Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring (Blu-ray) (2001)

Editor's Note With THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, director Peter Jackson has achieved a meticulous and captivating adaptation of the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy. The setting is Middle-earth, a mythological land populated by elves, dwarves, humans, and the gentle, diminutive hobbits upon whom the story centers. One hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), unexpectedly comes into possession of an ancient magical ring so powerful it invariably corrupts anyone who wears it. In order to prevent the ring's erstwhile owner, the dark lord Sauron, from reclaiming the ring and taking over Middle-earth, a motley band of comrades set out to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. Included in the group are Frodo and hobbits Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monoghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd); the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen); human warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean Bean); the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom). Along the way, they wage battle with monsters, demons, and Sauron's evil minions, all brought to life by spectacular digital technology. Jackson's grandiose production represents the first of three films that he wrote and directed, derived from Tolkien's beloved novels. Fourteen months in the making, at a cost of $270 million, all three installments were filmed at once in New Zealand where diverse landscapes lend themselves particularly well to the mystical realm of Middle-earth. The trilogy also includes THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING.

	Ian Holm
	Liv Tyler
	Marton Csokas
	Dominic Monaghan
	Orlando Bloom
	Cate Blanchett
	Sean Astin
	Christopher Lee
	Hugo Weaving
	Billy Boyd
	Viggo Mortensen
	Elijah Wood
	Ian McKellen
	Sean Bean
	John Rhys-Davies
	Peter Jackson - Screenwriter
	Andrew Lesnie - Director of Photography
	Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer
	Enya - Additional Music/Songs
	Fran Walsh - Producer
	Barrie M. Osborne - Producer
	Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer
	Michael Lynne - Executive Producer
	Mark Ordesky - Executive Producer
	J.R.R. Tolkien - Source Writer
	Robert Shaye - Executive Producer
	Ngila Dickson - Costume Designer
	Howard Shore - Composer
	Peter Jackson - Producer
	Kiran Shah - Stunts
	Tim Sanders - Producer
	Grant Major - Production Designer
	Philippa Boyens - Screenwriter
	Fran Walsh - Screenwriter
	Peter Jackson - Director

New York Times
"...The playful spookiness of Mr. Jackson's direction provides a lively, light touch..." 12/19/2001 p.E1

USA Today
"...A faithful and visually spectacular adaptation of the first volume in Tolkien's trilogy....RINGS has moment of edge-of-the-seat excitement..." 12/21/2001 p.8E

Rolling Stone
"...FELLOWSHIP is the real deal, a movie epic that pops your eyes out, piles on thrills and fun, and yet stays intimately attuned to character..." 01/17/2002 p.55-6

Variety
"...[The film] looks to please the book's legions of fans with its imaginatively scrupulous rendering of the tome's characters and worlds on the screen....McKellen delivers Gandalf with great relish and gusto..." 12/10/2001 p.31-6

Box Office
"...Jackson has captured something of the depth, breadth, and melancholy grandeur of Tolkien's vision. And that is magic, indeed..." 02/01/2002 p.59

Sight and Sound
"...Jackson has translated the best-loved fantasy novel of our age into a commanding screen adventure, one with a sense of human terror and danger and grit under its nails..." 02/01/2002 p.49-52

Hollywood Reporter
"...Well-made and well-cast....Masterfully paced and one of those rewarding movies that seems to get better as it progresses..." 12/04/2001 p.8-82