December 19, 2001 -- "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings," evokes the sense of wonder, self-sacrifice, bravery and friendship embodied in the book of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien, no mean feat. Most film adaptations of books are disappointing. This one is equal to the task. Expectations were sky high for this film because the books are so beloved, and because there is so much hype surrounding this project. Incredibly, the film is equal to the expectations.

Tolkien's books, "The Hobbit," "Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" are almost mythic in power and scope, creating a world that is both familiar and exotic. The hero, small in stature, but big in spirit, is Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit (played by Elijah Wood of "Deep Impact"). Frodo is not a heroic figure in the classical sense. He is not a great warrior, not a great wizard. He does not possess great physical strength or intelligence. He is but a simple man from the country. His strength is the greatest of all strengths, the power to resist evil and temptation, especially the temptation to wield power over others. These themes are faithfully translated to the screen.

There are some fine actors in the film, including Cate Blanchett of "The Gift" as the Elf queen Galadriel, Ian McKellen of "The X-Men" as Gandalf the Grey, Viggo Mortensen of "28 Days" as Aragorn, Sean Astin of "Bulworth" as Frodo's Friend, Samwise Gamgee, Sean Bean of "Ronin" as Boromir, John Rhys-Davies of "The Sunset Grill" as Gimli the dwarf, and veteran actor Christopher Lee of "Sleepy Hollow" as Saruman the wizard. Wood, who plays Frodo is excellent in the role, a perfect blend of bravery and vulnerability. Astin makes a perfect Hobbit sidekick for Frodo. McKellen's Gandalf steals the show as a multifaceted character who can be charming or threatening as the situation demands. Ian Holm of "Bless the Child" also shines in the supporting role of Bilbo Baggins.

The production values are very high, with a rich musical score by Howard Shore ("The Score"). There is a strong Irish flavor to the music, including one haunting piece near the end of the film which sounds like it was played on an Irish flute. The Celtic theme continues with songs by Irish singer Enya ("L.A. Story"). The production design by Grant Major ("The Frighteners") is otherworldly, and the cinematography by Andrew Lesnie (the "Babe" movies) is impressive. The location shots feature spectacular New Zealand scenery (director Peter Jackson of "Heavenly Creatures" is from New Zealand). Not only does Jackson do a great job of directing this film, one-third of one of the most complex film projects ever done, but he also did a great job of co-writing the screenplay, with Frances Walsh.

In a story like this, which takes place in the mythical world of Middle Earth, special effects and makeup are very important in creating creatures like Ring Wraiths, Trolls, Orks, Elves, Hobbits and giant firey demons. The special effects and makeup effects are top notch. I especially liked the rushing, shadow world visual effect used to show what it looks like from Frodo's point of view when he puts on the ring and becomes invisible. The sweeping vistas of the New Zealand highlands blend seamlessly with digital and matte painting creations of giant statues, towers, castles and other fanciful architecture. This is a sweeping epic of a film, which also manages to remain rooted in the personal dramas of its central characters.

For those of you not familiar with the story, it is a classic fairy tale in which good is pitted in a bloody struggle with evil, personified by the dark lord of Mordor, Sauron. Frodo must travel to Mordor and destroy the one ring of power in the volcanic fires of Mount Doom. If Sauron gets possession of the ring, all of Middle Earth will fall to Sauron's power. This is an adult fairy tale, not a child's tale. Members of the fellowship of the ring are wounded, some are killed. They are attacked by terrible creatures. This film serves to introduce characters who will return in the second and third parts of the trilogy, to be released around Christmas next year and the year after. This is, in some ways a dark tale about merciless evil. It is also a tale of heroism, friendship and the power of good. In any case, the struggle is a bloody and difficult one. This film rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

While the movie was magical, the moviegoing experience was not. The image was out of focus for a portion of the film, the image was quite dim not only during the feature, but the trailers as well, I got sick after eating the popcorn, and the people next to me talked during the whole film. Say what you want about the bigger multiplexes, I've been to lots of them. The picture is usually bright and in focus, and I don't get sick on the popcorn. You generally don't see the focus, brightness, lens selection, and framing problems which seem endemic in theaters in smaller markets. Unfortunately, I live in one of those smaller markets. While the sound and image seem to be O.K. on most of the screens at the Fox Theatre (Laramie's small multiplex) the largest auditorium, where the most popular movies play, seems to have frequent projection or sound problems. I saw and heard both during "Vanilla Sky" and "Lord of the Rings."

Since I wrote the above, I have seen the movie twice more, once at the Carmike Frontier Six Cinema in Cheyenne and once more at the Fox, but it was on a different screen. I have also seen "Black Hawk Down" on the same screen where I saw the "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Vanilla Sky." The showing of "Black Hawk Down" was fine. I saw no problems with the picture. "The Fellowship of the Ring" also looked fine on the screen both in Laramie and Cheyenne. The image appeared to be about 20 percent brighter than it was the first time I saw it in Laramie. Either they fixed something, or the problems I saw earlier were just anomolies.