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

After reading The Lord of the Rings I wanted to make the film. Peter Jackson beat me to it. That's probably a good thing, because he did perhaps the best that anyone could have done. I've watched each of the three movies at least 15 times - many of those times in theatre. They are some of my personal favorites and I could write several pages in response to the films. Here is some of what I think about film 1 (hopefully this isn't a repeat of what the millions of other people have commented on the film):

I watch this film as a gorgeous metaphysical poem. The journey of life which is full of camaraderie, the struggle against sin, prophetic voices, doubt, resilience, and pain. Each of the characters mean so much more than a direct metaphor for some theme or truth because they are dynamic characters in a narrative; they react surprisingly.

Continuing with the characters, this is what really drives the film. And there are so many main characters: The nine in the fellowship, the elven royalty, the enemies and their henchmen, Bilbo Baggins, and the ring of power. A great strength of the film is that it introduces each one of them to us and keeps them alive with revealing dialogue and unique passions.

The pacing of the film is careful and correct, but it still leaves the Tolkien fan insatiated. We want to see the barrow wights, Fatty Bolger, and less of Arwen, but ultimately, the fullness of the story is communicated. The sweeping and majestic panaramic views of Middle Earth say almost as much as the pages of description in the book.

As I consider the work put into the film, be it designing sets to sewing costumes to pondering the lines of the film, I know that it was a film meant to be made. We are all meant to watch it. It is a visual feast.

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