The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Astin.  It is the first installment in The Lord of the Rings series, and follows hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) who comes into possession of the One Ring and joins a band of eight companions who form the Fellowship of the Ring to journey to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed.

Positives:

• Great characters
• Great performances
• Great visual effects
• Great make-up effects
• Great practical effects
• Terrific score
• Great, compelling story
• Great direction
• Great action

Negatives:

• n/a

Plot:  The movie is extensive but it does tell a compelling story although not really a deep, deep story. Basically this bad guy’s come to power and we have to stop him. Frodo’s journey to Mordor is a long and treacherous one filled with twists and turns at every corner.  It does show how the Fellowship is formed and what leads to its disbandment.  Although slow to start, it does pick up at a good pace and comes to an explosion action packed ending that leaves off on a hopeful note. (3 out of 5)

Characters: The film features a large roster of great characters.  The main characters are Frodo (Wood), Samwise (Astin), Boyd (Pippin), Merry (Monaghan), Gandalf (McKellen), Gimli (Rhys-Davies), Boromir (Bean), Legolas (Bloom), and Aragorn (Mortensen).  There is a really good balance between the characters (with no character standing out more than the other) and the relationship that grows between the characters is sound, especially considering the adventures they have. (4 out of 5)

Cast: The casting and performances are just terrific. The main cast includes Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Sean Astin (Samwise), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Billy Boyd (Pippin), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), and Sean Bean (Boromir).  Supporting cast includes Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Ian Holm (Bilbo), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), and Liv Tyler (Arwen). (5 out of 5)

Visuals: This is just a beautifully looking film.  Everything from the make-up effects, to the costume designs, to the beautiful landscape designs gives the film an overall gorgeous presentation.  The CGI looks pretty solid, many of the fictional creatures such as the cave troll, the demon Balrog, and the Ringwraiths look fantastic.  (5 out of 5)

Score: Howard Shore does a fantastic job when it comes to the soundtrack.  Every exciting moment feels epic, every quiet one sounds magical.  The music is definitely worth appreciating. (5 out of 5)

Writing: The film has a well written script that does a fantastic job of handling the various movie elements yet maintaining an engaging movie.  Peter Jackson does a great job of directing the film.  Although the film does lack humor (and honestly who could blame it) it does flesh out the action packed moments as well as the dramatic ones.  One of the most iconic sequences is the forest battle in the ending climax between the Fellowship and an army of Uruk-hai sent by Saruman to track and kill them.  What starts it off is the Ring’s corruptive power which Boromir falls prey to nearly taking the Ring from Frodo.  Definitely shows how powerful the Ring’s influence is.  Now, one could argue that the opposing factions are quite bland;   everyone who is human, elf, or dwarf is good while everything else is bad.  But for the grand scope of the film this can be forgiven. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, The Fellowship of the Ring is an epic quest that is definitely worth the watch.  It does come to a slow start but the non-immediate action gives time to establish the world and the characters.  Not only does director Peter Jackson shine in the end product, but the movie has great performances by a great cast, great characters, terrific use of make-up, practical, and CGI effects, a grand score, a great story, and badass Orc killing action.  The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring gets 4 out of 5.