THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (A-3, PG-13)
J.R.R. Tolkien's extraordinary mythological adventure trilogy symbolizes the eternal clash between good and evil. Since the 1950s the fantasy novels have sold nearly 200 million copies and become almost as legendary as their subject. Now, the thick, much-admired work by the late, devout Catholic scholar from Oxford gets off to a roaringly fast, three-hour start in the movies.
The sweeping history and intricately invented races (Hobbits, Elves, Orcs, Uruk-Hai) and territories of make-believe Middle-earth were long considered unfilmable by conventional methods. But with enough money, imagination and obsession, just about anything can be done in movies right now.
Writer-director Peter Jackson and friends achieve a rousing spectacle in this first of three $90-million installments. But will it satisfy feisty Tolkien buffs who are quibbling on the Internet or in graduate seminars? Writing, after all, works on the imagination. And films are inevitably smaller, making dreams come to life in a very specific way.
The visions of New Zealander Jackson (Heavenly Creatures), shooting in his photogenic and unfamiliar-to-us homeland, are more than big enough to astonish moviegoers who don't know what to expect.
This is a medievalish tale about a mixed band of brave friends who take on a perilous journey through strange and exotic lands, pursued and attacked by murderous, often bizarre foes. There are generous helpings of the magical and demonic: Their task is to carry and destroy the ancient ring of the title, which has almost infinite powers of evil if it falls into the wrong hands. Even the good guys and the beautiful Elf Queen Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) are tempted, except for the enduring young Hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood), the courageous (and often terrified) everyman hero.
The highlight of the first film is easily the hazardous journey through the Mines of Moria, a cave complex to frighten even bin Laden, with its horrendous battles with surreal ogres and escape over craggy bridges of rocks collapsing into bottomless pits of fire. The good cast offers some neat lines, including the very relevant "We must do the best we can in the times we are given." Uplifting but scary, grandly imaginative adventure; recommended for mature viewers.
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