The threat of violence is more suspenseful than violence itself; the creature sensed around the corner is more frightening than the monster seen in slow-moving, exact detail; and the long passage of time, which the film tries to suggest with its journey, doesn’t necessarily mean a long time for the audience. There are too many choral interludes and Romantic strings on Howard Shore’s overwrought soundtrack when silence would have functioned better (odd, considering how his mellow score for “The Silence of the Lambs” was so creepily effective). Creating the impression that someone is a “bad-ass,” through looks, hints, and expression, is more effective than actually seeing him fight. My heart sank when I heard that Yoda is going to fight in the next “Star Wars” film; unless Yoda’s enemies keel over stone dead when he glances at them, nothing George Lucas puts on the screen can match the awe of Yoda’s unseen potential.
I’m tempted to award “Fellowship” another half-star based on its performances, scope, and sheer energy, but then I am reminded of how it almost became a video game: the characters need to get from Point A to Point B, they fight things along the way, they pick up Power-Ups at Point B and learn they must go on to Point C, where more vicious enemies await, and the process repeats. I would have preferred the story dial turned up, while dialing down on the action, effects, and music. “The Fellowship of the Rings” is like listening to a good song on the stereo of an overactive teenager, who has the bass all the way up and the treble all the way down. The song is still good, but I would have been more pleased if the levels were different.
P.S. “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy now holds the record for longest principal photography, because all three films were shot at the same time to make a more efficient use of sets and resources. The previous holder of this record is Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” from 1999, which shot for something like 400 days. Out of respect for Kubrick’s almost crazed genius, I feel this should be mentioned alongside any comment of “Rings’” extreme shooting schedule.
Finished May 12, 2002
Copyright 2002 Friday & Saturday Night