The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first installment of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy. There can be no doubt that this translation of the beloved book will please fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, but how about us mere mortals? Without a doubt the answer is yes. The movie will go down in the history of cinema as a masterpiece and a financial dream come true for the studio New Line, earning around $900 million and placing The Lord of the Rings amongst the top grossers of all-time. With a budget of only about $90 to $100 million, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring stands as one of the most profitable films of modern times.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Lord Sauron is attempting to acquire the “Ring” with which power he will be able to rule over middle-earth. In order to make a long, complex story a bit shorter, let’s just say it is up to a Hobbit named Frodo to make the long trip to Mount Doom, which happens to be the only place where the ring can be melted down. Why is melting down the ring of such importance? It is critical to thwarting Lord Sauron’s evil plan. Odd to note but these vortices of evil, such as Mount Doom, are never called labeled in real life so clearly. No in real life, they’re always referred to Sunshine Cove or Pleasant Point or whatever other name they devise for a particular gated community. You will never hear such places referred to as Mount Horrid. No, these gated wonderlands, complete with a golf course, trophy wives, breaming over with evil lawyers and doctors who leave sponges in people and so forth will always have names like Pleasant Point. If only we could identify evil places in the real world with such ease and honesty. Oops, I degress.
There is no doubt that the film is a visual feast and one must marvel at the amount of work that went into the sets and CGI marvels. A special nod must be given to everyone at Weta Digital for the creation of the software system known as MASSIVE (Multiple Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment). This system essentially allows each virtual character on the screen to move and behave independently which, of course, adds a layer of realism to the effects that the movie would have otherwise been lacking. The effects and CGI alone are enough to warrant a viewing of Lord of the Rings.
Fantastic acting by nearly every player involved, impressive physical locations in New Zealand, marvelous CGI and effects, exceptional costuming and makeup are all combined with spot on cinematography and a sparkling script to create a classic that audience will be watching for generations. Action abounds but so does character development. The ground work has been set for what will undoubtedly bring us impressive sequels. A must see.
Story A+ (The Script is a great adaption. There is no way to satisfy all the fans, but the movie, I have no doubt will please most.)
Acting A+
Visuals A+
Originality/Innovation A+ (Weta deserve high marks for making this a breakthrough film.)
Enjoyability Grade A+
Home Theater/HD Factor A+ (You can’t ask too much more out of your home theater than what The Lord of the Rings has to offer. Simply put this masterpiece on if you wish to wow your friends, especially if it is showing n high-definition.)
Overall Grade A+ (A true masterpiece.)
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