--- title: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics warmly endorse Peter Jackson’s adaptation, praising its conviction, casting and ability to make Middle-earth feel like a place with its own history and rules. Praise clusters around the production design, effects and landscapes, with the battles and atmosphere of menace giving the spectacle force. Several reviews also stress the attention to character and the emotional weight of the journey, finding more than technical accomplishment in its treatment of Tolkien’s story. Reservations centre on pacing, tone and what the adaptation loses. Variety finds the episodic structure repetitive and the length occasionally tiring, while RogerEbert.com regrets the shift from the hobbits and Tolkien’s gentleness towards action and larger characters. The Guardian is a clear dissenter, admiring the landscape but finding too little plot complication and too much humourless self-importance. The spread is therefore wider than the predominantly enthusiastic reception suggests: even the scale that many admire can become a source of fatigue. ## Time Out — TCh Rating 5/5. 12 January 2026. The critic finds the film creates a sophisticated universe that abides by its own mythic laws rather than condescending to audiences. The grandeur of the Gothic design and the film's menace are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring) ## Empire — Colin Kennedy Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2001. The critic hails Peter Jackson’s film as the start of the greatest fantasy epic in cinema history. They single out its impeccable casting, passionate construction, emotional range, and sublime moments that transcend the genre. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lord-rings-fellowship-ring-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2001. The critic hails the film as an intelligent, imaginative and passionate work that thrillingly captures the sweeping story with verve and spirit, paying close attention to character while delivering spectacle and wonder. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-dec-19-et-turan19-story.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2001. The critic calls the film a miracle that faithfully captures the spirit of Tolkien while standing on its own as one of Hollywood's most ambitious movies. Complex and engaging characters along with state-of-the-art effects and moral significance are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-review/407695.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2001. The critic praises Jackson's adaptation as well-made and well-cast with no reservations about the rest of the trilogy. It singles out the masterful pacing that justifies the long runtime and the top-notch production design, cinematography, effects, costumes, makeup, and score. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/lord-rings-fellowship-ring-2001-review-950526/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3.5/4. 19 December 2001. The critic finds the film a well-crafted modern sword-and-sorcery epic that transcends its genre but shifts focus away from the hobbits toward larger characters and action sequences, making it less true to Tolkien's gentler vision than hoped. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-2001) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 2001. The critic lauds Jackson's evocation of Middle-earth's territorial and mythic elements through striking visuals and battles. It singles out the gripping visions when Frodo wears the ring and the overall jaw-dropping set pieces that make the three-hour runtime soar. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2001. The critic calls the film a spectacle of eye-popping proportions with Jackson bringing personality and a light touch to the adaptation. It singles out the visceral battle sequences and the innovative construction of kingdoms and monsters. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/peter-jackson-deftly-lifts-up-a-weighty-lord-of-the-rin-1798192915) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2001. The review praises the film’s breath-snatching beauty, blood-chilling terror and orc-slicing action. It distinguishes the adaptation from lighter fare like Harry Potter through its atmosphere of impending doom and intense action. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-1-review/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2001. The critic calls it a vigorous and faithful adaptation that scrupulously renders characters and worlds with impressive physical production values and effects, though the episodic structure can feel repetitive and the long running time wearisome at times. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2001/film/awards/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-3-1200552410/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating **. 14 December 2001. The critic praises the brilliantly realised Middle Earth landscape and world-building but finds the film lacking in plot complication and too self-important and humourless, ultimately unable to make the required leap of faith into its universe. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/dec/14/artsfeatures3) ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell Rating Critic's Pick. 19 December 2001. The critic praises Peter Jackson's heroic adaptation that compacts the novel into a gripping action epic while preserving a sense of loss and mournfulness amid the sacrifices and adventures of the fellowship. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/19/movies/film-review-hit-the-road-middle-earth-gang.html) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2001. The film succeeds in capturing the essence of Tolkien's saga with excitement and poetic quality intact. The director and cast deliver a grand, immersive journey into evil, highlighted by Ian McKellen's masterful Gandalf. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring.md