The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

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Overview:

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of JRR Tolkien's seminal work, The Lord of the Rings. Released to critical acclaim and box office success, the film was wildly successful,.ensuring the release of the two subsequent sequels, which where filmed simultaneously in New Zealand. Released to huge success and wide acclamation the film spawned a prequel called The Hobbit.

Creation:

After many attempts in the past, in 1997, Peter Jackson began working on a live-action lord of the rings movies. His focus was to make Middle-Earth more of a real place that could have, at one time, existed. Soon designers and Weta workship, who made the miniatures and special effects for the movies, were soon at work crafting their vision of middle earth and everything that went into it. The books would be filmed all at one time, over the course of one year, in New Zealand which both offered a large tax break for Jackson (which made making the film a bit less expensive) and gave the film a true beauty and realism Jackson was looking for. The film doesn't follow the books exactly scene for scene but many memorable lines and events stay and most things missing were for time or can be found in deleted scenes.

Plot

After a brief description in how the rings of power, including the One Ring, were formed and then how they were betrayed by Sauron and his evil nearly destroyed middle earth. When then cut to current times in middle earth with the one hundred eleventy-ith Birthday Party of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who lives in the Shire. Among the guests are his nephew Frodo Baggins, troublemakers Merry and Pippen, Frodo's gardener and best friend Samwise, and the wizard Gandalf, who had accompanied Bilbo on an adventure some years before. At the party, Biblo reveals that he is leaving the Shire for good and this party is also his going away party. Galdalf, sensing something is wrong, believes that Bilbo's ring might in fact be The One Ring -- a item of incredible magic power. Bilbo leaves off on perhaps his final adventure and travels and the ring falls into possession of Frodo, who Gandalf begs to keep it secert and safe. Gandalf also advises that Frodo must take the ring to Rivendell and Gandalf will meet Frodo, and his companion Sam, in a town just outside the Shire called Bree.

Along the journey to Bree, Sam and Frodo find their friends, and distant cousins, Merry and Pippen snooping in a farm stealing some food. After escaping the angry farmer they discover that their travels are being followed closely by riders in black who are plainly evil. After arriving in Bree they get a room in The Prancing Pony, a popular inn in town where Gandalf was supposed to meet them. However the Grey Wizard is nowhere to be found because the leader of his council, Sarumon, has turned and instead of guiding Frodo and the Ring Sarumon intends of either taking the ring for himself to wield or become a strong ally to the dark master Sauron. Gandalf is imprisoned on Sarumon's tower until he will break and join Sarumon. Frodo and his friends are soon found in trouble when, after falling, the ring slips from Frodo's pocket and lands on his finger. The sudden disappearing act got the hobbits noticed and a quiet and hidden figure who had been watching them grabs Frodo just as he appears again and rushes him back to his own room.

Strider in Bree

Frodo's friends burst in and the stranger reveals himself to be a ranger named Strider, a man of the west who spends his time among the wilderness mostly. He claims to be a friend of Gandalf's and despite not knowing what happened to the wizard agrees to help the hobbits make it to Rivendell. That night the black riders, revealed to be Ringwraiths by Strider as well as the nine men corrupted by Sauron to serve him, attacked the hobbits room to find no one there. Strider had set up decoys and hidden the hobbits to keep them safe before leaving the next morning on the journey to Rivendell. Halfway on their journey they find Weathertop, an old and crumbled watchtower once used by a kingdom of men in the North, now no more than a landmark. There they set up camp and while Strider searches around and Frodo sleeps his hobbit friends like a fire to eat. The light from the campfire could be seen from miles around and attracts five of the black riders who attack the group. In the fray Frodo again puts on the ring in hopes of disappearing but it only reveals the Ringwraiths is a darker vision and they seemingly sense the ring itself. Frodo is stabbed before Strider returns and scared the riders off with fire. The blade poisons Frodo and he begins to grow cold and turning into a wraith like the riders who would only serve them if he isn't healed.

Arwen

Strider picks up their pace as quickly as possible in hopes of reaching Rivendell and the elves so that Frodo may be healed. As they are hunted Strider is forced to stop to search for herbs and weeds with healing properties that may slow Frodo's poisoning. While searching Strider is caught off gaurd by a friend, Arwen, who takes up Frodo and rides as swiftly as possible coming close to being caught by the black riders. Arwen reaches a small river crossing and the riders demand Frodo, when she refuses, they advance. As they ford across the river she summons the power of her people and rush of water, in the shape of horses, slam into the five riders and send them down the river.

Frodo reveals the ring to the council

Frodo wakes up days later and completely healed in Rivendell where he meets his friends including Gandalf and Bilbo who fills him in on their doings since he last saw them. Frodo also meets Elrond, leader in Rivendell who is summoning together a council to discuss the fate of the one ring Frodo is bearing. Elrond holds the council to determine the fate of the ring, and it is decided that a Fellowship must be formed to carry the ring into Mordor, the enemy's territory, and throw it into the volcano where it was forged. The hobbits, Gandalf, and Aragorn, aka Strider, are joined by Gimli the dwarf, Legolas the elf, and Boromir of Gondor. The fellowship set off towards Rohan where they can take the most direct route to Mordor but along the way they spot a group of crows acting as spies for Sarumon and Sauron, forcing Gandalf and the fellowship to choose a new path up a mountain. However Sarumon blocks their path, summoning a grand snowstorm and sends boulders and rocks down the mountain barring the fellowship from passing. A third and much more dangerous route must be chosen, down through the mines of Moria where Gandalf knows the dwarves dug too deep into the earth and found many dangerous things.

The fellowship travels to the doors of Moria which require a password to open, to which Gandalf doesn't know. While pondering what the answer could be Merry and Pippen throw rocks into the nearby water before being stopped by Aragorn. Just as Frodo discovers the password is a riddle and Gandalf opens the door a tentacle wriggles out of the dark lake and attempts to pull in Frodo. The company fights off a large kraken like creature which forces them into Moria and collapses the door, barring any retreat. Gandalf leads them deeper into Moria, which is a four day journey, and along the way Gandalf gets stuck between three choices of paths. As he sits and ponders the path Frodo spots something deep behind them following them, he warns Gandalf who reveals that it is Gollum, the creature whom Bilbo had taken the ring from. As Frodo and Gandalf discuss Gollum and the ring's fate Gandalf catches a whiff of fresh air from one of the paths and leads the fellowship down its path.

Their path passes by a small tomb which Gimli rushes into. Gandalf reads to whom the belongs and Gimli grieves for his dead cousin and Gandalf reads the account of the final days of Moria as the rest listen. Pippen accidentally knocks a nearby set of armor down a deep well echoing noise throughout most of Moria which summons an army of orcs along with a cave troll. The group hold of the orc attack and work together to do damage to the unleashed troll. However Frodo cannot escape after Aragorn attempts to spear the troll he is knocked out and corners Frodo, stabbing him in the gut with the large spear. In anguish and grief for their fallen friend the fellowship defeat the remaining orcs and rush to the hobbit's aid. They discover Frodo is fine and indeed a shirt of mithril, an incredibly strong and lightweight material which is also very valuable that Bilbo gifted to Frodo in Rivendell, had stopped the spear and prevented almost all injury to Frodo saving his life. The group get up and move as quickly as possible being chased by many orcs now all rushing to kill them.

Just as the fellowship is cornered and encircled by the orcs a large roar bursts from deep in Moria, scaring off all the orcs. Gandalf grows weary upon hearing the noise and ushers the group to a nearby bridge where the end of Moria is near. Just as they approach the bridge Gandalf stops Aragorn and tells him to lead the group forward from here and that in the battle swords would be no use. The group cross the bridge and Gandalf stands alone telling the Balrog, a large creature made of fire and shadow who wields a large sword and whip, that it cannot pass the bridge. The Balrog takes another step and Gandalf slams the staff down onto the bridge, with a last warning. The Balrog steps again and the bridge collapses sending the creature down into dark and deep depths and with one last action wraps its whip around Gandalf's leg, pulling him down into the doom.

Frodo meeting Lady Galadriel

In despair Aragorn leads them out of Moria and spurs them to shake off their sudden loss and to keep moving in hopes of not breaking apart. Soon Aragorn and the fellowship travel south enough to find the land of Lothlorien where the elves who live in it's magical forest take them into their protection. There they meet Lady Galadriel who is both powerful and wise and is able to peer into each of the fellowship and understand their pains, troubles, wishes, and hopes. In Lothlorien the fellowship are able to rest and recover. One evening Galadriel leads Frodo off alone into a clearing near a small stream with a basin on a pedestal in the middle. She fillsthe basin and asks Frodo if he would look into the water there and see a vision. When Frodo looks inside he sees his companions all dejected and looking away from him, then he sees a vision of the Shire burning and enslaved by Mordor, and then he sees a great burning eye which commands him to hand over the ring. Frodo pulls back and feeling the sudden burden he always carries offers the one ring to Galadriel, who wields her own eleven ring. She wonders about the powerful and beautiful queen she would be if she had the ring of power but finally resists, passing her own self imposed test of temptation.

Some time later the fellowship is sent again on their quest and given light eleven boats, as well as some gifts, and send them down Anduin, the great river, which will take them very close to Mordor. Along the way down the river Sarumon has finished making a new, stronger, and more powerful breed of orc which he sends on foot to hunt down the fellowship. Into the old lands of Gondor and near Rohan the orcs find the fellowship resting. Boromir has just become overrun by the rings temptation and nearly attacked Frodo who uses the ring to escape and then to leave one his own to Mordor. As the fellowship comes under attack by the orcs Frodo is spotted by Sam who nearly drowns attempting to follow Frodo and whom Frodo allows to tag along.

Frodo is off to Mordor with only Sam, the fellowship is broken and Boromir is left dead, Merry and Pippen are kidnapped by the band of orcs and taken into Rohan. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas decide to follow them and hope that somehow, their broken fellowship may still accomplish it's task to destroy the one ring and thus end Sauron's evil.

Critical Reception:

Both grossing a large amount of money and receiving a great response the film was considered one of the best of that year and of all time. It crafted a world most thought impossible to film and gave life to characters that seemed impossible to create from paper and words. Many reviewers praised the cast for making a strange foreign world seem believable and for giving great performances when given rather strange and sometimes odd language, including some that were though languages.