Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian Mckellan, Viggo Mortenson, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett
Director: Peter Jackson
Synopsis: First part of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy is a trail blazing start
Reviewed by: Ali Khan

Translating books onto celluloid is never an easy process and when it involves a novel with as strong and widespread a fan base as Lord of the Rings the task is a mammoth one. That Peter Jackson, the director of splatter movies such as Bad Taste and Braindead took on the challenge is one thing. That he managed to do justice to it is something else altogether. Jackson's first instalment is an extraordinary achievement. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is everything that Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes was not - a magical foray into Tolkien's imaginary world of Middle Earth - a land of hobbits, wizards, elves, dwarves, trolls and humans.

Young Hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Wood) comes into possession of the ring of power - an object so powerful that it has the power to corrupt everyone who touches it. Under the guidance of the wizard Gandalf (Mckellan) Frodo must travel to Mount Doom - the only place where the ring can be destroyed and its evil laid to rest. Accompanied by the fellowship - representatives from all the 'good tribes' of Middle Earth - hobbits, elves, dwarves, wizards and humans - Frodo and his companions begin the journey to Mount Doom. They are pursued by the evil forces of Mordor who are bent upon harnessing the power of the ring.

The film is impressively staged and spectacularly shot in the breathtaking locales of New Zealand. Jackson and his special effects team have managed to create a fantastical land breathing life into Tokien's characters. Impressively, Jackson also does justice to the actors in the movie so that the audience has an understanding of the myriad characters that are central to not just the current film but to the trilogy. Some characters are introduced in the Fellowship with the promise of larger roles in the subsequent films. Equally impressive has been Jackson's ability to tread the thin line between what fans of the book were demanding and the requirements of a translation into film. There is also little dilution of the darkness in the book for purposes of widening the appeal to audiences. The film may have been given a PG-8 certificate making it unsuitable for under 8s but this is misleading. There is enough violence and tension in the film for it to have been given a PG-12 rating at least. The wonderful Ring Wraiths, cloaked in their grim reaper outfits are deliciously menacing and the various Orcs and trolls are far from pleasant to look at.

The film itself moves along at an impressive pace never seeming as long as its 178 minutes, though with a film of that length there are inevitably some quieter moments leading up to the thrilling action sequences. There is also a touch of the old Harryheusan special effects based adventure films in the Fellowship of the Ring. Jackson is a self-avowed fan of the stop motion master.

The films casting and acting is also top notch. McKellan makes a benign but not overpowering Gandalf - Sean Connery was rejected for having too powerful a screen personality. Christopher Lee has found a new appreciation of his work lately by being snapped up to play pivotal roles in the trilogy as well as in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II. Lee is impeccable as Saruman, the Wizard gone astray. Elijah Wood in the central role also turns in a commendable performance. He is well supported by the actors comprising the Fellowship, particularly Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn and John Rhys Davis as Gimli the outspoken Dwarf. There is also a feisty cameo from Liv Tyler and an ethereal one from Cate Blanchett.

The Fellowship of the Ring was an enormous undertaking and Peter Jackson and his team must be commended for producing a film that is all at once exciting, visually spectacular and technically flawless. It may not have as wide an appeal as Harry Potter but whereas Potter is clearly a children's film, Fellowship is less accessible to that audience. For those not familiar with the book, the episodic ending and the concept of this being a first instalment may be somewhat difficult to digest. The audience will have to wait until next December to learn more about the Fellowships ongoing quest. But the Fellowship of the Ring has breathed life into what has been a lacklustre year and will stand up to multiple viewings. Destined to take its place alongside the Star Wars trilogy.