Elijiah Wood as Frodo Baggins in Fellowship of the Ring
Elijiah Wood as Frodo Baggins in Fellowship of the Ring
It is hard to imagine a time when New Zealand and Middle-earth were not intrinsically linked together.
But 15 years ago, the country was about to enter unknown territory as the biggest movie series ever filmed here finally reached cinemas.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first Lord of the Rings movie and the one that completely changed how New Zealand was viewed and marketed to the world.
In celebration of the movie's anniversary, we've trawled through the archives and found some of the pieces from the TimeOut special when the movie first came out.
This includes our very first review for the franchise, in which critic Russell Baillie gave it five stars, saying it was an example of "what makes great films great".
While expectations were high following several years of filming, no one knew that Lord of the Rings would go on to become as big as it did. The features from 2001 show a glimpse into the world before LOTR, before the franchise came to dominate our tourism industry.
Ian McKellen found international fame for his role as wizard Gandalf.
Fellowship went on to earn $1.25 billion at the worldwide box office, including $10 million at the local box office in the first month alone, and paved the way for the even bigger successes of the five movies that followed. All six movies in the Middle-earth franchise sit in the top 50 movies globally of all time.
It won four out of the 13 Academy Awards it was nominated for in 2002 and a further 13 at the next two ceremonies, including a best supporting actor nomination for Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf).
The franchise also made a millionaire, an Oscar winner and a knight of director Sir Peter Jackson. The series put him on the map, but if these quotes are anything to go by, he may not have been enjoying the attention.
"It's been so long that Lord of the Rings has been this phenomenon, this national phenomenon, and it is just a movie and in a way it needs to arrive at a place where it's there for people to look at,'' he told TimeOut back in 2001.
"If they want to go see it they can pay their 10 bucks and go see it. It deserves to be seen in that way now. Because ultimately, what we tried to make is just a good movie.
Peter Jackson on set of the Fellowship of the Ring. Photo/Supplied
"I will be relieved when it gets past the point of hype and anticipation and all of that and just becomes a film you can have your opinions about, good or bad."
Though there is one thing Jackson hoped to see.
"I am happy if people in New Zealand feel proud about what we have done and it's not just me. What there is to be truly proud about with The Lord of the Rings is the fact that it was largely made by Kiwis and it's not just what I have done."
