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VIDEO REVIEW
LORD
OF THE RINGS - The Fellowship of the Ring
 s
you’ve probably already heard ad nauseam, ’Lord of the
Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring’ is a film crammed with action,
stunning location scenery and some quite amazing special effects.
The video should be out in August; the film is still showing at
larger cinemas.
It’s the
first installment of an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy
trilogy depicting an epic battle between forces of good and evil
in the land of Middle Earth. The title refers to a Ring of power
that the Dark Lord, Sauron, seeks to regain in order to fulfil
his plan to conquer the earth. This Ring has become the property
of Frodo Baggins, a member of a race of child-like creatures called
hobbits. It becomes Frodo’s task to take the ring deep into Sauron’s
territory to the one place where it can be destroyed.
If you haven’t
seen it yet, is it worth three hours of your time doing so? Well,
I don’t think it’s a masterpiece, but I have to say it was much
better than I was expecting. I was a bit worried about how violent
it might be, and was reassured by a recommendation given me by
a mother with two sons (aged 10 and 12) who had seen it with her
family a few days beforehand.
 he
said she did occasionally bury her face in her husband’s arm,
but she also said that afterwards (and I quote), ”I didn’t feel
like I had loads of horrible images burnt into my mind that I
didn’t want there”. I would agree. The battle scenes are forceful,
but most (although not all) of the actual violence is implied
rather than graphically depicted.
The portrayal
of the forces of evil - particularly the creation of a race of
fighting creatures under the rule of the evil wizard Saruman -
is similarly intense but not over-the-top. However, I’d question
how suitable the film would be for younger (especially sensitive
and imaginative) children. The film trailers say it may be unsuitable
for children under the age of 8 - I heard of one child who said
that age should be raised to ten or even twelve.
Even if you’re
not madly keen on fantasy worlds, it could be worth seeing (maybe
with your children) to be able to comment on what it says about
Christian values. Tolkien did write the book from a Christian
perspective, but, as usual with a book-to-film adaptation, much
of the book’s richness is lost, but many elements still shine
through (see article on next page). The males I know who have
seen it are on the whole more enthusiastic about it than the females
(whatever age). If you have any interest in fantasy, it’s a must-see.
Ken
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