The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

IMDB Rating: 8.70, 232790 votes

Taglines
  • All we have to decide is what to do with the time that we are given
  • Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
  • Fate Has Chosen Him. A Fellowship Will Protect Him. Evil Will Hunt Them.
  • Its power corrupts all who desire it. Only one has the will to resist it. A Fellowship of nine must destroy it.[full-length trailer]
  • Middle Earth comes alive...
  • One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
  • One Ring To Rule Them All.
  • Power can be held in the smallest of things...
  • The Legend Comes to Life
  • You will find adventure, or adventure will find you.[teaser trailer]
Storyline
An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign!
Actors
Everard ProudfootNoel Appleby
Frodo BagginsElijah Wood
Sam GamgeeSean Astin
SauronSala Baker
BoromirSean Bean
GaladrielCate Blanchett
Legolas GreenleafOrlando Bloom
PippinBilly Boyd
CelebornMarton Csokas
Mrs. ProudfootMegan Edwards
Gondorian ArchivistMichael Elsworth
Gil-GaladMark Ferguson
Bilbo BagginsIan Holm
GandalfIan McKellen
SarumanChristopher Lee
LurtzLawrence Makoare

54 Comments

  1. wzqy

    Much, much better upon consecutive viewings

  2. cuisr

    Nice.

  3. lyons

    One of the few I watch twice…
    Good movie…special effects were very good. I’ll definitly rent the sequel when it gets here.

  4. berti

    Smith. Agent Smith.
    Enough carping on Hugo Weaving. Yes, I couldn’t resist chuckling at him.

    The movie was very well done. For those kids and teens (and some adults apparently) suffering from a case of attention deficit syndrome where the only pleasure they glean is from watching scenes flash on the screen one after the other, perhaps a healthy dosage of maturity is in order. The Tolkien books are a rich fantasy world steeped in its own history so the movie had to be almost three hours long to touch upon as much as possible.

    For those of you who complained heavily about the ending, I have two words for you. Get real. Not everything in this world has to have a neat and tidy ending all wrapped up in a bow for this modern day "fast food" age. This movie is part one of a trilogy right from the beginning and it ends properly in this fashion. My biggest complaint about the film is that I have to wait a whole year for part two (review is a year old… saw part 2 today)

    Visuals aside, CGI aside, this movie is ultimately story driven and in this department it succeeded brilliantly.

    No, I haven’t read the books. I do have an idea of the general plot. And here’s another disappointment for the challenged. Part 2 is longer so spare us and don’t watch it.

  5. kurtz

    This is a good one… time slipped into the story… I was sorry to see it end.

  6. lramn

    Great special effects - but I do not understand why people like this movie….
    The special effects are great but I am sure the book is better than the movie. The story follows the same formula of all "quest" type movies. They journey, they fight, they journey…..

    Towards the end of the movie I did not care about the characters or the stupid ring. The ending sucked, no conclusion??!! They should have ended the movie somewhere earlier, why stay true to the book?

  7. mebel

    Great adaptation of the books. Can’t wait for more.

  8. dye

    A visual masterpiece, a standard set for epic movies.
    The only reason I can justify not giving this movie a "10" is that there are two more on the way, and the only fair evaluation will be of the trilogy, not of a single film.

    Managing to absolutely master visual and aural presentation while still keeping a human focus on its very frail protagonist and his tight-knit band of comrades, Fellowship is probably the single most entertaining film I’ve seen in years. Not the deepest or most meaningful, perhaps, but for three hours I didn’t look away from the screen, and not many movies can accomplish that.

    When all three have finally been released (and undoubtedly special edition DVD’s abound), the full, uncut storyline will truly be a wonder to behold.

  9. evi

    You must see this one
    So close to a "10", I hesitate to call it a "9". Everything’s right with this film: from the sweeping landscape to the grand purpose of Frodo’s journey…it’s moving in so many ways. I love the characters: so human, yet so un-human in form and/or appearance. The actors are superb. I hadn’t ever read the book before seeing this film, but it’s inspired me to read the entire trilogy. Now I can’t wait to see the other parts. This movie (and later the books) made me a HUGE Tolkien fan! HUGE!

  10. wtfu

    The Movie was good enough to get an 8… Elijah gets a 10!!! ;-)

  11. baask

    Epic, in every sense of the word!
    Fresh from the disappointment of Harry Potter and his band of feckless satanists, I had turned toward The Fellowship with an overwhelming sense of hope and expectation that something this year would reach my high standards. I was not to be disappointed. This film is massive in every sense of the word. From the violent fight scenes, to the ancient monsters, from breath taking scenery, to fine, subtle acting; this film has CLASSIC written all over it. Comprising of mostly European and Antipodean actors there is no one character that attempts to steal the screen, no one actor who attempts to upstage his colleagues. Instead we are presented with a group of adventurers who stand together, united by their individuality, much as Tolkien had laid it out in the book. Jackson underlines his love for Tolkien’s masterpiece by his careful and meticulous recreation of almost everything that appears in the book. He hasn’t accounted for everything, but if he had then the film would have more likely brushed 7 hours than 3 and a bit. Scholars and Tolkien fanatics may winge about the absence of certain parts but that will largely go ignored by the masses who have enjoyed both book and film. Jackson, has stayed close to the original for the formation and interaction of the characters. He has captured the essence of the book and has brought back to the forefront a canonical masterpiece which would have been largely ignored by much of today’s youth, as it’s simply too big and too unwieldy for many kids to read. A wonderful film which owes as much to it’s subtlety of acting as it does to it’s geographical grandeur and awesome effects.

  12. site

    Very much worth seeing. Can’t wait for the DVD

  13. lbtu

    Great scenery, great story

  14. base

    Bad, but it has a certain something
    Plot: 0
    Originality: 5
    Visuals: 7
    Acting: 3

    Overall: 3.75

  15. erd

    shallow story; scenery ok

  16. sumat1

    fantasy given respectful treatment - but it’s the acting that’s most amazing

  17. sacero

    damn good flick!
    couldn’t leave my seat until the end even tho i had to pee real bad!

  18. yryio

    A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad movie
    I can’t believe how much praise this movie received! The hype seemed to have brainwashed the entire world into thinking they saw something of quality. It undeservedly got 13 nominations, including one for Best Picture (which should have gone to "Memento" instead), but luckily was unable to sweep the Academy Awards. I saw this movie with four other friends and we all hated it with a passion. It’s way too long, way too boring, and way too confusing (and not in a good way!). The plot is nonexistent, the "ending" even more so… I absolutely despise this movie, and it seemed like the rest of the audience did too. People kept shifting in their seats to avoid neck cramps and the obligatory numbing of the butt (unfortunately, I suffered from both). It may be shorter than movies like "Titanic" or "Schindler’s List" or even "Pearl Harbor," but it feels 10 times longer. I agree with the viewer in the audience who, at the end of the showing, stood up and yelled "That f*cking sucked!" How true.

  19. chris

    Hold your horses!
    Don’t puke, don’t look back in anger, don’t believe that your about to see the best film ever made. Just believe in Peter Jackson and his holy New Zeeland, and you will enjoy this Hit-n-Run fairytale.

  20. cboku

    Marvelous adaption of the Tolkien classic
    I’ve read the books many times over the years and while this wasn’t as true to my vision as I’d hoped it would be it opened my eyes to more grandeur and majesty than I had envisioned.

    If you’ve read the books or are thinking of reading the books go see this one

  21. qya

    Definitely reaches into my top 3 of all time

  22. Null

    good, but won’t be seeing it again anytime soon
    I liked the movie, don’t get me wrong, but it just went a little slowly for me. It was beautiful tho. But some of the digital animation…i am of the opinion that "if it doesn’t look perfect don’t do it" I mean do we really need digital to have little hobbits jumping on big things and hitting them. could actors have done this?? i say yes…but anyways it was good, although i will not be seeing it again anytime soon

  23. sysadm

    Look out Star Wars!
    Seeing this film makes you realise what the Star Wars trilogy has been trying to do. This film is an epic adventure that brings credibility back to a genre that desperately needed an injection. Though to limit it to a genre is to detract from its accessibility.
    At times the tension in this film is quite overwealming as the fellowship pursue their quest to destroy the ring. It is far more frantic than the book and it deserves an intermission as there is alot to be absorbed in one sitting.
    Sir Ian Mckellan as Gandalf is fantastic and Peter Jackson has done a great job. It’s a shame to have to wait two years for the conclusion.

  24. greggt

    Grand and adventurous!
    Lord of the Rings was one of the best book to movie adaptations. It was actually almost as good as the book (I am a big fan of the series).

  25. pilt

    Very good

  26. russ

    The best fantasy film ever made. That simple. And I didn’t even read the book

  27. ledger

    some of the effects were pretty poor but it was perfect otherwise

  28. erj

    Awesome
    This movie was the best! I loved it. You would have to read the books first in order to understand it better.

  29. Lolita

    good, but too damn long.

  30. ismail

    Long long long.
    Although this movie is beautiful, it COMPLETELY failed to captivate me.
    The movie script is:
    They travel, then they travel a little more, then there’s a thing that jumps at them but which they slay with no problems, then they travel some more, and a little more again - and BOY it’s a long way to the next monster encounter because they travel a little more again!!!
    I was pretty damned bored all along. There were maybe 1 hour of the 3 that were exciting. 1 hour that was decent filler - and 1 hour that should purely have been cut away!
    Thank god I saw the movie in Denmark - there are intermissions when the movie is that long, so after 1.5-2 hours or so - at a strategic spot in the movie where they had just completed some, well traveling of course, I could go out and restock on beer (Yes there are draft beer available in Danish theaters too - and that saved the movie!)

  31. dorian

    Long.. but continuously good.
    Beautiful scenery, excellent acting, and a good script made this film enjoyable even through its long duration. Top-notch action sequences separated by touching, educational, and loving moments made it a winner for me.

    I look forward to part two!

    (I originally rated this an 8, but as I’ve thought about it more I’m changing my score to a 9. The epic nature of this film combined with it’s photographic beauty is what pushed me over the edge.)

  32. Fanny

    First chapter in the enduring trilogy of Middle Earth
    Let’s face it, expectation was high for this film!! Probably more than any other. For Star Wars, every chapter was (and is) kind of a surprise when it’s released, as the story isn’t that familiar, but with Lord Of The Rings, it’s more a case of how are they going to portray what’s already familiar to us, and in a way to make it seem like all we’ve ever imagined it?

    I have to say, I’m not a fan of three hour epics (unless they’re from the Golden Era) as they always tend to sag, but this film blew me away. It is such a huge film it leaves you feeling insignificant compared to it’s scale. What’s more it also stays small enough to let you care about the characters. Now I don’t know quite how the director of ‘Bad Taste’ could have pulled off such a contradictory feat but he did. This is the only three hour film I’ve ever been back to the cinema to watch three times afterwards. That’s twelve hours I’ve spent on an uncomfortable seat watching the same thing four times, but it was worth it and I’m going to go again.

    The battle scenes are superb, the characters brilliantly played, the action stunning, the photography and scenery is breathtaking. It’s one of those films that the more you think about it, the better it gets. I’ve read the trilogy so I know what to expect in the next two films, so as you can imagine I’m eagerly awaiting them as they hold some of the most vivid, action and suspense filled pages put to paper, so seeing them will be areal treat.

    Even if you’re not into fantasy, you will love this film. It has everything, suspense, horror, action, love, special effects, good acting and a dream-like quality rarely found in today’s films.

    I urge you to go and see this. the only reason I didn’t give it 10 is because I reserve those marks for Hitchcock’s work. My official score of this film is actually 9.9

  33. shall

    too long, have to see next chapter?

  34. zuli05

    Beautiful, epic, imaginative, and true to the spirit of the books.
    I don’t have much to add to what everyone else has said, except this:

    Lord of the Rings dares to take itself completely seriously, and it pays off. The innocent are truly innocent. The evil are truly evil. There are no fart jokes. No ironic wisecracks. No cynical winks to accomidate the modern audience.

    This is exactly what it should be, without apology: part one of a sweeping epic, told with imagination and vigor.

  35. bradly

    I thought this was a very unique movie. . .
    I thought this was a very unique movie. I think that I would have found the movie much more interesting if I would have first read the books. I do think the movie was very interesting. I would recommend this movie to anyone with a wild imagination and a interest in a battle between good and evil . . .

  36. gadi

    i should of read book, action ket me awak but lsot on who was who n the villin

  37. loytr1

    I was very surprized how much i liked this movie, its a must see.

  38. toni62

    Not a fan so it seemed like the endless movie…
    Scenery and backdrops were great. I just felt that it was too long and much of it could have been cut down. However, I understand that the director was trying to be true to the books so the whole journey was necessary and probably could have been even longer.

  39. rocca

    swept away!
    fun movie and epic in all respects. the good guys were really good and the bad guys were really bad, the way a good old fashioned movie should be. a bit long, but the complete transport into another world makes it all go by so fast. you will be swept away. watch it!

  40. Hesse

    Wonderful!
    Well worth the year long wait! Too bad we’ll have to wait another year and then another to see the story to completion.

  41. suresh

    see the movie. read the book!!!!
    i am a fantasy girl. always have been. my first brush with tolkien was way back, when i bought the hobbit as a computer game for my apple IIe and it happened to come with the book. enjoyed it as the child’s fantasy tale that it was. i read lord of the rings as an adult just a few years back, and seeing this film, which is the only one i have anticipated ALL year makes me want to read it all over again. it is a very long book. and even my fellow fantasy enthusiast who has NOT read it declared perhaps it is too verbose. i beg to differ. thick books. love them. if they are good stories, that is. and this epic tale most certainly is. there were many points in the book where i laughed aloud at the dialogue, and toward the end, felt dread at what will take place if good did not pervail. i think the film does the book justice, as much as it can. there is so much more character devlopment in the tale itself that is lost, unfortunately. the fellowship of the ring was just thrown together it would seem, in the film, and one learns little of the histories, personalities and thoughts of those like legolas and gimili. i guess this is inevitable when you apply words to film. nontheless, i enjoyed the film entirely. i cried when boromir betrayed himself for the power of the ring, and died to redeem himself. the visuals were incredible and peter jacksons vision stayed true to tolkien. i’m definitely getting this on dvd. and i never buy dvds. =)

  42. ynyxhh

    A unique achievement — getting the book to the screen.

  43. ter

    a perfect balance between fantasy and suspense

  44. hegre

    I agree, OUTSTANDING!

  45. azizi

    Very enjoyable for its 3 hour time frame!!
    It’s a great movie! Action-packed (which I am not so into) and lots of nail-biting cliff-hanging scenes, they with luck always seems to work out their way. I really felt for the characters and their strong companionship, fighting all obstacles to help this almost impossible journey to destroy the ring.

  46. cheryl

    Great-Intense-Exciting-Interesting–Movie!
    LOTD is easily one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. It has great costumes, actors, a great script and is overall really good.

    I thought that it would turn out to be sort of corny and like lots of people that i know, didn’t think that Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins (the main character) would be that great, but he turned out an awesome performance as did everyone else.

    Lots of people dislike the ending, but comeon, its a series of three and there will be others. i personally thought that it was a great way to finish it with ….dont want to spoil it!

    I highly reccommend going out to see this great movie as soon as possible. Leave kids that are like 10 and under behind…theres no blood but there’s lots of fighting and action.

    Great movie, get off ur butt and go see it already!!

  47. dreon

    Gotta love this movie
    How can you NOT love this film? It was more than I expected. I was so impressed that I have seen it twice and plan on seeing it a third time.

    What I liked most about this movie was the action. Plain and simple. From the cave troll to the orcs to the wizards.

    Those who have read the book (and I haven’t just yet) say that the movie left out too much. Well, if the movie did try to include EVERYTHING, the series would be 10 movies long.

    For those who complain or for those who want to know more, read the book. If you want to have fun, go and see the film.

  48. zgai

    A marvelous, stunning & expertly-crafted beginning to a highly-anticipated epic.

  49. cbragg

    takes the fantasy genre to new heights
    LOTR, definitely raises the bar, as far as fantasy movies goes. the story was pretty much faithful to the first chapter of Tolkiens’ Trilogy. more than that, however, was the fantastic casting, and acting by the entire ensemble. the visuals and SOUND were spectacular. this movie is a milestone!
    everyone else who does film like this, will be busy trying to catch up, including Geo Lucas and his Star Wars stuff.

  50. lyndon

    Absolutely stunning! A wonderful movie, deserving of all the hype.

  51. carmen

    Outstanding! Intense! Extremely well done!
    My thanks go to Peter Jackson and his team for creating such a masterpiece. (Peter, you are the uber-hobbit!)

    While Tolkien’s book ("The Fellowship Of The Ring") has been treated with great respect, and the storytelling of the movie follows the book very closely whenever appropriate, Bilbo Jackson … err … Peter Jackson has made all the right changes whenever the book’s narrative would *not* have worked well as a movie.

    For one thing, the Tom Bombadil character has been left out, which I think is a good thing: the flow of the story onscreen works better without him.

    Also, some things are being shown as flashbacks, instead of straying away from the fellowship for too long, which brings the viewer closer and kind of turns him into a member of the fellowship. (At least, that’s the way I experienced it.)

    The movie is also very intense. Even though it’s almost 3 hours long, it never lets up. (It does take its time for quiet moments, however, whenever appropriate.)

    Peter Jackson and his team must have walked a very fine line to get a PG-13 rating for this movie (which was one of New Line Cinema’s conditions when commiting to this huge $300 million project), because there are a lot of scenes that are very graphical in nature. (Even though I liked the Harry Potter movie a lot, it is, quite simply, Kindergarten, compared to the first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which really requires parental guidance for younger kids!)

    "Fellowship Of The Ring" is a true masterpiece, and I’m sure there will be a lot of Oscar nominations and, hopefully, lots of awards, as well:

    movie

    director

    supporting actor(s): Ian McKellen [Gandalf], Viggo Mortensen [Aragorn]

    visual effects (stunning! and, for once, *not* done by George Lucas’ ILM, but Jackson’s own WETA)

    sound (absolutely awesome!)

    costumes (finest craftsmanship) …

    I do have one complaint, though: having to wait one *year* for "The Two Towers" is waaay too long!

    Well, what the heck: I’ll just go and watch "Fellowship Of The Ring" again on the silver screen while it’s around (I rarely do that, but this one’s definitely an exception), and hopefully it will be released on DVD a few months before "The Two Towers" hits theaters, so that I can watch it again and again and again … until I grow thick hair on my feet and develop strange pointy ears ;-)

  52. Laky

    chock full of fairy goodness.

  53. ocv

    cool movie and all, but…
    it’s not all everyone is saying. i mean its the first of 3 so you never feel like you’re getting anywhere.

    that’s not to say it’s not a pretty movie. there are some amazing visuals and the imagination is quite stunning as well.

    but it’s still not that great of a movie. it does however, set up the remaining two movies quite well. i’m sure it will be a great trilogy, but on it’s own, blah.

    and i swear, if i hear one more argument saying, "read the book" when something doesn’t make sense, i’m gonna snap. that is not a decent argument for why something doesn’t add up. if you know cause you read the book, tell the person that’s asking. don’t take that damn snooty attitude. if they are making a movie out of it, it should be able to stand on it’s own. and besides, you should help those who didn’t like the book find the love that you have for the story. they might give it another chance. no way in hell am i gonna torture myself with it again, but others might.

    ok. stepping away from the soap box.

    again, good movie, but if you’re not all into the books, don’t expect to be blown away. and if you have friends that are into the book, ask them every single question you can think of.

  54. anp

    WOW!! Double WOW (WOW WOW) … I loved it!!
    I have to admit that I’ve been waiting for this ever since I heard it came out.

    I was VERY impressed, the special effects, the story (of course the STORY), the grandeur, the Legacy, the intensity, the action, and yes even the acting. INCREDIBLE!! I will definitely be back to see it (probably several times) in the theater.

    For the purists, hold back on the judgement. It isn’t exactly like the books but it can’t be and still be only 3 hours long. Still and all, it was close enough that it filled in so many details for me. I wish there were a couple more what I consider to be key parts shown … but they weren’t and it didn’t detract at all.

    It was pretty intense for younger kids (under 10). There were a couple in the theater when I was there and they were hiding in their parents shoulder.

    WOW, WOW, WOW!! Go see it … oh and by the way, use the bathroom before you go in and don’t take a drink, it is a solid 3 hours.

    WOW

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*