1/7/2002
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring stars Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, Liv Tyler as Arwen Undómiel, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn/Strider, Sean Astin as Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins, Billy Boyd as Peregrin 'Pippin' Took, Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck, Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf, Christopher Lee as Saruman the White, Hugo Weaving as Lord Elrond, Sean Bean as Boromir, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Andy Serkis as Gollum.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Now I have a confession to make, I read these books including the Hobbit. Now that I have that off of my chest, I can tell you that I was reluctant to see this film because of the previous attempts of turning this story into a feature film. They all failed miserably. However, this one is true to the author's story, and depicts Middle Earth with the respect and reverence that is desreving of this great epic.
For those viewers unfamiliar with the tale, the film drags in places. Take the time to see how wonderful the scenery of Middle Earth is. The story unfolds in Hobbiton on Bilbo Baggins' eleventy-first birthday. Gandalf, the wizard, visits to aid in Bilbo's travel and estate. Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, is to inherit all of his belongings including the one true ring of power. The ring is the key to returning Sauron, the Dark Lord, to power. To prevent this, Frodo and his fellowship must take the ring into Mordor and throw it into Mount Doom for its destruction. This film depicts the effort of the fellowship in preventing Sauron from obtaining the ring before it can be destroyed. To this end, Sauron sends his Dark Riders and armies to find the small band to recover the ring.
A bit of warning to families with young children, this film is scary in many parts. While it seems like a children's tale, it is not.
I give it 4 out of 5 elven clasps: 