Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)

New Zealand / USA 2001, 219 minutes
Dir. Peter Jackson
Rating: [M]
Genres: Action/Adventure / Epic, Adventure, Fantasy

Feat. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom

Aroview: Monumental fantasy-epic and filmmaking accomplishment for local-boy-made-good Peter Jackson, transmutes the first part of J R R Tolkien’s trilogy and its overflowing universe of hobbits, elves, orcs, wizards and men into a storytelling rollercoaster.

Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen anchor the emotional drama as centre of a fellowship questing to destroy the powerful piece of jewellery before it can be wedded to the forces of evil, though they are just two threads in a remarkable ensemble vision. Harnessing the talents of various top illustrators, CGI and miniature f/x and the splendours of the NZ landscape, proceedings also get an infusion of dark realism (appropriate to the maker of BRAINDEAD) which forestalls any of the potential mumbo-jumbo pretensions of the narrative.