The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – 9/10 – Grand Opening to a Timeless Epic
Overall
Every 25th movie, I rewatch one of my favorites. This time, it’s The Fellowship of the Ring, a fantasy epic that restarted the journey originally set in motion by JRR Tolkien in 1949. Many consider Tolkien the father of modern fantasy, and this film recreation is one of my favorites. For my 125th review, I rewatched the extended edition, which adds 30 minutes of content and enhances an already amazing movie. I don’t see how this cinematic experience could become any better. It’s also fitting time to rewatch on the 25th anniversary year. The extended version has returned to theaters for the anniversary and is kicking ass! I don’t think I lose much watching at home, especially considering it’s three and a half hours. I’m amazed how well it has withstood the test of time. Even the technology and the special effects are astonishing 25 years later. While I don’t believe this is the trilogy’s best, there’s something to be said about the one that started it all. The 2002 Oscars nominated this for 13 Oscars, and it won four for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Music, and Best Effects. It should also have won for Best Writing, Best Direction, and Best Picture rather than A Beautiful Mind. Don’t get me wrong, A Beautiful Mind is sensational, but it doesn’t compare to Fellowship.
Would I recommend this?
Resounding yes. I have watched this about four times, and it never gets old! Experiencing this masterpiece before you die is essential, and I stress the extended version. The theatrical cut is awesome and the version I usually watch, but the extended adds scenes from Jackson’s vision. They removed those scenes to maintain a tightly edited release appropriate for theaters. The theatrical cut is suitable for rewatches, but the longer version warrants at least one viewing. Cinematically, this is the greatest series in history—sorry to Star Wars, The Godfather, and The Dark Knight. Tolkien deserves endless praise for devising a timeless story that explores countless themes, such as the power of hope, friendship, and the wonders of life; kudos to Jackson for bringing it to the big screen. My rating is 9/10.
Plot (spoiler-free)
The Fellowship of the Ring introduces us to the history, principal characters, the existential crisis, the opponents, and the ring itself. Darklord Sauron of Mordor is building his forces to reclaim his prized ring and conquer Middle Earth. During the Second Age, Sauron had forged rings for humans, elves, and dwarves. Secretly, he forged a tenth ring, one that could rule the others. Elves and humans united under the leadership of Gil-galad, Elendil, Elrond, and other kings to defeat Sauron. For 3,000 years, the ring became lost to time until it fell into hobbit Frodo Baggins’s (Elijah Wood) hands. Only the fires of Mount Doom, in the heart of Mordor, can destroy it. Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and several hobbits accompany Frodo to the ancient Elven city of Rivendell. There, under the guidance of Elrond and Gandalf, a fellowship of nine is formed to accompany Frodo to Mount Doom. The fellowship includes Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Boromir (Sean Bean), Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd). The second and third installments go deeper into the heart of the quest.
Interesting tidbits
No studio wanted to fund this series. Miramax preferred to condense all three books into one movie, which Jackson refused. Nobody wanted to sign for two either, so Jackson called in a favor to pitch at New Line Cinema. They agreed to three, and the rest is history. They shot the entire trilogy as one production, even though it was released in separate years. Altogether, the shoot lasted 438 days. The production cost $300 million, and marketing cost $200 million extra. Writers rewrote the scripts and scenes almost daily for changes and input from the actors. Hobbiton was made a year before production began, complete with real vegetable patches. Mortensen remained in character off set and carried his sword everywhere he went. During a scene, Jackson began calling him ‘Aragorn’ off-set, and he didn’t notice. Mortensen did his own stunts and was the only cast-member to use a real steel sword. Everyone else used light aluminum swords or rubber swords manufactured for this trilogy. Bloom also did most of his own stunts and broke his rib. Sean Bean feared flying, so he opted to climb two hours each way up and down a mountain daily for the mountain scenes. Christopher Lee had extensive knowledge of Lord of the Rings, having met Tolkien face-to-face decades earlier and reading the books annually.
The filmmakers opted to use the actual Elvish language that Tolkien created for his books and based pronunciations on Tolkien’s readings. A computer program called MASSIVE was used to create the complex fighting scenes. The movies were produced in New Zealand and brought in $200 million for the country’s economy. The original cut was 4.5 hours long. That became 3.5 hours for the extended release and three hours for the theatrical cut. The characters playing the hobbits were similar in height to Gandalf, so they used camera angling and props to make the hobbits appear minuscule. At over 6 feet, the actor who played the dwarf Gimli was actually the tallest of the Fellowship actors. McKellen’s accent was based on Tolkien’s from recordings. Over 19,000 costumes were handmade using forty seamstresses. The veteran sword trainer said that Mortensen was the best swordsman he had ever trained. Mortensen joined the cast while filming was already underway. He hadn’t read the books or met Jackson until his son pushed him to sign on as Aragorn. Bloom originally auditioned to play another character (Faramir) before they switched him to Legolas. Sean Connery refused Gandalf’s role, saying he didn’t understand the story. Howard Shore, the composer, became involved in the trilogy two years prior. For this trilogy, five to seven units often shot scenes simultaneously. While there’s much more trivia, I’ll stop here.
Technicals
The Lord of the Rings was an ambitious movie project few expected to succeed. Peter Jackson and his writers went to painstaking lengths to ensure they stayed true to the original text, and they triumphed in almost every way. The best aspects were the direction, brilliant music, cinematography, acting, visuals, screenplay, special effects, casting, choreography, pacing; I can go on. They couldn’t have done a better job with the casting. Each actor fits their respective character so well that I can’t picture anyone else portraying them. The meticulous sets, the vibrant costumes, and the sensory atmosphere they created were truly breathtaking. It’s insane how right they got in this movie, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Each surpassed the other, but some argue that The Fellowship of the Ring is better than The Two Towers. I’ll note only one issue for the extended version. Despite adding several key scenes, a couple of them seemed to expand needlessly. When you consider how much content they packed into the original three hours, you would expect the same tightness for the extended scenes. I’m nitpicking, though. I would also add that the second and third installments are an improvement. This isn’t criticism, but it’s a point worth mentioning. Some Lord of the Rings fans would disagree, which is okay!
*Obtained trivia facts from IMDb’s trivia page and plot/basic history/name information from Wiki
Unforgettable quotes that inspire me:
Frodo: I will take it. I’ll take the ring to Mordor.
Gandalf: I’ll help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it’s yours to bear.
Aragorn: If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword.
Legolas: And you have my bow.
Gimli: And my axe.
Boromir: You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done.
Sam: Mr. Frodo’s not going anywhere without me.
Merry/Pippen: We’re coming too.
Elrond: Nine companions. So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.
Frodo: I wish it need not have happened in my time
Gandalf: So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
Galadriel: This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will.
Frodo: I know what I must do, it’s just that… I’m afraid to do it.
Galadriel: Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
Gandalf: “I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.”
Extended Trilogy trailer:
The journey’s map:
