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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 76.54%
Worth A Look: 11.1%
Just Average: 4.81%
Pretty Crappy: 2.63%
Sucks: 4.92%
23 reviews, 736 user ratings
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Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The |
by Bishop
"'Geek-O-Riffic!'"

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Shouldering a load such as adapting a series of novels which have amassed a huge cult following is no easy challenge, but it is one director Peter Jackson seems to relish in the first installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. This a truly magnificent and wonderous adaptation that is masterfully done. An epic in the loft tradition of Star Wars.We begin with backstory, concerning Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who originally possessed the ring forged by a dark lord. The ring, which is once again garnering much interest among the evil forces of midgard. Gandalf, a "grey" wizard (wonderfully played by Ian McKellan) realizes that there is only one course of action in dealing with the matter: the ring must be destroyed in the fires of Mt. Doom where it was forged. The burdensome task of destroying the ring comes upon Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), who accepts the mantle as the bearer of the ring and sets forth to destroy it. Along the way, encounters between his and his starting band of traveling companions shed a dark light on things to come. Frodo eventually meets up with Stryder, a Ranger who accompanies him to ensure his safety, and to make sure that the ring does not fall into the wrong hands. Eventually, a new band of hobbits, elves and warriors is assembled to take up the quest of the ring's destruction. Action and adventure ensue, with stunning visuals and epic storytelling along the way. Be prepared, this is a very long film (3 hrs.), but a boring one by no means. It is gripping all the way, and utterly enthralling as more and more new lands, enemies, etc. come to the forefront. The cinematography and direction here are something to behold, hats off to Pete Jackson. Although non-fans may be slightly bewildered, especially in regards to the backstory at the beginning, they are are by no means alienated. And what about the die hard fans? They should be more than impressed with a classic film that is terrificly adapted. The performances here are pretty good, with the exception of McKellan who is truly Gandalf personified. A slight warning to those who may not know what to expect going in: this is the first segment of a trilogy, so there is not a great deal of closure by film's end. However, the first episode of the trilogy lives up to the hype. I cannot state how stunning a film this is. Even for those who are not big "Sci-fi" fans, this movie is cast in the mold of genre breakers such as Star Wars that transcend boundaries and classifications and are simply good films.I cannot wait for the release of the next two films and the continuation of Frodo's quest to put an end to the ring and the evil it brings. This is a truly remarkable film in many respects, and perhaps one of the greatest book to movie transitions of all time. Although I cannot call this film "Fucking Awesome" (by a narrow margin) it is definitely worth more than a look.
link directly to this review at https://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=897&reviewer=289 originally posted: 02/18/02 02:29:53
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Trilogy Starters: For more in the Trilogy Starters series, click here.
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USA 19-Dec-2001 (PG-13) DVD: 29-Aug-2006
UK 19-Dec-2001 (PG)
Australia 11-Dec-2001 (PG)
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