The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001
Directed by Peter Jackson
Netflix sleeve: From the idyllic shire of the Hobbits to the smoking chasms of Mordor, director Peter Jackson has created a world that surpasses the expectations of J.R.R. Tolkien purists as Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) embarks on his epic quest to destroy the ring of Sauron. The movie--which nabbed 13 Oscar nominations--is superbly cast with actors such as Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), and stays remarkably true to the book.
I probably would have placed this one a little higher on the list. But here it is, number 50. I never read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings epic, but the movies based on the books are phenomenal. I remember seeing this in the theater 11 years ago and thinking how visually stunning it was. And it still is. It isn't fair to have just the first part of this trilogy listed here, because in seeing this movie we only get part of the story. Most of the characters' story arcs take all three movies to complete. The exception here is Boromir, played by Sean Bean. I hope I'm not spoiling this for you, but he doesn't make it to The Two Towers. Boromir goes from being an arrogant guy who doesn't think much of anyone around him to basically swearing his allegiance to Aragorn with his dying breath. Try not crying when he calls Aragorn his king. I mean... No, I wasn't crying. I had something in my eye. Anyway, I'm looking forward to The Hobbit starting this December. Should be awesome.
While the film is indeed a visual treat,there is just enough difference between the two(book vs. film)to make them a bit thorny to be considered the same story.Nit-picking?Probably.I read the books first so I'm naturally going to cry foul over the changes in the film.They are not huge and the films are to be enjoyed but there they are for a crotchety old purist.I am much a fan of the written word.Oh well!Good post.Garry in Kentucky.
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