Based on one the most popular novels of all time, director Peter Jackson is tasked with bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring to the big screen. A young Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, inherits a mystical and evil ring from his cousin, Bilbo. Frodo, the wizard Gandalf and a band of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves and Men begin a quest to deliver the Ring to Mount Doom, where it may be destroyed. But all the powers of the evil world ascend upon them to recapture the artifact.

With a price tag around $300 million, The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the most expensive movie productions to date. This cost is evident when considering the incredibly large scale in which this film is made. The sets, creatures and effects are all larger than life. (even if a Hobbit is only four feet tall). With enough lore to fill twelve movies and characters interesting enough to have their own films, Fellowship can be intimidating but the script does a nice job of explaining both prologue and current action on the screen. Although catching all the characters names could still prove challenging to some.

But that may be the chief complaint of the film.

Some very nice performances here, especially from Wood (as Frodo), Ian McKellen, Sean Bean, Viggio Mortensen and Cate Blanchett. But all the actors are truly to be commended. The special effects and scenery are wonderful and there's at least two really fantastic battle scenes that are among the best I've ever scene. I expect Peter Jackson's efforts to warrant him a Best Director Oscar nomination.

Both those familiar with the book series and those not introduced to the novels, should leave cheering for Frodo, the unlikely hero.

A film definitely worth the wait and we're looking forward to the release of the next to installments of the LOTR series, scheduled for release in 2002 and 2003.

Directed by Peter Jackson.