New Review From Norway of FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING - Most Moderate/Dismissive Review Yet

Hey folks, Harry here... While Koola's review is a popped up adrenaline shot to the cerebral cortex, this look is the pharmaceutical that will bring you to a more level and reasoned set of expectations. It seems that we have our first "it is just a movie" review. Now, he brings up something very interesting about the screening... That was that there was no applause as the film ended. In Joram's Review over at RingBearer, he mentions being at a New York Critics screening, where as the film ended he heard sniffling throughout the theater. He mentioned applause after sequences of action, but not at the end of the film. Meanwhile, the national film critics that we've heard from thus far have gushed about the film. The reason we won't be hearing gobs of applause at the end is because unlike MATRIX or other ramped up endings of heroism and evil is that this story leaves you in a place not unlike CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON... Where you are stunned by where you are left. Contemplating, what next.

At least that is my theory of why. Remember, movies with unresolved endings were it is uncertain if good has triumphed over evil, when life is still in question for our characters... The reaction is less jubilant by an audience. For Example... Compare the audience reaction to the endings of STAR WARS and RETURN OF THE JEDI to EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.... Those first two had radical applause and jubilation (and higher box office) whereas EMPIRE (while considered by many to be the best) had lessor applause and performed less enthusiastically at the box office.

Well here's Sprittusj....

Hello, Harry.

Having just read my countryman Koola's ecstatic praise of "The Fellowship of the Ring" (shitty spelling, TOTALLY ILLOGICAL USE OF CAPS, rampant sentimentalism and hyperbole... this guy must be an internet reporter), I felt I had to offer a more moderate view. I attended the same screening as Koola.

First of all: calm the hell down, people. This is just a movie, made by mere mortal men. It's a good movie. Of course it is. Noone ever feared that Peter Jackson would make a terrible movie. Quite the contrary, everone (including me) expected him to make a terrific movie, an instant classic, the movie to cure cancer, whiten our teeth and save us all. But Jackson has failed in that attempt. It's a good-to-kinda-great movie. But: c-a-l-m d-o-w-n, or you might very well find yourselves disappointed by the end result.

I've not read the book(s). I actually attempted to read FOTR in time for the movie, but put it away after about 200 pages. I have tons of More Important Books to read, and, whatthehell, the movie was on its way. So I'm no Tolkien-geek. But I am totally aware of how revered the books are, and that expectations are sky-high.

During this adventure, many a chill went down my spine. Tingles of excitement. Appetite for adventure. All that stuff. The battleclips that open the film are astounding. It's also nice that we get a glimpse of Sauron's powers, so that we know a bit about what's in the store in the coming films.

There are many such sequences in the film. The fellowship's fight with a Shrek-like troll. The walk through Moria. But I felt myself resisting the film, not letting myself be completely absorbed. I think perhaps the over-reliance on CGI had something to do with this. The demon in Moria looked good... but not good enough. Same for the big-ass squid that attacks Frodo. I don't know. Pitch-perfect CGI all the way through would have tripled the cost of the movie, I guess. Perhaps I'm also too spoiled. After all, I'm watching a huge lava-tailed demon stomp around in close proximity to human actors, spouting fire and roaring until the floor shakes, and all I can do is sort of shrug.

Thank God the actors didn't fuck up. I was kind of worried about Elijah Wood in the lead role, mainly because I hate his face. Seeing the trailers I thought that he looked to wimpy to be the hero. When I saw the film, I discovered that he isn't the hero in the classical sense either. He doesn't kick much ass, leaving that to the people who protect him. He's more the sensitive guy who's on a dangerous adventure, all that stuff. Ian McKellen is of course perfect as Gandalf, bringing humor and pathos to a role that could be taken way too seriously. Christopher Lee was deliciously evil as Saruman, and I hope we get to see more of him. John Rhys-Davies, as the fat-bastard dwarf, gets the funniest line in the movie. Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean were ok as Aragorn og Boromir. I was the most impressed by Orlando Bloom as Legolas. He didn't have huge acting moments, he just had an air of believability about him. I also spotted Peter Jackson's cameo! Won't tell you where, though! .

After the screening was over, I shuffled out into the light and found a mic and a camera shoved into my face. A tv reporter wanted to know what I thought. My embarrassing, stuttering and bizarre statements were mercifully cut from the broadcast, but the people I saw interviewed were just kind of shrugging their shoulders, saying it was ok, nothing special, etc. There was only one rave.

And when Peter Jackson's credit came up after this three hour movie, I was conflicted about whether or not it was good. I think a lot of people did. Here was this big, hyped-up monster... and it was just a movie. There wasn't any spontaneous applause like when you've seen a really great film that gets you the first time, like The Matrix. If New Line has made the kind of film that has to grow on people, they could be in trouble, as Americans don't like anything to grow on them, except fungus and excess hair.

Call me Sprittusj

Then we have a review from the New York screening last night from Slime Guy 1