I am a huge fan of the books and the movie follows the story line almost exsacitaly. But a bit to violent for kids.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Fabulous, but also violent and scary.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this movie might be overwhelming for younger children who are not familiar with the characters and story. You may want to prepare anyone younger than 12 with some background or encourage them to read the simpler first story in the series, The Hobbit (about Frodo's uncle, Bilbo). Characters are in severe peril and there are intense battle scenes.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about why it is that only Frodo seems immune to the ring's power to corrupt even honorable, wise, and powerful people and the notion that "even the smallest person can change the course of the earth." If you were going to form a fellowship for a grand quest, who would you want to be in it?
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More on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
What’s the Story?
Our hero, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), is a Hobbit on a quest to return a powerful ring to the place where it was created, so it can be destroyed. A great wizard called Gandalf (Ian McKellen) has told him that the ring can be the source of great evil. But of course this makes it highly sought after by all kinds of scary folks, so Frodo is in for more than his share of thrilling and terrifying adventures.
Is It Any Good?
Somewhere, there are future Hollywood directors who will tell magazine feature writers that they first decided to make movies as they watched LORD OF THE RINGS. It's that good. It's that once-to-a-generation, not since Star Wars, transcendent reminder of why we tell stories, why we have imagination, and why we must go on quests to test our spirits and heal the world. And it's a story that invites us into a fully realized world with many different civilizations, all so thoroughly imagined that we don't only believe that they each have complete languages, but that they have dictionaries, histories, mythologies, schools, music, and poetry. Peter Jackson, who directed and co-wrote the script, has created a movie that seems astonishingly inventive and new and at the same time somehow seems as though it always existed inside us. Every detail, from the tiniest plant to the hugest battle, is exactly, satisfyingly right. The bad guys, all thundering hooves and billowing capes, seem to have come from the core of every nightmare since the world began. All three movies in the series were shot at once, so his singular vision can carry us through to the end.
A couple of caveats -- like Harry Potter, Frodo is a character who is more interesting on the page, where we can share his thoughts, than in a movie, where he is primarily called upon to look amazed, scared, or sad. And like Harry Potter, there were benefits to producing a series of films at the same time (continuity, commitment to getting all of the details right), but some drawbacks, too. So, we get glimpses of people who will be important later but now are somewhere between placeholders and distractions.
Movie Details
Studio: New Line, Director: Peter Jackson
Run time: 208 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/19/2001, DVD release: 11/12/2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for peril and violence
Run time: 208 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/19/2001, DVD release: 11/12/2002
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for peril and violence
Our Members Say
See 73 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
O M G!!!!!!!! I am a huge fan of the books and the movie follows the story line almost exsacitaly. But a bit to violent for kids.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
lord of the rings!!!
this is a good movie with a positive message.
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
Great movie, with a little bit of gore
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great movie!
I love this movie... but unfortunately it is too violent for me to watch straight through. It's also super complicated... no matter how often i watch it I cant remember any of the characters besides Frodo, Gandolf, Bilbo, and Sam... haha thats sad... Wonderfully made, though! beautiful scenery!
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