Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Sunday Times once wrote 'The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read Lord of the Rings and those who are going to' and I'm pretty sure much the same thing could be said about watching the film.It is probably the most eagerly anticipated film of all time, and for once that isn't an exaggeration. LOTR has always been regarded as a benchmark for all fantasy writing, if not for all fiction. Originally published in 1954/5 the six books, which form the LOTR 'trilogy', have more than stood the test of time and have now been made into three epic films.

I have read the books numerous times so it was with some trepidation that I paid my hard earned cash and went to see the film. One thing which is immediately obvious is that the budget (over $270 million on the three films) has been well spent. It looks fantastic and this is the only way it was ever going to look. The sets are beautifully constructed with massive attention to detail and the costumes and special effects are equally good. The battle scenes are truly epic and apparently those in the next two films are going to be even better.

However, a film based on such a critically acclaimed book deserves to do more than just look good. What is very pleasing is that it does manage more, and much more at that. Although this is perhaps the least 'filmable' book of the series with a lot of background and introductory material and a lack of a suitably cinematic end-point the plot and script both hold up well.

All the lead actors perform admirably and Ian McKellen in particular deserves his Oscar nomination. As was to be expected, the female parts have been beefed up a bit and some of the more minor characters and events have been lost in the filming but this does little to damage what is essentially a fantastic film.

OK, if you're a die-hard Tolkien fanatic then you may sit there and think 'That doesn't look like that,' or 'Why haven't they put that bit in?' As long as you are able to forgive minor changes (or haven't read the book and/or just don't care) and sit back and enjoy the film then you certainly will enjoy it.

LOTR is a truly fantastic film and if you're not sure whether to come or not just answer this question Ð where else on campus can you get 3 hours of top class entertainment for £1.50?

Ben Goddard