Living up to monstrous hype is a hard thing to do in the movie world these days. Movies like The Phantom Menace have tried and failed. Much of the time, it isn't necessarily the film, but rather the audiences' expectations that keep the picture from being all it can be. Last month, Harry Potter opened to incredible numbers at the box office. Most readers of the book called it a faithful masterpiece, and while I didn't think it was a bad movie, it hardly had that magical tone I was hoping for. Enter Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, a picture, I'm happy to report, lives up to it's hype.

Based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien (which I haven't read in years), Fellowship of the Ring is actually the first of a trilogy (the second installment will be released next Christmas with the third coming out during the 2003 holiday season).

This spectacular fantasy tells of hobbits, elves, orcs, and a powerful ring that lead to an adventure that you wont soon forget.

Elijah Wood is perfect as a hobbit named Frodo, an unlikely hero that must engage in a perilous journey to stop evil from taking over Middle Earth. Of course, he can't do it alone. In addition to the aid of fellow hobbits (including Goonie Sean Astin), Frodo is assisted by Gandolf (a fantastic turn by Ian McKellen), Aragorn (a magnetic Viggo Mortensen) and a band of other characters that form the fellowship of the ring. I would like to mention that Fellowship of the Ring has pushed the PG-13 rating to the limit.

This is a scary movie (I'd leave the young kids at home). It's also quite violent featuring some intense battle scenes reminiscent of the ones featured in Braveheart. Yes there is much swordplay and even a few decapitations, but I wouldn't call it excessive.

This movie was a huge undertaking. Including everything from the books would have been nearly impossible, but Director Peter Jackson has created a near masterpiece. Known for entertaining gore fests like Dead Alive, Bad Taste, (as well as the excellent Heavenly Creatures and the creative The Frighteners), Jackson would have seemed an unlikely choice for a picture of this magnitude. Rest assured, this incredibly gifted film maker has more than surpassed my expectations with this stunning achievement.

Jackson has poured his heart and soul into this effort, and it shows. This is, after all, a labor of love. While this is a long picture (clocking in at over three hours) I never found it dull. The action sequences are breathtaking to say the least. And while audiences may be starving for new special effects techniques, I'm confident they will marvel at what Jackson and his crew have done here. Through beautiful cinematography, top notch production values (the art direction will blow you away), and a perfectly assembled cast (McKellen shines, while Mortensen breaks out with his strongest performance ever), Tolkien's beloved story has burst on to the screen in spectacular fashion.

While watching Fellowship of the Ring, I was reminded of the power of it's story. Movies like Willow and the recent Mummy series have borrowed heavily from Tolkien but to much less effect. This is an awe inspiring film that really got me involved. This isn't merely fantasy, it's great drama as well. While sitting in the theater and getting sucked into this grand storytelling, I was instantly reminded of the first time I saw Star Wars. This wasn't just a movie, it was an experience. Thank you Mr. Jackson for making it exciting to go to the movies again. Fellowship of the Ring is proof that a big Hollywood movie can be grand if it's in the hands of the right people.