'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' is an excellently-produced fantasy movie released in 2001 that is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novel of the same title. Greatly praised by fans and critics worldwide, the movie is said to have preserved much of the original story's details.
The movie is about a magical ring forged by Sauron to conquer the lands of Middle Earth. The dark lord's 'life force' is bound to the ring, making Sauron indestructible until the ring itself is destroyed. And there is only one place where this can happen - in Mt. Doom of Mordor, where the ring was forged.
In a grand battle against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Sauron's hand is severed, causing the ring to be lost. Sauron is defeated but does not die, ready to take possession of the ring again and finish his business.
Thousands of years later, the ring is found in a river by Gollum, who keeps it for himself for 500 years (the ring extends the life of its owner), until the ring separates itself from Gollum, only to be found by a hobbit of Shire named Bilbo Faggins.
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Figure 1. The Ring, Gollum, and Bilbo. |
Sixty years later, Bilbo decides to pass the ring on to his nephew Frodo. Frodo's wizard friend, Gandalf, realizes that what Frodo possesses is 'the Ring'. Gandalf warns that the ring will endanger his life, since horse-riding creatures known as Ringwraiths have left Mordor to find the ring and kill whoever carries it. Frodo agrees to leave Shire with his friend Sam and meet Gandalf in Bree so they can decide what to do with the ring.
Gandalf never gets to meet them in Bree because he is imprisoned by Saruman, his former head in Isengard who is now an ally of Sauron. Saruman is building a large army of ugly warrior creatures called Orcs to do his bidding.
On the way to Bree, Sam and Frodo are joined by two other friends, Merry and Pippin. In Bree, the friends meet a man named Strider who volunteers to take them to Rivendell where they will be safe, especially now that Gandalf is not there to help them.
By this time, the ringwraiths are already hot on their trail, and easily find them on a hill after they have inadvertently revealed their location with their camp fires. Strider's skill with the sword allows him to drive away the ringwraiths, but not before Frodo is severely injured by one of them. The wound, made by a Morgul blade, can only be healed in Rivendell.
Frodo is taken by the beautiful elf Arwen to Rivendell successfully, even if she has had to contend with the ringwraiths who have pursued them up to the very edge of Rivendell. Frodo survives his injury when Elrond, Arwen's father, heals him.
Gandalf escapes Saruman with the help of an eagle and meets Frodo in Rivendell, where Frodo also sees his other friends again. Elrond calls a council, which soon decides that the ring must be destroyed in Mordor.
They form the Fellowship of the Ring, which embarks on a dangerous journey to destroy the ring. Frodo who carries the ring, is joined by the following in this fellowship: Sam, Strider (also known as 'Aragorn', heir to the throne of Gondor), Gandalf, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, and Boromir (also of Gondor).
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Figure 2. The Fellowship of the Ring. |
The fellowship undergoes all kinds of challenges on their way to Mordor. They are stopped by Saruman from going through Mt. Caradhras, and are forced to detour underground through the mines of Moria. There they are attacked by orcs and a gigantic cave troll, which they overcome. However, the fellowship loses Gandalf who fights Balrog, an ancient demon, just so the fellowship can escape. Gandalf is seen falling with Balrog into a deep hole.
The fellowship manages to reach the elven territory of Lothlorien, where they rest under the protection of Galadriel and Celeborn, its rulers. Galadriel tells Frodo that it's his destiny to carry the ring and destroy it. The Fellowship leaves Lothlorien after receiving some gifts, and head to Parth Galen.
In Parth Galen, the evil power of the ring starts breaking the solidarity of the fellowship with personal greed, so Frodo embarks on a mission to destroy the ring in Mordor alone.
Saruman's scary Urukhai warriors catch up with the Fellowship and attack them, causing the death of Boromir and the capture of Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas go after the Urukhai to rescue the kidnapped hobbits, allowing Frodo and Sam to resume the journey on their own. The movie ends with Sam and Frodo looking at a panoramic view of Mordor, leaving the audience in anxious anticipation of the movie's sequel.
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Figure 3. Frodo and Sam are on their own when they reach the edge of Mordor where they intend to destroy the Ring. This scene was spoofed by ToyHollywood.com in this video. |
The movie earned $870M worldwide, making it a certified box-office success and virtually ensuring the success of its two sequels.
Information on the movie's full credits may be found at:
