The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

There is a lot to unpack with this one. First thing is that I love this movie so much. It is probably one of my favorite fantasy films of all time. I highly doubt I'll be able to really explain the scope of this film but I'll try.

As can be expected from the beginning of an epic fantasy tale, the story is complicated, which is also due to this film's nearly three hour runtime. After learning of the history of the One Ring, which was created by the now defeated Dark Lord Sauron to control the fantasy world of Middle-Earth, and how it ends up in the hands of our protagonist, a hobbit named Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, the story then begins in earnest.

The main story concerns Frodo, along with his friends Sam, played by Sean Astin, Merry, played by Dominic Monaghan, and Pippin, played by Billy Boyd, as they attempt to take the One Ring to somewhere Sauron's forces will never find it. Eventually, however, once they reach the Elven city of Rivendell, it becomes clear that the only thing to do is to destroy the Ring by taking it to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor where it was created, which so happens to be Sauron's base of operations. In addition to the four main hobbits, they are joined by the wizard Gandalf, played by Ian McKellen, two men, Aragorn, played by Viggo Mortensen, and Boromir, played by Sean Bean, a dwarf named Gimli, played by John Rhys-Davies, and an elf named Legolas, played by Orlando Bloom.

Every scene of this film is iconic and feels needed, from the dark history of the Ring to the birthday of Frodo's uncle Bilbo, the beauty of Rivendell and the nightmare fuel that is the Mines of Moria. Everything in this world feels fully realized even if we're just looking at a few characters making their way through it. The performances are appropriately fantastic with the down to earth hobbits, the mysterious wizards, and the seriousness of the men. Every character feels real and unique and nothing in the film's nearly three hour runtime feels superfluous, as in everything has a purpose.

It is not very often that I call a film perfect, but this is one of those times. I legitimately cannot see any flaws with it at all, and by the end, it leaves you wanting more, and with all the content that you see in this movie, that is quite an achievement.

Overall, I would highly suggest that, if you have the time, give this one a watch, and if you like it, I would suggest watching the two sequels, which I plan on reviewing in the future. The effects, the acting, the battle sequences, the world, everything, just draws you in and doesn't let up until the credits.

Next time, we go back to a galaxy far, far away to see how Anakin Skywalker, now a young Jedi in training, and his master, Obi-Wan, learn to work together when a plot to assassinate an old friend is discovered. Can this actually be a better story than its predecessor? Find out next time when I review Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

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