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LORD OF THE RINGS:
FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
by Peter Sobczynski

December 17, 2003

1/2 (out of 4 stars)

FILM CREDITS: Written and directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean and Liv Tyler. PG-13

In one of the most ambitious filmmaking enterprises ever attempted, New Line has sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into producing all three parts of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary trilogy at the same time, releasing one each Christmas for the next three years. Generally, the higher a film’s budget rises, the less inventive it becomes. Visionary directors who would seem to be perfect for the material are usually shunted aside for less colorful filmmakers who will deliver the goods in a safe, unsurprising fashion. Producers will usually defend this practice by pointing to the misfire that occurred when David Lynch directed ``Dune’’ and in a way, they have a point (directors with unique visions find it hard to adapt to worlds already designed for them.)

In hiring Peter Jackson, a New Zealand director whose filmography consists of a few absurdist horror classics (``Bad Taste’’ and ``Dead-Alive’’), the cult hit ``Heavenly Creatures’’ and the expensive flop ``The Frighteners,’’ the producers took an enormous chance by hiring someone who not only has a spotty box-office record but whose films have revealed a distinct personal style that might have clashed with Tolkien’s. And yet, the gamble has paid off for ``LOTR’’ is a pretty extraordinary achievement. Jackson (a longtime Tolkien fan) has blended his sensibilities with Tolkien’s in a way that will thrill not only fans of the books but those who couldn’t tell you what a Hobbit was if their lives depended on it.

For all the made-up languages and background detail that Tolkien provided in his endless books, the first part of the story is relatively straightforward. To absurdly simplify things, it tells the story of a ring crafted by the evil Sauron that holds the power to control and destroy the world in the wrong hands. Luckily, it is subsequently lost for 2500 years, only to turn up in the possession of one Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), who gradually finds himself falling under its power. Bilbo’s friend, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan in fine form) pries it away from him and insists that it be destroyed before Sauron’s Black Knights can track it down.

Unfortunately, the only way it can be destroyed is to cast it in the fires of the Cracks of Doom. Bilbo’s nephew, Frodo (Elijah Wood) is charged with making the perilous journey to transport the ring. Along the way, he is aided in his quest by a number of Hobbits, elves, dwarves and warriors. Lining up against them are fearsome armies of Ring-Wraiths, Orcs, goblins and one unspeakable troll-like monster-not to mention the fiendish Saruman (Christopher Lee), a former colleague of Gandalf’s who wishes to possess the ring and its powers for himself.

If there is a flaw to the film, it is that Jackson tries to cram in as much of the book as he can. Some of the character introductions are so rushed that only those intimately familiar with the saga will determine the difference between Boromir (Sean Bean) and Aragon (Viggo Mortensen.) Brief appearances by Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler do little to advance the film and end up being a distraction (I assume that their characters grow more relevant in the upcoming stories.)

And yet, these are minor distractions compared to the major achievements of ``LOTR.’’ Yes, it look amazing but that was the easy part. What Jackson has done is more difficult. Not only has he transformed a universe imagined in the minds of millions into a satisfying physical reality, he has done it in a cinematically engaging way. Despite being three hours long, it never drags for a second. Despite the need for younger audiences to make it a hit, he has not skimped on the violence (with its full-on decapitations, this is not a film for the squeamish.) And despite the relatively humorless source material, Jackson has snuck in some sly humor to lighten the mood when it needs it most. Only Jackson would have conceived of having a dwarf, in the middle of battle, declare ``NOBODY TOSSES A DWARF!’’ and only Jackson could have gotten away with it.

-- PETER SOBCZYNSKI

Copyright © 2003 Peter Sobczynski
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While the views expressed by Peter Sobczynski do not necessarily reflect the views of Criticdoctor.com, the Critic Doctor will occasionally examine Mr. Sobczynski's film reviews to bring forth an honest examination of those views expressed.