rate in quality. There is quite a bit of CGI, but it blends in so well and holds up after more than 10 years. Then there are the costumes and sets, which are some of the grandest ever seen on film. I particularly love the dark, cold tower where Saruman resides and does his evil work. Of course the hobbit houses and village are like something from right out of a storybook.

Though now wall to wall, there are a few memorable action sequences in the film. The one inside the caves near the end is particularly harrowing. Now just because the film isn't nothing but battle and monster attack scenes, doesn't mean it's dull. At over two and half hours it moves at a great pace and never feels like it's overstayed it's welcome. Plus it doesn't feel like they tried to cram in every little bit of the book, which could have made this difficult to sit through.

No matter how good a film is, there is always a flaw or two that are hard to ignore. The only major issue with this film, one that many seem to have, is the ending. Granted this is the first of a trilogy, but they could have given this film a better cliffhanger. Instead what we're left with is sort of anticlimactic and may make you think, "Is that it?" Minor quibbles aside, this is epic fantasy filmmaking at it's finest. And like the original Star Wars, it's an exceptional beginning to a great trilogy.

10/10