Title: Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (PG)
Year: 2001
Running Time: 171 minutes
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), John Rhys-Davis (Gimli), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Andy Serkis (Gollum)
Notes: Won numerous awards including some for the series, won four Oscars, nominated for nine Oscars, won five BAFTAs, nominated for seven BAFTAs
Rating: 10
Thoughts: With evil rising there is one hope, to destroy the one ring.
A band is gathered to guide the hobbit Frodo on his quest to do so. This opening to the series is a complete story in its own right as the group is formed and then breaks up after being attacked.
It is driven by character and strong acting, the scenes just adding a delicious backdrop. There are of course plenty of special effects but they are woven into the story and rarely there in isolation.
For a fantasy world it feels very natural. What is especially well done is the adaptation. The book is long and Jackson does of course have three films with which to do it, but as well as keeping the vast bulk of the story, he also includes so many nice touches along the way to excite the hardcore fans.
This first of three is so good it immediately hooked everyone.