Reviews by:
@the_owlseyes
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There's a world. A world made of Humans, Elves, Wizards and Halflings. A world of bursting pure light and deep appaling darkness. A world of hope and desperation. Where nature resides and with the metal collides. Tolkien's first pillar of a glorious deed. Tolkien's legacy which molded the fantasy genre in its most epic shape. The start of a journey. The rising of loyalty, valour and friendship.
PLOT
"A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron" or "An epic journey starts".
SCRIPT
It has been adapted in the best possible way, considering the quantity of information which are reported in the book. The movie is built in a way to make you feel that a sort of balance has been lost. The Shire, where the movie starts, is the best way to kick off the trilogy. Because there Jackson shows us what's going to be missed during the journey: peace and comfort. The characters are introduced to us in an organic manner, by giving them a purpose and setting the base of their growth. There's a bit of world building but it's not overwhelming. This movie is used to set the roles of every party involved in Middle Earth's war. There're a lot of character but, as the first movie, it's understandable the fact that their arch isn't complete by the end of the movie. Nonetheless, some of them fullfill it, like Boromir, who's morality is questionable. Someone who's redeemed in the movie's extended version(which is better than the theatrical one).The director does his the best to make you care about each character of the Fellowship, giving all of them quirks and different kind of bahaviour. I would say that some of them suffer a bit the transition from the book to the movie because Legolas is reduced to a Exposition Device and Ghimli becomes the comic relief. I could say that every major character like Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf has one or two sidekicks, which give them for depth.
The villain is so good. One could say that Sauron and Saruman are two dimensional characters but there's a long history behind their choices. Saruman is set, from the first minute, as the ultimate evil and wtih less than 9 minutes of screentime is able to get stuck in your mind as a strong imposing villain who should be dreaded. Sauron is like Star Wars Darth Vader and is used well as a secondary villain, to counteroppose him to Gandalf.
Even though the movie has an epic and serious tone, it's able to let itself go a little with wits and comedy which is well placed and help the audience breath a little.
Script: 8/10
ACTING
Everyone involved cares about it and everyone does an outstanding job.Sean Bean is able to portray a hateable character you'll learn to love, Elijah Wood craft a vulnerable and empathic Frodo, by showing his suffering as a ringholder. Sean Astin gives us a glimpse of what Sam will be in the next chapters, he isn't the best one, not yet. Viggo Mortensen ifnuses Aragorn with charm and elegance and Ian McKellen find the role of a lifetime, becoming Gandalf. I want to praise the performance of Christopher Lee who gives a lot of gravitas and grandeur to Saruman. Overall everyone is perfectly casted and does a fantastic job.
Acting: 9/10
PHOTOGRAPHY
Every shot is so beautiful and it allows to New Zealand's landscapes to shine. You will appreciate the peace of the woods, the terror of night, the happiness of colourful hobbit's parties, the darkness of caves,....The light is used very cleverly by dimming it along the way, to represent the increasing hardship on the characters. The best thing about it is the fact that it's able to make everything feel everything big and stately.
Photography: 9/10
EDITING
The camera is dynamic when it's shooting big sets, to enhance the grandeur of them. There're no sudden cuts but the slow motion hasn't aged very well. There're a lot of different type of shots, to give a sense of freshness to every frame and the editing fits the tone of every scene. The battles are shot in a good way but sometimes it isn't clear enough what's happening on the screen. It's good but not enough to say that it's memorable.
Editing: 7/10
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Most of it is practical and it's amazing. Pratical models were used to craft the cities, huge sets has been built from nothing, like the Shire. There's a bit of cgi but here is spared to avoid the possible estrangement from the movie by the audience. Sometimes is clear that's there and this is why scenes seems a bit goofy sometimes. The production took care of everything and I think that this movie showcase Jackson's passion for the source material. I was also impressed by the way they achieved to represent the point of view of the halflings. It's great, with a few flaws. It's really a gift from heaven.
Special Effects: 8/10
SOUNDTRACK
It's hard to find a more memorable and suitable soundtrack. Every theme is unique and fits the characters perfectly. Every scene is enhanced by the sounds crafted by the ingenious mind of Howard Shore. It's a symphony, a masterpiece, an epic score which will reverberate in The Hobbit and any other fantasy movie.
Soundtrack: 10/10
COSTUMES
Even though sometimes it's clear that these are costumes, the final result is pretty remarkable. The ogres are very well made and the makeup is outstanding. I liked the fact that every breed of Middle Earth is defined by different type of clothes. It's incredible to think that all of it was done with less than 100$ million. So good. I'm speechless because I don't know how to describ this incredible work. Truly marvellous.
Costumes: 9/10
CONCLUSION
Script: 8/10
Acting: 9/10
Photography: 9/10
Editing: 7/10
Special Effects: 8/10
Soundtrack: 10/10
Costumes: 9/10
AVERAGE: 8,57
This is a legendary movie. One of the best book's adaptation. See it just because it exists and to understand the Lord of the Ring's lore. Do it.
Director: Peter Jackson
Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin,Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis
Soundtrack: Howard Shore
Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie
Running Time: 178 minutes
Budget: $93 million
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