Modern magic. This first of three movies adapted from the epic fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien is “big” like so many Hollywood behemoths of its time (think Pearl Harbor), but it has the grand creative flourish that those enterprises so often lack. A rambling, rousing tale involving elves and wizards, dwarves and hobbits, Fellowship displays an imaginative scope, expert execution and mythic resonance that can only be compared to the Star Wars saga.
