The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Written by drystyx on April 18, 2023

This film may be perfect. Based on the fantasy world written by Tolkien, we see the halfling hobbits, the most unlikely of heroes, a breed of human type beings who indulge in pleasures, games, and fun, and do little evil. In the same world are more powerful beings, some good, like the elves and wizards, some evil, like the orcs, trolls, and dragons, and some in between, like the dwarves and men. And one evil super being, Sauron, the second in command to the "devil" of this world called Middle Earth, and that devil called Melkor is now in chains and powerless, so Sauron rules all evil. That said, we get a very faithful version to the book, only improved. This is the first of three segments called "The Lord of the Rings". The parts left out are parts best left out. Tom Bombadil, for example, along with his wife, represents a very Hitler like Aryan ideology of supremacy that Tolkien often engaged in. The film begins with a narrative and action sequence that is awesome, and then goes into the "status quo" setting of the "shire" of hobbits, much like the status quo setting of films like "Women of Dolwyn". From there, we get an amazing story of four hobbits who embark on a journey of utmost importance, joined by a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, and two men. The direction is stunning. The motivation even better explained than in the Tolkien books. This is a masterpiece.