I believe there to be four categories of fantasy film obsessions that some adore and others ignore: Harry Potter, Marvel/DC, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I will fully admit that I am more drawn to the Harry Potter category; I do enjoy Marvel and DC; now I’ve ventured out into another group: Lord of the Rings. Alike to the others, this franchise is a fantasy adventure film through and through. ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ is the introduction of the trilogy. It’s the first film and it takes its time (three hours’ worth) setting the scene for the next two films. Introducing all the different characters and making sure the audience are completely familiar with all that Middle Earth can offer. It is a LOT to take in.
In ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ the beginning is dedicated to explaining the background story of the all-important ring. Then we meet our main protagonist, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), the young nephew of Bilbo Baggins. Frodo is forced on an adventure when he is handed down the evil One Ring, therefore he must travel across Middle Earth. Along the way we meet oh so many other characters. SO many other characters. An important one is Gandalf the wizard (Ian McKellen), the old man who speaks of only wisdom as he helps guide Frodo in the right direction. Then there’s the mysterious man (Viggo Mortensen) who comes to protect Frodo when it’s most needed, we soon discover there is a lot more to this character than first meets the eye (obviously) – I feel this will be a character I will grow to love significantly more in later films. Sean Bean graces our screens as Boromir; I appreciated his character, purely just for Ned Stark. I’m not going to explain all characters, otherwise I’ll be here all day and to be honest, I don’t think I can name any others (I already had to IMDb check those named already). It does get all a bit confusing with everyone at times, just because there are so many characters and they’re all significant in their own ways – not that I followed everyone’s background story because it was just too much at times.
Due to this first film being a scene setter, not a lot actually happens but at the same time too much happens… Everything that occurs are all insignificant events that along this journey – sorry, this very long journey (three hours’ worth). The most important aspect is about the ring, hence the name of the film. It wants to return to its master, who is tracking and hunting it down. This means the poor Hobbit can’t catch a break, one thing after the other. The mass of different creatures are drawn towards this malevolent ring with a need to possess it for themselves and all the power that comes with it. From dark knights on deathly horses, to trolls in the dungeon, to tentacles in the waters and orcs around every corner; Frodo and his group of protectors journey further. The film is nothing but a journey. We don’t even reach our destination…
Now to be completely honest, I did not hate this film but I cannot say I loved it. I completely understand why it has gained the mass following it has, I can appreciate that it does has everything a fantasy adventure film needs. However, because the film is so long it does need a lot of attention paid to it, especially when they’re trying to introduce every character on Middle Earth. I have to give credit where it is due. The actors play their characters well and I completely bought what they were starring as, particularly in this fantasy world of elves, hobbits, wizards, dwarves and orcs. Furthermore, the special effects and the ability to bring this film to life is fantastically done, especially being made in 2001! The cinematography is stunning as they embark on this journey, the landscapes are purely spectacular, I can only imagine the effect of this on the big screen on its release. The music is additionally iconic, the soundtrack seems to reciprocate exactly what is being shown on screen, so the audience get the full effect from sight and sound of this new world. So there we have it, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’, my ups and downs to the introduction of this fantasy trilogy!
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