Lord of the Rings: Part 1

Now, I could review the Lord of the Rings films as a series, but that would be a very long blog and it seems that the done thing these days is to split something that could easily be finished in one into three separate installments  such as a movie adaptation of a popular book, so as to make more money. So this is what I’m going to do.

Obviously the place to start is with the Fellowship of the Ring. In my opinion this is the best of the three films because it’s most true to the book. Also, it’s the one I enjoy watching the most. The Fellowship of the Ring tracks the discovery of the One Ring and the start of the journey to destroy it. Frodo takes it to the Elves at Rivendell and then carries it with eight companions to between Lorien and Fanghorn Forest before their party is split up.

As an adaptation from the book, Fellowship is fantastic. When I first saw it, the characters were pretty much true to how I’d imagined them and the story was lovely and easy to follow. The initial trip to Rivendell is full of haste and panic, and the stalking of the party by the Black Riders was very tense. Beyond Rivendell, the journey of the fellowship was perfectly told in my opinion. For me, the highlight of the whole film is the scenes in Moria. These are dark, gloomy and delivered with perfection by Peter Jackson. As the first film in a trilogy which had so much expectation behind it, The Fellowship of the Ring did not disappoint even slightly.

There are too many characters in the trilogy for me to deal with on a film-by-film basis, and I’d be repeating myself a bit too much, so I shall deal with them bit by bit, but considering the whole series, starting with the Elves. True to the books, the Elves are graceful, peaceful and elegant, and the beauty with which they are all blessed with makes them a joy to watch in the series. Elrond is wonderfully played by Hugo Weaving and comes across as stern, loving, fierce, gentle and majestic throughout the film. He is undoubtedly wise and is generally motivated by two desires: to see the Ring destroyed, and to protect his daughter. Moving on to Arwen, Liv Tyler manages the same array of emotions as Elrond, with grace, beauty and fierceness all present. Her choice to live as a mortal just so she can be with Aragorn is possible the greatest expression of her love and Liv Tyler portrays Arwen wonderfully. Similarly, Cate Blanchett is masterful as Galadriel and makes a fitting narrator to the story.

Boromir is another wonderful character as well. His death is one of the saddest bits of cinema in modern times. He epitomises the way that Men are portrayed in the films, as both strong and weak, and easily tempted by the power of the Ring. Sean Bean is a fitting actor to play Boromir, and throws himself in to the part, so much so that the audience goes from dislike to like very quickly at different points in the story.

When I read the books I wasn’t clear as to what the Uruk-Hai actually were, and how they differed from the Orcs etc. The Fellowship of the Ring made this so much clearer. The Uruks that are created are hideously sinister, and are fearsome villains throughout the series. I particularly enjoy seeing the Uruks being ‘born’. Saruman is a fitting commander as well, and comes across as deviously treacherous, obviously what was intended. As Sauron’s puppet he instructs much of the early rise of Sauron’s strength, and his head-to-head with Gandalf represents the clash of two magnificent powers. His eventual comeuppance is extremely satisfying to the audience.

The soundtrack to the three films is utter perfection as well. It’s one of the few soundtracks that is a lovely piece of music when it’s not accompanied by the film. In my opinion it’s a cinematic masterpiece and definitely makes the films what they are as much as the cast or the special effects.

The Fellowship of the Ring is a fitting opening to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It sets the standard for the films to follow and remains wonderfully true to the book while producing a piece of cinematic gold.