Welcome To The Movies! The Fellowship of the Ring

Warning! This may turn out to be one of the longest reviews I have ever written.
If you only read one review of this movie read something else, this is too long.


I feel that a certain amount of personal commentary is required to effectively review this movie, especially since I am about to tell you that it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. However, I realize not everyone is interested in personal commentary so there is an appropriate gap that you can skip to if you want to get right to the movie.

When you review a lot of movies (or simply watch them with the idea of really analyzing them), there are two things which surprise you (actually there are more, but two that are relevant here). One is that there is no such thing as really being objective. Not in all cases at any rate. In writing reviews, as in all things really, you bring your own baggage to the table. You may simply dislike detective stories, and that is going to have an impact on every detective movie you try to review. Our bias raises its head in many ways, and while we should be as objective as possible, this is the sort of thing that can be taken too far. We are, after all, who we are, and unless the world sees itself as desperately in need of reviews from robots, we have to work with our biases.

That said, it should be made clear that I am likely rather biased towards this movie. Not only am I a fan of Tolkien, but I am also a fan of fantasy in general. Thus, you should probably read this review bearing that fact in mind.

The second thing that will surprise you when you run into it, is that sometimes you just don’t know what to say. This will seem even stranger as I am about to say a lot, but it is not so much a result of my knowing what to say as it is a result of my forcing myself to say something.

Finally (as regards the personal commentary), it is probably important to know (if you don’t already) something of how I rate a movie. There are, of course, several theories on what it is that makes a good movie. A very large part of my theory is to ask myself how close the movie is to what the movie was trying to be. Now, you also have to ask yourself if what the movie was trying to be is actually anything worth being to begin with. Thus, Freddy Got Fingered may have been exactly what it was trying to be, but any value there would be negated by the fact that what the movie was trying to be was something utterly worthless. Succeeding at being utterly worthless does not then give something worth.

My verdict here is that while I don’t suppose I could say this movie reached any level of absolute perfection in being what it was supposed to be, it certainly reached for that goal in the most positive of ways. It was trying to be the movie of a certain book, and it was. Case closed.

Also (I know I already said ‘finally’, but that is just too bad), I don’t normally hold much regard for naming movies ‘Best of the Year’, or ‘Best of All-Time’, and I think the Academy Award for Best Picture is ludicrous. I see no way of judging movies in a comparative way across all genres. It makes no sense to me to say that one movie is the best comedy of the year, another is the best drama, and then going on to ask which is the better movie. However, I am not shy about saying this is the best movie of the year, and I haven’t even seen every movie of the year, and I don’t need to. This is not only the best movie I have seen in a long time, this is the first thing I have seen in a long time that I feel I can comfortably call a movie at all.










Now, to the movie review proper.


The beginning of the movie introduces us to the story of the One Ring. The story begins thousands of years ago with the creation of the Rings of Power. These rings were distributed (and we aren’t given a tremendous amount of information about this in the movie) to the elf, dwarf, and human leaders of the world. The One Ring, however, was created by Sauron the Dark Lord, and the One Ring had the power to control the other rings. Sauron used the One Ring to nearly take over the world. During a mighty last stand, Sauron was defeated when he lost the ring. The ring was lost for thousands of years, until Bilbo Baggins came across it in part of the overall story related to us in The Hobbit.

The present time we enter sees a very old Bilbo Baggins who is being corrupted by the ring. He decides to leave the Shire, the home of the hobbits. His possessions, including the ring, thus pass to his closest relation, Frodo Baggins.

Bilbo’s old friend, Gandalf the wizard, soon discovers what the ring really is. We learn that Sauron was not completely destroyed all those years ago, and he is finally gaining enough power to be dangerous again. The ring must be destroyed, and more importantly (for the moment), Sauron’s minions are coming for it.

Thus Frodo sets out on a quest. At first, his only goal is to get the ring away from his home and brother hobbits, and into the hands of those more able to rid the world of its evil. Unfortunately, it turns out that Frodo must continue the quest to destroy the ring himself.

More of the plot will be brought to light in discussing other aspects (maybe). It isn't outrageously relevant. More on that later as well.



Ian Holm, in fact Sir Ian Holm, plays Bilbo Baggins, and does so almost perfectly. Bilbo’s compassionate nature, hobbit-like absent-mindedness (as witnessed especially when he wanders around his house muttering to himself), and struggle over the ring which has spent sixty years trying to bend his will, all come through wonderfully. Ian Holm, who you may remember from being in virtually everything (notably: The Naked Lunch, Henry V, Hamlet, The Fifth Element, and the BBC version of The Borrowers), adds to one of the movie’s strongest qualities, the fact that everyone in it can act. Remember when movies were like that?


Ian McKellen, in fact Sir Ian McKellen, who you may know from everything else (X-Men, Richard III, Apt Pupil, Bent), plays off Ian Holm as though they actually were old friends. There is a feeling that comes across surprisingly well in the movie, and that feeling is a sort of passing of the torch. That is a feeling you are supposed to have, as those ‘in the know’ pass the torch of adventuring to our band of hobbits. Gandalf, most of the time, leaving the party alone to fend for themselves (which is pretty dastardly when you are Mr. Bigshot Wizard). But, subtly, we are given to understand that Holm, McKellen, and perhaps John Rhys-Davies are also passing a torch of sorts to the other actors around them. The result is a feeling of comradery (utterly necessary for the film to succeed) that is so real, so believable, and so surprising, that it elevates the movie almost beyond itself.


Frodo Baggins is played by Elijah Wood (Avalon, Oliver Twist, Deep Impact), who may not have really proven his skill, but has at least made it over the dreaded hump of his late teens which has disposed of so many child actors. There is something amiss, I must admit, about Wood’s portrayal of Frodo. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something a little off. Beyond that, Wood somehow does not look nearly so much hobbit as most of the others in the movie. There is some bit of hobbit makeup that was left off the ‘star’. Though I have reservations about the portrayal of this particular character, in the most important ways Wood does a more than adequate job. Frodo, unlike anyone else, is sometimes overdone, but in spirit the character is true to the book.

The rather important character of Samwise Gamgee (much more important in the book than in the movie) is played by Sean Astin. I have long been of the opinion that Sean Astin is sorely underrated as an actor. Though he is known mostly for such films as: The Goonies, Toy Soldiers, and Encino Man; his true abilities have been much better shown in such works as: Rudy, and Harrison Bergeron.

It is difficult to judge Astin’s performance here however. I feel that he played Sam as well as can be expected. The character was pulled out of the story to a significant degree, and we aren’t given the exposure to him and his motivations that we are in the book, which would explain his acting the way he does. Thus, in one of the few negatives to this movie, we are given a feeling of being forced to roll along with the character of Samwise Gamgee. We don’t seem to have information about how Sam acts, so we don’t really have a feeling for whether or not that is how he is supposed to act. This is, of course, only a negative from the point of view of the movie as itself. If you have read the book, the character is pretty accurate as far as he goes.


Not long into the movie (actually the movie is so long it is rather hard to judge), Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry (the last two we’ll get to in a minute), meet up with Strider. Strider is a ranger, and he takes on the task of protecting the hobbits as they continue their journey. Strider is played by Viggo Mortensen.

This is probably the most difficult casting decision to make in the movie, and Mortensen is an excellent choice. Mortensen is also (as he should be) something of the balance between the old and the young. His resume in real life somewhat mirrors the background of Strider, who we later learn is actually Aragorn Elessar, making him, more or less, the heir to the throne of all humandom.

Mortensen has appeared in a wide array of films including: Witness, Carlito’s Way, The Portrait of a Lady, and 28 Days. Where he has a lot of fine, at least above-average performances under his belt, he has yet to really make his mark. Similarly, where Strider has his adventuring skills well in hand, and is best described regarding his fighting skills as ‘death itself minus the ruffles and lace’, or as ‘a thirty-foot ogre, but not as “girly”’, still he has not owned up to his true potential.

Mortensen is Strider as well as anyone could ever be, and this was certainly where I had my gravest of doubts going in. Let’s face it, no one could be Strider. The actuality of the thing, however, is that Mortensen takes this character and makes it his own. His portrayal gives us an accurate sense of the character, and many of the feelings you get from Strider you also get from Mortensen. Strider comes across not merely as (what you might expect with movies being what they are) some next version of the indestructible ‘action hero’, but as a realistic (though, of course, some of the battles are a bit overplayed) warrior who is not only so good at killing that it bores him, he is also scared of what he is now up against.

Where you go in thinking that no one could play Strider, you come out thinking that no one ELSE could play Strider.


Billy Budd and Dominic Monaghan round out our crew of hobbits as Pippin and Merry respectively. While these two are not well-known, and do not have much in their list of credits, they play their hobbits admirably, and Budd gives us what is easily the best look at a hobbit to be found in the film. The scene in which Pippin knocks the bucket (and goblin skeleton) into the well making a hell roar ruckus is what you might easily see as rather a contrived, overused bit of silliness which moves us along in the plot as someone gets to hear the noise and attack our merry band. How typical? The girl running from the madman trips. The person who is told to stay in the car no matter what, gets out and into trouble. The goofy hobbit knocks the bucket into the well and gives away the fact that they are there.

But, try as you might you just won’t see it that way. You'll laugh, and if someone had told you that you would laugh at something like that (errr... as I'm now doing) you'd never believe it, but you still will.

Sometimes buckets actually get knocked into wells, especially if you hang about with hobbits. If you want to know what a hobbit is (according to the books) look no further than Pippin. Hobbits are rather silly creatures really, and to hobbits, Bilbo and Frodo are odd.


Another character unfortunately minimized in the movie is that of Boromir. Boromir becomes one of the Fellowship of the Ring after the journey continues past Rivendell. His is a story left undeveloped in the movie apart from his key plot influences. He comes to the group from a city which is on the border of the dreaded Mordor, the land of Sauron. His is a life lived within the walls of a city that is constantly at war and under siege. His motivations are those of utter desperation. A desperation that pulls him toward the One Ring despite knowing its inherent evil, because it just might be worth it if it can save the lives of even a few people from his home. Ultimately, it might even be worth sacrificing himself to the ring if he can turn the tide of the madness that leaves his people without a moment of peace.

This character, however, looked at only as his most important plot steps (as in the movie) leaves him unfortunately unlikeable. It is only because of the excellent work of actor Sean Bean that you do not dismiss this character altogether, and early on. More than once Boromir asks for, or blatantly tries to take the One Ring, and (in the book) there are dozens of times we are afraid he will (in the movie there is really only the one extra time where we see him struggle over wanting it). In the book, however, what we get from Boromir is a hesitation over what he might do, a nagging, wondering, doubt. In fact, in the book one would be hard-pressed not to come to the conclusion that surely he is going to steal the ring at some point, and we hope he won’t.

Unfortunately, without the background, and given that Boromir is only given free reign over our senses in those circumstances which the plot turns on him, one is likely to find themselves without much in the way of empathy for Boromir. Thus, we are given little to love and the knowledge that Boromir wants to take the ring. Tough to like that guy.

Luckily, Sean Bean (not exactly loved in America... Patriot Games, GoldenEye, possibly best known as Richard Sharpe in the Sharpe series of movies) somehow manages to provide you with the empathy for his character that you need. As the movie progresses, it is a struggle to ferret out whether you are supposed to like him or not. You aren’t given much in the way of reasons to like him, but Bean puts something into the character that lets you know you are supposed to like him and you’ll just have to trust him.


The Fellowship of the Ring is completed by John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sliders [TV]) as Gimli the Dwarf, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf the Elf. Rhys-Davies major contribution (his part is unfortunately small) apart from lending his curiously charasmatic, rasping voice to the scene, is to truly make your mind boggle at the idea that he is dwarf. Making Elijah Wood hobbit-sized becomes small potatoes next to making bear Rhys-Davies into a dwarf.

If any character could have been expanded my choice would be that of Legolas. The mysterious and immortal elf is given life by Orlando Bloom. Bloom, newish to acting, got his break in Wilde, and then took to the stage despite other movie offers. Now he is in two of the biggest things at theaters, this and Black Hawk Down. His style suggests the stage, and he will definitely go on to ever greater things.


There has been some controversy over Liv Tyler in this movie, or more accurately her character, Arwen Undomiel the elf. Granted, her character is rather different than in the book, but her role is still a very small one, and let’s face it, this is a three hour movie with a total female screen time of about fifteen minutes. And, despite complaints that she has somehow transformed into a ‘butch’, adventurer from her rather reserved, diminutive book self, the truth is all she does is ride a horse and cast a spell. Not exactly wading into the melee to me. As for Liv Tyler herself, she looks like an elf to begin with, how does one keep her out of this movie?

While we are on the subject of controversy, there has also been a great deal of negative reaction to the ending of the movie. It ends... well, without ending really. As for me, I find no way of criticizing the movie as to this particular aspect. If the movie is supposed to be a book, I simply (and without an ability to adequately explain further) cannot fault the movie for ‘doing’ what the book ‘did’. This is, more or less, how the book ended, and I see no reasonably superior alternative. This might be curious to those who haven't read the book. If you haven’t read the book/aren’t a fan already, this might turn you off. However, in the words of my wife (not a fan. hasn’t read the book), ‘I knew this was the first of three movies, and besides, that was a great (expletive) movie.’


Adding to Liv Tyler’s feminine presence, in a movie with very little in the way of feminine roles, we are given a wonderful, though quick, look at Cate Blanchett (Pushing Tin, The Talented Mr. Ripley), as Queen Galadriel, otherwise known as the Elven Enchantress. Imagine trying to give a performance as the elf that everyone is scared of, but no one really knows why (other than that she is spooky, and some people may or may not have disappeared). Take over the character of someone who is completely unknown except as a sort of mysterious, magical force. Pull that off and you’ve done something. And she does. Well, in all fairness, it's a short bit in the movie, she does as well as can be done.


So why this incredibly long look at the characters and the people who play them? Because, that is this movie, and that is the book.

I could tell you all about the incredible use of special effects. The way the hobbits are made to look like hobbits without distracting you (much). I could tell you that even the things you recognize immediately as being computer generated don’t bother you overmuch because they are done well, but more importantly they are not overdone (with the possible exception of the Balrog). I could tell you that the orcs and other creatures are just eerily well done.

I could tell you that the soundtrack, though slightly commanding in its tone in some places, is overall an accompaniment that does just what a soundtrack should, which is to follow the mood as opposed to trying to create the mood.

I could tell you that the movie is directed and edited to its possible detriment in the eyes of many critics in order to actually make the better movie. Many of the fight scenes are directed, and possibly more notably edited, in such a way as to produce an end result that is strangely choppy, confused, and chaotic as compared to the norm of moviemaking today. What you won’t find here is the standard close-up shots of the actors faces as they hack and slash their way around without working up a sweat. In fact, you’ll be lucky if you know what’s going on half the time. And more the better in my opinion. Battles, are choppy, confused, and chaotic things. You oughtn’t know what is going on all the time as if the whole thing were drawn up on a flowchart beforehand. People should stumble over each other, work like their lives depended on it, and otherwise have a hell of a time.


I could even tell you some more of the plot of the movie. I could tell you that Gandalf gets into a less than perfectly done ‘telekinesis only’ wizard battle with Saruman the White (Christopher Lee. Best known as the evil person in everything put on film for at least the last forty years). I could tell you that this scene is not done to perfection because you cannot help knowing that Saruman is going to turn out to be evil. Something that (if we look at the book) shouldn’t scream at you from the word go. Even if you don’t know that Christopher Lee is always the most evil person in any movie in which he appears, the play between Gandalf and Saruman spells trouble even before Saruman is actually there.



This is a movie/book that is almost sideways about its own plot. It isn’t really about the plot at all, it is only about the characters. The story is not ‘here is something that happens, and these are the people involved’, it is ‘here are some people, and here is something that happened to them’.


Like any great book, this is a story about caring what happens to the characters, and perhaps more importantly, caring who they are. It is a movie about (strangely rare today) magic. Not magic in the sense of Gandalf’s spells, but the magic that is supposed to go hand-in-hand with the whole idea of movies. The magic that is supposed to not only transport you to something very removed from ‘life’, but also a magic that can use three hours to get you to care about these people. The sort of magic that can build tension in you even when you, obviously, know what’s going to happen.

I find it strange really that there is such an obvious lack of serious fantasy work in film. Perhaps, in a way, it is because fantasy is the most dangerous undertaking. Of all fiction, fantasy is the most difficult in the area of disbelief. All fiction has to convince people to suspend disbelief, but in whatever way the story is similar to real life, you get to sidestep any worry. In fantasy, you start out with me not believing anything, and have to convince me to play along and continue to suspend disbelief about everything. That is magic, and it’s tricky magic.

Taking a fantasy story this popular (and popular to the rather odd crowd that are fantasy fans) and making it into a movie that fans can feel does the book justice is also magic.

The movie works because it cares about its characters and struggles, even against itself, to make you feel what you are supposed to feel. It takes its magic seriously, and it knows how to use it. It makes you feel.

When the group finally surrenders to Saruman’s magic and decides they have to change their course so as to go through an underground, dwarven kingdom, despite the fact that Gandalf doesn’t want to (he knows the Balrog is there), you don’t want them to go. You don’t really know why, but Gandalf doesn’t want to go and that’s good enough for you.

When Frodo gets stabbed (again, Elijah Wood knows how to take a stabbing) by the cave troll, and everyone redoubles their efforts in the battle because the fear of danger to Frodo gives them a shock that blasts their adrenal glands, you get one too.

When Frodo decides that he has to go on alone, you want to go with him. He can’t make it by himself. And, in close connection, when Samwise nearly drowns by, of all things, just walking into a river all the better to drown, well... you think he’s an idiot, but as I’ve said, we don’t truly understand Samwise here, but more to the point, you’re scared he might actually drown.

When Legolas fires three arrows in as many seconds, you actually believe he did it. You can’t believe he did it, but you still believe he did it. This small thing is actually, I believe, critical in demonstrating what is happening in this movie. When you see Legolas fire arrows into orcs so fast that they can’t get to him despite the fact that there are three of them and they are rushing him from twenty feet away, you ‘ought’ to give the screen a big ‘Pffff’ and say that no one could ever do that, be they elf or otherwise. But, you don’t. You are just amazed that he did it. Here, as in several other scenes, the movie defies you to disbelieve it.


That is all magic. A certain magic of storytelling. Tolkien’s books are not classics because they are the pinnacle of literature. They are classics because of his ability to storytell. They are not classics because at the end you have heard a good story, but because at the end... you were there. That is magic. A special kind of magic.


The kind of magic that can make my wife (less of a fantasy fan you have never run across, and my personal guinea pig for the question, ‘Can one like this movie if they haven’t read the book’) say things like, ‘If Gandalf is really dead I’m leaving right now,’ and ‘That was the best (insert expletive here) movie I’ve ever seen in my whole life!’

My wife, in fact, probably sums up this movie better simply in watching her watch it than I ever could using mere words. My wife of the impossibly high LSAT score, second-year law student, all-around utter genius and otherwise nogoodnik, who thinks that fantasy is some collection of books that ‘weird’ people read, and her likewise ‘weird’ husband embarrassingly contributes to. My wife, whose favorite movies can all be found daily on the Lifetime Movie Network, sat wide-eyed, holding my arm (and not in the especially good way), heart pounding, with the twenty-seven year old version of the look a ten-year-old has upon entering DisneyWorld.

As I said, I’m a fantasy writer, maddeningly avid fantasy reader, and in all ways fantasy fan. If you don’t understand about this movie yet, at least I know my wife did when she turned to me in the car on the ride home, and whispered, ‘That’s where it all started, isn’t it?’


I could only nod.

Yes, that, is where it all started.







The main impression I had on my way out of the theater was that I simply didn't know what to say.