Ephemeris of the Mind (Film Review) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Time to read: 2 min read
Movie Poster
You shall not pass!
Past Middle-earth film reviews:
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Review
This is the first live-action film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings novels. I had the VHS back in the day and watched the movie repeatedly. The film follows Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit (species of short humans) who is tasked with destroying a powerful ring to prevent an evil power from conquering the fantastical world of Middle-earth.
The film adaptation stays very faithful to the novel in the main plot but it does remove some side stories, such as that of Tom Bombadil. Overall though, the movie is spectacular. The acting is amazing, especially Elijah Wood as a frightened Frodo Baggins and Ian McKellen as a wise Gandalf. The supporting cast is amazing also, which includes Sean Bean as a stern Boromir and Cate Blanchett as an ethereal Galadriel.
The costume design is top-notch, especially when differentiating from the different races. Peter Jackson does an excellent job portraying the sense of adventure and tension from the book. The scenes featuring the Nazgûls were arguably more terrifying than its counterpart from within the book. The CGI surprisingly still holds up well even today.
Conclusion
An amazing film that kickstarts the LOTR live-action film franchise.