The Lord of the Rings - Part 1 | Moviemasterdigvijay

Movie Name: The Lord of the Rings- The Fellowship of the Ring(Extended Version)

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Year of Release: 2001

Production companies: New Line Cinema, Wingnut Films

Runtime - 208 minutes(!!!)( theatrical version- 178 minutes)

Starring - Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortenson, John Rhys-davies, Ian Mckellen, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Martin Csokas (What a casting!!)

Plot Synopsis: In the opening narration, the audience is told that the leaders of the three races- elves, dwarves and men- are given the so-called "Rings of Power" - rings which will slow down their aging and prolong their lives. The Dark Lord Sauron forges the "One Ring" in Mount Doom that could control the other rings of power so that he could eventually conquer Middle-Earth. An alliance of elves and men put up a fight against Sauron and in the battle, Isildur of Gondor finally manages to get a hold of the "One Ring".With Sauron's physical form destroyed, the Third Age of Middle Earth begins but Isildur falls victim to the corrupt influence of the One Ring. He is later killed by the orcs and many years later, the Ring is found by Gollum who owns it for five centuries before it is found by Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit.

On his 111th birthday(!), Bilbo finally decides to leave the Shire so that he could complete his book about his adventures in peace. His Friend Gandalf the Grey joins him in his birthday celebrations and forces Bilbo to part with the Ring, who reluctantly decides to leave the One Ring to his nephew Frodo Baggins. Gandalf realises that Gollum was tortured and interrogated by Sauron's Orcs, and that Gollum had revealed to them that the One Ring was owned by a Baggins living in Shire. Gandalf tells Frodo that the Nazgul would would leave Frodo in peace till they would get a hold of the Ring. He tells Frodo to leave the Shire as early as possible for his safety. Frodo is accompanied by his friend Samwise Gamgee, and they are later joined by Merry and Pippin. In the meantime, Gandalf goes to meet the wizard Saruman for his support in their fight against Sauron, but it is revealed that even Sarumen had "abandoned reason for stupidity" and he had joined forces with Sauron.

Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin go to Bree where they were supposed to meet Gandalf, who was captured by Saruman. Instead, they meet "Strider", a Ranger who protects them from the attack of the Nazgul and decides to escort them to Rivendell, the home of the elves. In Rivendell, they are united with Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins. Lord Elrond holds a council in Rivendell in which Frodo decides to take the One Ring to the Fires in Mount Doom where it could be destroyed. Frodo would be accompanied by Sam, Merry, Pippins, Gandalf, Gimli the Dwarf, Boromir of Gondor,Legolas and Strider, who is actually Aragorn - who call themselves "The Fellowship". The Fellowship travel though the mines of Moria, in which they are attacked by Orcs and a massive monster named Balrog. Gandalf is dragged down to a vast chasm in the process of killing Balrog.

Frodo wanders off with Sam from the Fellowship because Gandalf had privately told him that his friends in the Fellowship might succumb to the greed and try to take the One Ring. Merry and Pippins are captured by Orcs, who mistake them to be the hobbits that are possessing the One Ring. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli set out to rescue Merry and Pippins from the Orcs, while Frodo and Sam continue their journey of destroying the Ring.

Plot Analysis: I must admit that I could not rest in peace till I released off my chest what I had just seen. Never before have I seen a movie so grand in scope and execution, and every penny of the budget seems to be properly utilised in making the movie. A lifetime ago(!) when I was an avid reader of books, I had read the book 'The Lord of the Rings' from which this movie had been adapted(like the trilogy, the book is also divided into three parts). And I must commend Peter Jackson for making such a splendid adaptation from the plot which was quite complex and detailed. In fact, JRR Tolkien, the author of 'The Lord of the Rings', created new languages spoken by the elves and Orcs in addition to detailed maps of Middle-Earth. I don't remember much about the books, but I can definitely recall that the books were much more slower and more detailed than the movies. Jackson must be applauded for trimming and streamlining the rather convulated storytelling. He manages to maintain a fine balance between action, suspense and character development with a little amount of humor thrown in for good measure.

'Conan the Barbarian' released in 1980 was the gold standard for the so-called "sword-and-sworcery" movies until this movie revolutionised the genre. The opening battle scene between the elves and Sauron, the battle between the Orcs and the Fellowship in the mines of Moria, and the stunning landscapes in Rivendell show how visual effects have progressed over the years - they are indeed a spectacle to behold. These special effects, combined with practical effects consisting of sweeping visuals of the landscape(I think this movie can be an excellent tourism advertisement for New Zealand in which it has been entirely shot!) make this a treat to watch. Especially while making fantasy movies, the director should have the ability to transport the audiences right in the middle of action and this movie does an impressive job in doing that.

Performance-wise, each and every member of this ensemble cast get their moments to shine. One of the actors who made a strong impression on me was Viggo Mortenson, who potrayed the character of Aragorn splendidly. His soft-spoken mannerisms combined with his deadly sword-fighting skills was the standout performance for me. Ian Mckellen, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood and Sean Astin also give impressive performances , with Gimli the dwarf, Merry and Pippin injecting humour at the right places. Christopher Lee shows why he can be one of the best actors playing a villain.It seems all the actors were tailor-made for their chosen roles.

Clocking over 3 hours, never once did I feel bored - in fact, I strongly feel that the theatrical version should be jettisoned in favour of the extended edition - I can guarentee that everyone following the plot will not find it uninteresting. All in all, an outstanding movie from start to finish, with virtually no flaws.

Final Rating- 5/5