The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
I read Tolkien's book for the first time when I was in early teens. It was about the time I started playing Dungeons & Dragons, too. From this geeky perspective, The Lord of the Rings is probably as important on a personal level as it is for the whole of fantasy literature. It may not be the best prose ever written, but Tolkien's world-building is unparalleled.
Back in 1987, I would have laughed at the idea that Peter "Bad Taste" Jackson would one day direct big-budget adaptation of
The Lord of the Rings. Today I find the idea that someone else had done it just as inconceivable. His trilogy is one of the few massive modern film projects that feel like they're born out of passion, and that has a heart. There are issues, especially towards the end, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The Fellowship of the Ring is a mix of old and new. Certain scenes and settings (like the Council of Rivendell and majority of the Shire) look like something out of a Hollywood epic several decades past. It's partly due to budget constraints, I think, but Jackson's experience on zero-budget productions allows him to make most out of what he's got. Most of the action is modern, though, like Moria and orcs in general. I also like the weird close-ups that Jackson uses (and has used since the beginning).
Adapting a book as iconic as Tolkien's epic is not an easy task, but Jackson manages to get almost everything right. It's been over 20 years since I last read the book, so I can't make a detailed analysis of what's changed, but the film certainly feels like the Middle-Earth I've known since I was a kid. Just like the book, the film isn't a deep character-study, and like myths and legends in general, what the character represents is often more important than the individual itself.
An excellent start for the trilogy. I should try to re-read the book at some point, too.