IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched on Blu-Ray (Extended Cut)
The dark ruler Sauron of Mordor once forged a ring with the power of which he threatened to subjugate all of Middle-earth. In the Battle of Dagorlad, at the foot of Mount Doom, Isildur chopped off the dark ruler's finger and the ring. The ring was lost, however, and fell into the hands of the unassuming hobbit Bilbo (Ian Holm) via some detours. He kept his "precious" safe for 60 years. At the age of 111, Bilbo wants to see the world again and sets off for Rivendell. With a heavy heart he leaves the ring to the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), who in turn passes it on to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood). For Frodo, the Ring becomes a heavy burden, for the spirit of Sauron lives on in the "One Ring" and grows ever stronger. Thus, in Rivendell, the decision is made by the Council to destroy the Ring once and for all. There, where it was forged, the Ring can also be destroyed. In the fires of Mount Doom, the Ring must be thrown into it - in the middle of dangerous Mordor. The "Fellowship of the Ring" is formed and nine companions set out on the long dangerous journey. In addition, the Black Riders are hot on their heels, Ringwraiths between life and death, to retrieve the Ring for Sauron.
Director, producer and screenwriter Peter Jackson preferred acting and set design to showmanship, used action sequences only at appropriate moments and stayed true to the original without degenerating into a dog on a leash. It took Peter Jackson three years to write the screenplay for the trilogy, which was also shot in one go to save costs. And this despite the fact that the story had already been written and he only had to delete passages. Jackson did not bow to blockbuster conventions, but chose a slow and profound narrative style.
Of all three films, "The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring" has the fewest action scenes, since the "War of the Rings" as described in the book only begins in "The Two Towers" with the battle for Helm's Deep. "The Fellowship of the Ring" serves more as an introduction to the gigantic and complex Middle Earth cosmos. Characters are introduced, legends and myths, localities, the various peoples and languages are explored in more detail. Perhaps this is why the first film in the series is perceived by the common mainstream audience as the most boring and long-winded of all three parts. While, however, enthusiastic readers of the novels are absolutely thrilled by the dialogues and the nerd talk about some characters who don't even appear, and would also sit through a first part twice as long. The atmosphere here is very dark and oppressive for large parts. Finally, the film tells and presents the prehistory of the great Ring War, of Sauron's betrayal, the Black Riders, Sauron's military build-up and the seemingly hopeless situation. Yet the film begins in very quiet tones at first, in the Shire. Where everything is green and peaceful. Especially when you see the images of Rivendell, the mines of Moria and the two giant statues at the edge of the river that form the Gate of Argonath, your jaw really drops - literally. Although they are partly computer-animated, this is exactly what shows how grandly Peter Jackson knows how to use technology. In addition, the film captivates with enormous and exorbitant panoramas - all shot in New Zealand. It celebrates the landscape of Middle-earth while underscoring it with a symphony of adventure. There's no denying that Jackson also puts his stamp on the whole thing. The veteran horror expert spiced up the film with his own style. Bilbo's devilish visage when Frodo denies him the ring and Galadriel's or Gandalf's facial expressions when they become angry are clearly individual traces of the New Zealander.
The cast is equally outstanding: The hobbits around Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan always create a cheerful atmosphere with a witty quip on their lips, and the regular fights between Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies always make the audience smile. Above all, Ian McKellen is convincing as a wise, humorous and powerful wizard. Just like Sean Bean in the role of Boromir as an egotistical, but also brave and strong warrior. Elijah Wood seems a bit bored in parts, even though he portrays dying very well. Whereas Hugo Weaving doesn't shine any better in the role of Elrond, as he is very sterile and grimly put on, which gives the impression that he is like the old evil grandpa from next door. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn remains expressionless at times, but this is, just as with Hugo Weaving, rather role-related.
The epic score by Howard Shore, which is not complicated and impressive, has already achieved the status of a classic. Peter Jackson asked for a simple adventure symphony for the film and was absolutely right with this decision. The music perfectly underlines the recorded images of Middle-earth, achieves an epic range and provides a unique goosebump feeling.
