When the first LOTR movie came out, I was 9 years old and wasn't obsessed with movie like I am now. When I saw Fellowship I must admit that I was not impressed at first and I did not understand all the hype and praise for the movie. Now that I am 10 years older, I thought it would be a good idea to return to LOTR and give it another shot. It was a great idea indeed.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings is the first movie in a trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The movie focuses on a ring created by the Dark Lord Sauron to dominate Middle Earth and rule; but, Sauron was defeated and the ring taken. The ring had been lost for centuries but was discovered by Bilbo Baggins. When Gandalf, a wizard, discovers the past to Bilbo's ring, he takes it and gives it to Frodo for safe keeping. After meeting with a council to decide the fate of the ring, Frodo with the assist of friends and allies must now take the ring to the Cracks of Doom in Mordor and destroy it!
The first notable quality of Fellowship is the beginning. I was wondering coming into the Trilogy how they were going to condense hundreds of pages of history and facts that the audience needed to know for the movie to make sense. Luckily within the first 20 mins, they explained everything I needed and wanted to understand. It didn't feel rushed and it never got too confusing. Plus it instantly gets the audience intrigued into the story without boring them.
The other amazing aspect of this movie is the scale of everything. Whether its making regular sized people look like hobbits or creating an army for Sauron that's realistic and scary. It never for one second looks fake and you feel like you have been transported to another world. One scene in particular is when Gandalf faces off with the Balrog, the Balrog looks huge and intimidating and doesn't look like a computer made it. That's one of the biggest differences that sets off LOTR is the realistic aspect of it. Some movies have CGI and it is totally noticeable but in a bad way. In LOTR even though the CGI is noticable it doesn't look fake for one second.
Lastly Fellowship has an awesome cast that lives up to the LOTR name. Ian McKellen is perfect for Gandalf not only in look but his voice fits the old wizard style. Elijah Wood, with my bias to the side, pulls off a strong Frodo and doesn't disappoint. Orlando Bloom is surprisingly good as Legolas because he never tries too hard or steals a scene but quietly makes his presence known. It was also nice to see Christopher Lee as Sarumon and he played the evil villain card nicely.
It is also needed to note that the action is very well done and intense enough for any action fan to enjoy. So overall I have changed my mind on the LOTR trilogy and can't wait for the next two. This is a very good opening to a trilogy and a great introduction and build up to the rest of the series. 4 out of 5 stars.
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