The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a film very dear to me, I've seen this film and the whole trilogy multiple times, from VHS to blu-ray and now for the first time 4k blu-ray. This paragraph will serve as an introduction to the film. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first part of this trilogy and it's where the world is introduced, its characters and the many places we'll get to explore. The characters are well written, complex and overall three dimensional. Both the heroes and villains. What this film does so well is how it's the beginning of an adventure, from a writer's perspective, it's brilliantly executed. I watched the extended edition so the film is 30 minutes longer, but the pacing wasn't hurt, the pacing is one of the strongest aspects in the film as it never ends being interesting or entertaining. Peter Jackson directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Jackson's direction and visual storytelling is fantastic, truly spectacular. The mise-en-scene is superb, every preparation like the scenography, costume & makeup work and lighting, everything makes for a perfect shot scene. There's not a single bad scene in the film, everything is handled perfectly and the actors do a terrific job. This is an epic, it never feels long because of how brilliant the editing is. Whilst the tone can be dark at times, the film is also quite lighthearted and especially in the sequence in the beginning at The Shire. Immediately, in this sequence, you get a sense of a larger world and universe. The Lord of the Rings is based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's trilogy of the same name, an author who wrote The Hobbit before LOTR, and his vast universe is all him. He was a genius, a true genius when it comes to fantasy.
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
The Fellowship of the Ring is what these nine companions call each other and they're from different backgrounds, all memorable in their own right. The cast consists of: Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: A young hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo. Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey: An Istari wizard and mentor to Frodo. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn: A Dúnedain ranger and heir to Gondor's throne. Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee: Better known as Sam, a hobbit gardener and Frodo's best friend. Sean Bean as Boromir: A son of the Stewards of Gondor who journeys with the Fellowship towards Mordor. Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took: Better known as Pippin, an extremely foolish hobbit who is a distant cousin of Frodo and travels with the Fellowship on their journey to Mordor. Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck: Better known as Merry, a distant cousin of Frodo. John Rhys-Davies as Gimli: A dwarf warrior who accompanies the Fellowship to Mordor after they set out from Rivendell. Orlando Bloom as Legolas: A prince of the elves' Woodland Realm and a skilled archer. Liv Tyler as Arwen: An elf of Rivendell and Aragorn's lover. Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: The elven co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn. Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: The fallen head of the Istari Order who succumbs to Sauron's will through his use of the palantír. Hugo Weaving as Elrond: The Elven-Lord of Rivendell who leads the Council of Elrond, which ultimately decides to destroy the Ring. Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins: Frodo's uncle who gives him the Ring after he decides to retire to Rivendell. Andy Serkis as Gollum (voice/motion-capture): A wretched hobbit-like creature whose mind was poisoned by the Ring after bearing it for 500 years.
The plot is quite simple as it has Frodo on a mission, but changes the hero's journey in one way, having the wizard and teacher there from the start and instead exchanging the person the hero meets in the second act to be the ranger we learn is Aragorn. With the film's long length, almost 4 hours long, you could easily say the first half of that is all build up for what's to come. The second half has the Fellowship of the Ring, newly formed, starting their journey and this is where most of the action happens. Spectacle after spectacle, with these nine companions each getting their time to shine and individual arcs except for Legolas who gets more of an arc in the next films. When the Fellowship is in Moria, it's clear that this film and the story it tells highlights the wizard. Gandalf the Grey meets his demise at the bridge by his confrontation with the 'Balrog Durin's Bane'. Another point I want to make is how the scenes in Moria shows the film's major theme in a more fleshed out way, about greed and how the Dwarves mined too deep for Mithril which unleashed the Balrog monster which we know is a reason why Gandalf never wanted to take this route. Saruman the White, the big villain other than Sauron, the former of them is all about greed too as he was once with the good guys and the leader of the wizards which Gandalf is part of. Through the extended edition we learn that Gandalf has known about his upcoming fate, his demise by the hands of the Balrog, which makes his sacrifice about fate. The emotional impact of his death is felt throughout the rest of the movie, that's how you write a death, that's how you write a climax and raise stakes. Afterwards, the Fellowship meets Galadriel and the world grows larger by Lothlórien after the visit at the first elf city Rivendell earlier in the film.
One of my closest friends who loves LOTR, he told me once again his favorite character is Samwise Gamgee and watching this film again I understand why. He's not as cool or adventurous as the other characters like Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli or Boromir, but simply what he represents. Sam is a character who represents the goodness in the world and honestly when I look back at his character and personality, he's the most like myself. His protective nature of Frodo comes across as a friendship which is hard to find, the actor had recently become a father during filming and thus bonded with the 18-year-old Wood in a protective manner, which mirrored Sam's relationship with Frodo. Their chemistry is amazing and so is everyones, but they are the most special. Boromir might be one of the most complex characters, a hero who would do anything to save his family and country which ends with one of the most iconic portrayals in film history, along with a sacrifice which is even more iconic. Boromir is one of those morally grey characters whose actions make him one of the most human. To understand his reasoning some more, we need to go into who he is. He's portrayed as a noble character who believed passionately in the greatness of his kingdom and fought indomitably for it. His great stamina and physical strength, together with a forceful and commanding personality, made him a widely admired commander in Gondor's army and the favourite of his father Denethor. I think his morality is one of the strongest aspects of his character, brilliantly acted out by Sean Bean. Boromir's hubris makes him prey to the malign power of the Ring, and he seals his own doom when he attacks Frodo to seize it. He speaks of using the Ring in the service of Gondor, but his talk of "strength in a just cause" indicates, writes the Tolkien critic Tom Shippey, only how matters would begin. He comments that Boromir never quite says "the end justifies the means", though the thought makes his corrupted behaviour entirely believable. Boromir atones for his assault on Frodo by single-handedly but vainly defending Merry and Pippin from orcs, which illustrates the Catholic theme of the importance of good intention, especially at the point of death. This is clear from Gandalf's statement: "But he (Boromir) escaped in the end.... It was not in vain that the young hobbits came with us, if only for Boromir's sake." Boromir was never my favorite character as a child-teenager-young adult, yet now as an adult, I've grown more respect for him in terms of the morality which he offers the film. Something which is needed in a story like in The Lord of the Rings, thus he became a standout character which might be hard to like, but in terms of writing he's one of the best characters in The Fellowship. These two gave terrific and memorable performances, I won't go deeper into any other character. But I do want to say how much I love Aragorn, Gandalf and of course Frodo's character arcs in the film. Their performances are spectacular, especially Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen.
Peter Jackson created something groundbreaking with his Lord of the Rings films, starting with this one. The on-location shooting in New Zealand helped make the film so iconic, a big reason for it. Andrew Lesnie received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the film, his cinematography is truly mesmerizing, and his cooperation with Peter Jackson made for one truly beautiful looking film. The photography is some of the best with scenes that'll remain in your mind for decades to come. What else makes the film so iconic? So epic? Howard Shore's musical score. He's what Ramin Djawadi is to Game of Thrones. Shore created some truly spectacular musical cues and a score worthy of awards, similar to John Williams' Harry Potter score. Each theme song and each musical cue is truly incredible, adventurous as they're emotional, Shore brings everything to the film and created something truly special.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is considered to be a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film genre. There's so many things that make it into the masterpiece it is, I've mentioned a couple of reasons here, but you need to witness them yourself to understand but I can say this, the sequels contain the same quality and even better. The visual effects were groundbreaking, truly fantastic work. I haven't read the source material but my friend has told m.
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
The Fellowship of the Ring is what these nine companions call each other and they're from different backgrounds, all memorable in their own right. The cast consists of: Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: A young hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo. Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey: An Istari wizard and mentor to Frodo. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn: A Dúnedain ranger and heir to Gondor's throne. Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee: Better known as Sam, a hobbit gardener and Frodo's best friend. Sean Bean as Boromir: A son of the Stewards of Gondor who journeys with the Fellowship towards Mordor. Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took: Better known as Pippin, an extremely foolish hobbit who is a distant cousin of Frodo and travels with the Fellowship on their journey to Mordor. Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck: Better known as Merry, a distant cousin of Frodo. John Rhys-Davies as Gimli: A dwarf warrior who accompanies the Fellowship to Mordor after they set out from Rivendell. Orlando Bloom as Legolas: A prince of the elves' Woodland Realm and a skilled archer. Liv Tyler as Arwen: An elf of Rivendell and Aragorn's lover. Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: The elven co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn. Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: The fallen head of the Istari Order who succumbs to Sauron's will through his use of the palantír. Hugo Weaving as Elrond: The Elven-Lord of Rivendell who leads the Council of Elrond, which ultimately decides to destroy the Ring. Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins: Frodo's uncle who gives him the Ring after he decides to retire to Rivendell. Andy Serkis as Gollum (voice/motion-capture): A wretched hobbit-like creature whose mind was poisoned by the Ring after bearing it for 500 years.
The plot is quite simple as it has Frodo on a mission, but changes the hero's journey in one way, having the wizard and teacher there from the start and instead exchanging the person the hero meets in the second act to be the ranger we learn is Aragorn. With the film's long length, almost 4 hours long, you could easily say the first half of that is all build up for what's to come. The second half has the Fellowship of the Ring, newly formed, starting their journey and this is where most of the action happens. Spectacle after spectacle, with these nine companions each getting their time to shine and individual arcs except for Legolas who gets more of an arc in the next films. When the Fellowship is in Moria, it's clear that this film and the story it tells highlights the wizard. Gandalf the Grey meets his demise at the bridge by his confrontation with the 'Balrog Durin's Bane'. Another point I want to make is how the scenes in Moria shows the film's major theme in a more fleshed out way, about greed and how the Dwarves mined too deep for Mithril which unleashed the Balrog monster which we know is a reason why Gandalf never wanted to take this route. Saruman the White, the big villain other than Sauron, the former of them is all about greed too as he was once with the good guys and the leader of the wizards which Gandalf is part of. Through the extended edition we learn that Gandalf has known about his upcoming fate, his demise by the hands of the Balrog, which makes his sacrifice about fate. The emotional impact of his death is felt throughout the rest of the movie, that's how you write a death, that's how you write a climax and raise stakes. Afterwards, the Fellowship meets Galadriel and the world grows larger by Lothlórien after the visit at the first elf city Rivendell earlier in the film.
One of my closest friends who loves LOTR, he told me once again his favorite character is Samwise Gamgee and watching this film again I understand why. He's not as cool or adventurous as the other characters like Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli or Boromir, but simply what he represents. Sam is a character who represents the goodness in the world and honestly when I look back at his character and personality, he's the most like myself. His protective nature of Frodo comes across as a friendship which is hard to find, the actor had recently become a father during filming and thus bonded with the 18-year-old Wood in a protective manner, which mirrored Sam's relationship with Frodo. Their chemistry is amazing and so is everyones, but they are the most special. Boromir might be one of the most complex characters, a hero who would do anything to save his family and country which ends with one of the most iconic portrayals in film history, along with a sacrifice which is even more iconic. Boromir is one of those morally grey characters whose actions make him one of the most human. To understand his reasoning some more, we need to go into who he is. He's portrayed as a noble character who believed passionately in the greatness of his kingdom and fought indomitably for it. His great stamina and physical strength, together with a forceful and commanding personality, made him a widely admired commander in Gondor's army and the favourite of his father Denethor. I think his morality is one of the strongest aspects of his character, brilliantly acted out by Sean Bean. Boromir's hubris makes him prey to the malign power of the Ring, and he seals his own doom when he attacks Frodo to seize it. He speaks of using the Ring in the service of Gondor, but his talk of "strength in a just cause" indicates, writes the Tolkien critic Tom Shippey, only how matters would begin. He comments that Boromir never quite says "the end justifies the means", though the thought makes his corrupted behaviour entirely believable. Boromir atones for his assault on Frodo by single-handedly but vainly defending Merry and Pippin from orcs, which illustrates the Catholic theme of the importance of good intention, especially at the point of death. This is clear from Gandalf's statement: "But he (Boromir) escaped in the end.... It was not in vain that the young hobbits came with us, if only for Boromir's sake." Boromir was never my favorite character as a child-teenager-young adult, yet now as an adult, I've grown more respect for him in terms of the morality which he offers the film. Something which is needed in a story like in The Lord of the Rings, thus he became a standout character which might be hard to like, but in terms of writing he's one of the best characters in The Fellowship. These two gave terrific and memorable performances, I won't go deeper into any other character. But I do want to say how much I love Aragorn, Gandalf and of course Frodo's character arcs in the film. Their performances are spectacular, especially Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen.
Peter Jackson created something groundbreaking with his Lord of the Rings films, starting with this one. The on-location shooting in New Zealand helped make the film so iconic, a big reason for it. Andrew Lesnie received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on the film, his cinematography is truly mesmerizing, and his cooperation with Peter Jackson made for one truly beautiful looking film. The photography is some of the best with scenes that'll remain in your mind for decades to come. What else makes the film so iconic? So epic? Howard Shore's musical score. He's what Ramin Djawadi is to Game of Thrones. Shore created some truly spectacular musical cues and a score worthy of awards, similar to John Williams' Harry Potter score. Each theme song and each musical cue is truly incredible, adventurous as they're emotional, Shore brings everything to the film and created something truly special.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is considered to be a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film genre. There's so many things that make it into the masterpiece it is, I've mentioned a couple of reasons here, but you need to witness them yourself to understand but I can say this, the sequels contain the same quality and even better. The visual effects were groundbreaking, truly fantastic work. I haven't read the source material but my friend has told m.
