Title: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Version: Extended Cut.
Rated: PG-13.
Director: Peter Jackson.
Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson.
Release Date: 2001.
Runtime: 3h48Min.
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy.
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, and many more!
Budget: $93 Million.
My Overall Rating:
Destiny has a funny way of taking hold of one’s life and holding onto it by the proverbial neck, requiring you to take action, abide by its will, and put aside your needs for those that it has for you. Pulled along by an invisible force, one stronger than your own will, biding its time to manipulate your desires and turn you to the dark side, there is very little left within your power to stop it in its track but the friends around you to keep you on the right track. Through a unified and resilient impetus, even destiny cannot interfere in the evolution of events, in the clash between good and evil, and in the resolution of epic adventures. Based on the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1954, Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy begins by introducing Frodo Baggins and his quest revolving around the soul-corrupting One Ring.
What is The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring about? Passed down to his nephew Frodo, Bilbo Baggins sets off on one final adventure and leaves behind the Ring that he has found and carried with him for countless years. Learning of its existence and the trouble that it will bring upon the Shire, Gandalf the Grey warns Frodo and counsels him to leave his home at the risk of falling at the hands of terrifying foes. With Sauron’s nine undead Nazgûl servants out hunting for the Ring, Frodo, accompanied by his friend Samwise Gamgee, find themselves exploring Middle-Earth, constantly fearing for their lives, with only themselves and the allies they meet along the way to keep them safe. Once their journey brings them to Rivendell, a council leads to the creation of the Fellowship of the Ring, with only one ultimate objective: destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.
At its core, this is, in itself, a terrifyingly daunting adaptation project, but having fallen into the right hands, it is now considered one of the greatest movies ever made, executed with a delicate and magical touch, capturing the essence of the book’s soul with outstanding grace. Although cutting away at some of the original story’s content, especially the presence of the mysterious Tom Bombadil, the movie efficiently focuses on the most crucial moments in this treacherous quest to rid Middle-Earth of a powerful item that could plunge the world into darkness if obtained by the wrong people. With Frodo and Sam at the center of attention, the movie brilliantly captures the growing weight of our protagonist’s duty, while also meticulously introducing new characters and their crucial roles in the journey ahead. Each delivering their lines with brio, they embrace their roles as if playing themselves and allow viewers to remember them with little to no effort, not only for their unique designs but for their charisma, their demeanor, and their character.
Unfathomable at first, director Peter Jackson achieves the impossible by envisioning the perfect and grand scope for this adventure. If not just with the first sequence of the movie, serving as the ultimate exposition of Middle-Earth’s history with the forged rings and the legendary battle against Sauron’s forces, viewers immediately grasp the breadth and the high-stakes battles between good and evil that conquer this universe. The numerous set pieces that appear sequentially afterward also prove that the maestro had an applaudable grasp over the material and understood the assignment by capturing the exquisite beauty yet mesmerizing danger that lurks in this world, especially once Sauron’s minions grow in number and progressively extend their dominion over Middle-Earth. While threats are often visible, the movie also does an impressive job of capturing the psychological plight of each member of the fellowship.
With an unquestionable screenplay and a visionary director at the helm of this project, Howard Shore’s breathtaking score was ultimately the transcendent piece to the puzzle that inevitably helped each sequence of this movie reach new heights of emotional tension. Alongside the awe-inspiring special effects utilized to bring this fantasy world to life, whether digital or practical, it is a difficult task to remain unaffected by the gorgeous landscapes, beautiful concept designs for all of the foul beasts of Middle-Earth, and the exquisite lore at the heart of this adventure. From the perfect and talented cast who all ended up fully fleshed out by the end of this first movie, to the almost tangible distress created not only by the existence of the One Ring but also by the hidden menaces within this spell-binding world, this movie is beyond a doubt the greatest fantasy novel adaptation to have ever been created to this day.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a towering epic fantasy movie masterwork brilliantly introducing the creation of the fellowship and their treacherous quest across a gorgeously rendered Middle-Earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) is available for purchase and on select streaming services.
Have you read The Lord of the Rings?
Have you seen The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)? Will you?
What did you think about it?
Share your thoughts with me!
Roars and Echoes 
Oh, I totally agree that this was about as perfect an adaptation as we’re ever going to get. I really enjoyed going through the extended editions “extra’s” because there were so many and it really helped show so much behind the scenes.
man, now I want to go and watch them again 🙂
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Yep, I can’t seem to conceive a reboot of the trilogy in the near future too. It was a lot of fun to get those extra scenes with these actors/characters too.
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A big family favorite!
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Absolutely, AOC! Have a wonderful weekend! 😀
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I’m happy to see that you enjoyed the movie! I still remember standing in line for the theatrical release on opening day and how excited I was to see it. I was literally shaking with happiness! And you’re right– this is about the best adaptation we could have hoped for. It was definitely helpful that New Zealand is so far from Hollywood so the studio couldn’t stick their nose in every last detail so Jackson and Co. were much freer to do the things they wanted to do. I don’t think that would happen today.
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I can only imagine your joy when you got to see it in theaters! I was too young to even understand how epic this was back in 2001 hahah I could see some insane-budget reboot in the far future but for now, I think it would be too ambitious and dangerous to even attempt it too hahahah
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I still remember how I felt that first time in the theater, when Ian McKellen’s Gandalf made his first appearance and i *knew* that my journey in Middle Earth would be a wonderful one – that I was *home*. That sense of wonder never lessened after repeated viewings….
Looking forward to your next commentaries on the trilogy! 🙂
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Hahahaha I felt something similar when we saw it at home, his whole arrival to the Shire and his little discussion with Frodo, wow. Goosebumps!
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Fab review Lashaan! I can’t imagine ever watching this although my husband and son loved all three when I wasn’t around. 😂
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Thank you so much, Nicki! Hahahaha I can see how big of a fan they both must be beside you then! 😛
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You are making me watch movies again. I actually watched movies even before I read books. Of course, I didn’t get everything as I wasn’t aware of the world at that time but movies actually made my reading experience better. It was fun to imagine characters I saw in movies while reading. so far this is the best movie adaptation I ever watched.
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I also saw these movies before reading the books but my last rewatch (the marathon) made me even more appreciate these movies, knowing all the story by heart hahah I hope you get around to checking out the trilogy again soon, Yesha! 😀
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I feel much the same as you about this movie and the movie trilogy as a whole. I think everything came together almost perfectly. The right director at the right time with the right performers of all sorts, the right effects and design teams. It was so well done. As you said, they did change it in some ways from the books, but I felt they did a great job staying true to the spirit of the books, and that’s really all I ask for.
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Right? Everything just makes you want to call Middle-Earth your home, the fellowship, your friends. I was genuinely happy to get through this movie and all of its extended scenes’ glory.
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My favorite in the trilogy! When I was 6, The Fellowship of the Ring was the first nearly 3 hour movie that my brother and I sat through. We were fully engrossed beginning to end. Nothing captures the spirit of Middle Earth better than the first movie.
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I agree. The first movie really does Middle-earth justice. It’s hard to even imagine a reboot of this cult classic movie. Definitely a favourite for the rest of my life too.
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Lord of the Rings is easily one of the best franchises of all time.
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Absolutely! 😀
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Such a visually stunning trilogy!
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Indeed!
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Glad you loved it so much, Lashaan!
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Thanks for reading, Ola! 😀
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All three of the Lord of the Rings movies are great overall, but of the three, this is the most faithful to the books. Even ignoring that, it’s a well-balanced movie, with plenty of great world-building, storytelling, a variety of action, and brilliant acting across pretty much the entire cast. Not to mention groundbreaking visual effects that have aged quite well.
It’s possible we’ll never see another trilogy quite like this again. The dedication and attention to detail put into this trilogy really shows. The behind the scenes details are insane, and well worth a watch/listen. Some of those features are just as fascinating as the movie itself. These days, most of these scale models would be replaced by CGI.
Also, I noticed you watched the Extended Cut. I’ve actually never seen the theatrical cut of Fellowship of the Ring, and although I have seen the theatrical cuts of the other two, once I saw the extended versions, I’ve never looked back. I am aware of what scenes were added or extended though.
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It’s what I thought too, I loved how faithful it was to the book even if didn’t contain absolutely everything from the book. And to achieve it with this much accuracy, both in content and quality, really makes me happy. And yep, I can totally see how everything would’ve been CGI today, with little effort to create practical effects. It’s sad but hey, if they got enough of a budget to do crazy things with CGI, I’m ok with that too.
I did notice some moments throughout the extended cut that felt overly long and not necessarily…necessary. I have no idea what exactly was or wasn’t in the theatrical cut; my first viewing of the theatrical cut was so many years ago, before having even read the books.
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Aaah now I want to watch the movies again! I think the first one is probably my favourite mainly for the scenes in the Shire and the ones in Rivendell – two places I would love to live in of course! And the music is indeed absolutely fantastic and it is absolutely what ties everything together! I completely agree with your review Lashaan!
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So do I hahaha! 😀 I do love every new region explored in this movie and it was also the movie where they put a lot of effort into bringing to life those different regions. I’d like to believe that New Zealand looks like this and didn’t have any of the terrifying creatures too, that way, at least, I know I could visit without fearing for my life all the time! 😛 Thanks for reading, Juliette!
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