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| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) New Line Cinema |
Years after first watching the epic tale of the Lord of the
Rings there are still things I have missed in the previous 25 times before this
one. This is by far the best movie series on the planet and I could argue that
if you combine the three of them that it is one of the greatest stories ever
told. Every part of the movie has fantastic qualities from the cinematography
to the characters and their dialogue. From top to bottom you couldn’t have
picked a finer cast and it is a great representation of what a film should be.
Every time I see the council when they decide on the ring
bearer my heart drops for Frodo because he almost doesn't know what he is in
for. After seeing the whole trilogy you wish you could tell him what was
coming. Of course there was no one else that would've been able to do the task,
but that isn't important.
As a man I can easily relate to the characters in this film.
Not all men, but some are honorable. These types of people are the standard to
which all good men wish to judge themselves. Whether it be in the line of duty
or the storied tales of tough men throughout history. Great men always seek to
become greater than themselves. Aragorn is not a perfect man and neither are
Boromir and Gimli, but they are men of character. They did not need to swear an
oath of allegiance to Frodo or Gandalf or the Ring. They followed him because
Frodo needed the help and more importantly it was the right thing to do for
humanity. They didn't weigh the options. They accepted it as their fates to
represent their kingdoms and peoples in under a few seconds. They knew what was
ahead of them because Boromir just explained that Mordor was the most foul
place that ever existed and that it would take more than 10,000 men. That is
real sacrifice (in a fictional tale). The characters aren't these buff
unrealistic looking action heroes that live for some perfect death they hope to
create for themselves. They are regular people making a difference with the
skills they have. None of them are all that big they aren't even the best
fighters in Middle Earth. They just did the best they could with what they were
given. They are quality characters and it is sad to see male protagonists in
film now because they lack these types of characteristics. Half of the men in
Hollywood can’t even act similarly because they lack the fortitude and strength
of persona.
The action scenes are not even that farfetched (with the
exception of Boromir's death). Aragorn fights the Orc commander in under a
minute. They are both bleeding and the killing blow was simple. No ridiculous
backflips or gaining extra strength the more they are punched in the face. Some
of their abilities are a little over exaggerated, but that is to be expected in
fantasy.
At the end you are still excited for the next movie in the
series because you know it gets even better. Sure the hardships are hard to
bear, but by small means were they able to tear down evil for good.
It’s hard not to feel
passionately about this film for the range of emotions a person can feel
throughout the films. You love and hate a lot of the characters and are glad
they were able to grow so much as people through very tough situations.
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