Review by Jackie

Being a Tolkien fan I dreaded the books being turned into films. Feared some Hollywood type would cast some awful stars and desecrate the whole thing. Watching the first few moments of Fellowship eased my mind. I was well and truly hooked. No big Hollywood stars just great actors acting their socks off! There are so many good things and credit has to be given to the director Peter Jackson for pulling off something nigh on impossible. Not only did I believe, thanks to incredible CGI, but he captured the whole 'feeling' of the books, the melancholy for things slipping into the past and everything changing.

Elijah Wood was Frodo, just as I had imagined him, a previous child actor who had certainly graduated to adult roles with his consumate skills. It takes an actor of class to hold your attention with stillness. Sean Astin, Dom Monaghan & Billy Boyd certainly became hobbits and their onscreen chemistry/offscreen friendships became apparent as the film progressed. Cate Blanchet certainly portrayed the ambiguity and mystery of the character Galadriel. Orlando Bloom was an elf of note, becoming as the 3 films progressed, the Teflon Elf, always cool, calm & clean. John Rhys Davies, over 6 feet tall, convinced as Gimli the dwarf. Ian Holm was a subdued Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf the wizard was wonderfully portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen in one of his finest character parts. Viggo Mortensen just became Aragorn/Strider, the Ranger of the North. Hugo Weaving was a regal Elrond. My main worry was the creation of a larger role for Arwen but it worked, and Liv Tyler surprised with her maturity of acting.

The SFX stunned, there's no other way of putting it. New Zealand scenery was put on the map and became Middle Earth. The music by Howard Shore was absolutely perfect. Almost operatic and certainly able to make me shiver and cry. It became so obvious that this project was undertaken with dedication and love for the books. That alone would be enough to make me a fan of the films.