I’m going to level with you, I’m not sure how to begin this review. To call this movie (let’s be real – this entire trilogy) a masterpiece that paved the way for my love of movies and books and informed their very shape is the understated equivalent of calling the Pacific Ocean “a really big pond”. Maybe it was because I was at a very impressionable age when these movies came out. I was eleven when The Fellowship of the Ring was released in theaters, and though I had never heard of The Lord of the Rings before, I had both a friend and an uncle who seemed to adore them and know everything about them. So, not to be outdone, I made my entire family go to the movie (“made” may be a strong word here; anyone who knows my father knows he can’t be “made” to do much, but nevertheless, we all went and all of us were clueless) and pretended to know enough about the story to “explain” it to my parents who are those types of theater-goers. I was an expert before I had even read the books, which I made my top priority on that year’s Christmas wishlist. The Lord of the Rings became “my thing” simply through sheer willpower. Thankfully, it was a fantastic story and, despite Tolkien’s alleged long-winded descriptions, an easy one to get into. So, from there, I upgraded. The Silmarillion, The Books of Lost Tales, and Farmer Giles of Ham (unrelated to Middle-earth, but you get the idea) were next. When the DVD for The Fellowship of the Ring was released, I begged and pleaded for it (though, again, I don’t know how much I had to beg – this was a hit with my whole family), and when it was announced that they were releasing “extended editions”, I had to be defibrillated. The Extended Edition was quickly added to that year’s Christmas wishlist. I consumed it all, even when I didn’t understand it. I think it’s safe to say I was obsessed. For a long time, all I wanted to read was Fantasy. I needed more stories like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve come to the realization that I don’t actually like the genre all that much. Most of the books you find that are clearly influenced by Tolkien’s work aren’t all that good, and their imitation is noticeable (Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson come to mind). So, it wasn’t Fantasy that I loved; it was a story that transcended Fantasy. Yes, it pulled from Beowulf and the Kalevala and The Faerie Queene and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but the heart of The Lord of the Rings is unbreakable bonds, the corruption of humanity, and great deeds from little people. Or, to let the author tell it himself:

‘Yes, that’s so,’ said Sam. ‘And we shouldn’t be here at all, if we’d known more about it before we started. But I suppose it’s often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on – and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same – like old Mr Bilbo. But those aren’t always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?’
‘I wonder,’ said Frodo. ‘But I don’t know. And that’s the way of a real tale. Take any one that you’re fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don’t know. And you don’t want them to.’

So, obviously, there’s a lot going on in the background of these stories that tie to the greater mythos, but the basics of the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring are as follows:

Before the time of the story, there were rings created for leaders among the elves, dwarves and men of Middle-earth. However, the one who made the rings, Sauron, also made a master ring for himself to bind the others to his will. A Last Alliance of Elves and Men is formed to combat the incredibly powerful dark lord and one man, Isildur, successfully cuts the ring off Sauron’s hand and his spirit departs, weakened. Led to the inside of Mount Doom, the volcano where the ring was made and the only place it can be destroyed by Elrond, Isildur is given the chance to destroy the ring once and for all, but he refuses, ensnared by the ring. Isildur leaves but dies from an ambush of orcs, and the ring is lost in a river. Many years later, an almost-hobbit named Deagol finds the ring while fishing, but his friend Smeagol immediately takes a liking to it and kills him for it. Smeagol is kicked out of his home and goes to a nice cave where he can obsess over his ring in peace. However, the ring seems to have a mind of its own and is dropped by Smeagol, now calling himself Gollum, and picked up by a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. The ring appeals to him because it turns the wearer invisible and it seems to prolong life. Bilbo keeps it until the day the story begins in earnest – the day of his 111st birthday. Bilbo’s friend, Gandalf, arrives for the party and talks briefly with Bilbo beforehand, mostly to be assured that he intends to leave the ring with his nephew, Frodo, when he leaves to visit the elves in Rivendell. Bilbo gives a confusing speech at his party and then disappears before everyone’s eyes. Back at the house, Bilbo takes his ring off, happy with his trick, but Gandalf is there and scolds him for using it. Bilbo struggles to leave the ring behind, but finally lets it go, and leaves. Gandalf also leaves soon after to research the ring and tells Frodo to keep it secret and safe. Gandalf returns more worried than before. He learns that the ring is Sauron’s from so long ago and also that Sauron’s henchmen, the Nazgul (the lingering spirits of the nine men who were given rings forever ago), are on their way to the Shire because they got the names “Shire” and “Baggins” out of Gollum through torture. Feeling the pressing danger, Gandalf pushes for Frodo and his gardener and friend, Sam, to pack their things and leave with him. Gandalf tells Frodo and Sam to make their way to the town of Bree where he will meet them, but first he must leave and take counsel from the head of the wizards, Saruman. As it turns out, Saruman has joined Sauron’s side and locks Gandalf in his tower so he can’t go warn Frodo. Frodo and Sam run into Merry and Pippin, Frodo’s cousin and his friend, and the four of them are nearly caught by one of the Nazgul, but they successfully make it to a ferry that they use to cross the Brandywine River and escape the Nazgul.

They get to Bree and stay at the Prancing Pony, but Gandalf is not there. They hang out by themselves in the restaurant at the inn, but Pippin’s big mouth draws much attention to them and Frodo accidentally slips on the ring, freaking everyone out. A creepy guy who has been staring at Frodo all night grabs the invisible hobbit and takes him back to his room, revealing himself as Strider, a friend of Gandalf’s. The hobbits stay with him that night to throw the Nazgul off. Strider promises to take the hobbits to Rivendell, but on their way, the Nazgul catch up and one of them stabs Frodo before Strider can get rid of them. Now, mortally wounded, Frodo is picked up by an elf, Arwen, who gets him to Rivendell before its too late. Frodo wakes up in a bed in Rivendell and sees his friends, including Bilbo and the much-delayed Gandalf, who explains how he escaped Saruman. Hearing of Saruman’s betrayal, Elrond, the lord of Rivendell, decides the ring cannot stay there and summons a council of men, elves and dwarves to determine what to do with it. When the council fights over what to do, Frodo, though hoping to go home, says he will take the ring to Mordor and destroy it. Elrond pulls together Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Strider, another man named Boromir, an elf named Legolas, and a dwarf named Gimli to travel with him, making the Fellowship of the Ring. Strider, who is actually named Aragorn, is Isildur’s heir and the rightful king of men in Gondor, but worries about taking such responsibility on given the end result of his ancestor. Bilbo also gives Frodo his sword, Sting, and a shirt of mithril, a metal that is stronger and lighter than steel. The Fellowship try to go to the Gap of Rohan but Saruman’s spies are watching it. They then try Caradhras, a mountain pass, but Saruman summons a storm. They decide, much to Gandalf’s dismay, to travel through the Mines of Moria, a kingdom of the dwarves. They get there and are forced inside by The Watcher in the Water, a lake creature, and they travel through Moria by the light of Gandalf’s staff. They discover that all the dwarves in Moria are dead and are attacked by orcs and a troll. The troll stabs Frodo with a spear, but he is unhurt due to the mithril. They run from the orcs and are nearly overrun, but something worse sends the orcs away – Durin’s Bane, a creature known as a balrog. Gandalf stays behind and battles the balrog over a bridge to the exit while everyone else escapes. Both Gandalf and the balrog fall from the bridge into the void below. The Fellowship, now under Aragorn’s leadership, don’t have time to cry over the loss of their friend and must make for the forest of Lothlorien before the orcs catch up. They do and are greeted by the elves who live there. Their leader, Galadriel, learn of Gandalf’s fate and bemoans the quest of the ring. She also gives everyone parting gifts and boats to travel downriver in and hopefully escape their pursuers. They stop on a bank and rest briefly, but during that time both Frodo and Boromir wander off. Boromir is growing obsessed with the ring, thinking it can be used against Sauron instead of having to be destroyed and so he tries to take it from Frodo by force. Frodo escapes, but an army of Uruk-hai (orcs on steroids) appear and give chase to the Fellowship. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli fight them off while Frodo runs away. A repentant Boromir does all he can to save Merry and Pippin, but he is killed and Merry and Pippin are carried away by the Uruk-hai. Frodo makes it back to the boats and gets in one, determined to leave the Fellowship and travel on his own because its too dangerous. However, Sam catches up to him and wades into the river to follow Frodo, though he cannot swim. Sam begins to sink but Frodo paddles back to him and pulls him from the water. Sam is determined to go with Frodo, and so the two of them cross the river alone while Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli follow the Uruk-hai to get Merry and Pippin back.

Technically speaking, these movies are a marvel. The cinematography of native New Zealand is absolutely beautiful and incredibly diverse. The special effects were so state-of-the-art, a new software program called MASSIVE was created in order to make armies of thousands for the battle sequences, which is still used to this day in some of the bigger blockbusters. So much care and detail went into this production. For consistency, the entire trilogy was filmed simultaneously – an uncommon practice at the time. Tolkien’s languages were studied and used in the dialogue and the alphabets were used for runes and architecture. Alan Lee and John Howe, artists that have made careers of their Tolkien artwork were brought in to help with set design, costuming and storyboarding. Howard Shore composed hours upon hours of score with multiple leitmotifs (around 60 different ones) to represent each character, each race and the different geographical areas. So much of the production of these movies has been documented because it was such a landmark of moviemaking and the documentaries surrounding The Lord of the Rings trilogy are longer than the films themselves. Also, Viggo Mortensen broke his toe while kicking a helmet in The Two Towers. The impact of these movies is still being felt today, and modern filmmaking has yet to surpass their achievements. They are worth every minute you put into them, which you should do. But, if I had to single one of them out, it’s The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s the most complete and contained part of the trilogy, and it has the most scenes set in the Shire, which is just gorgeous.

Bonus Review: Willow

Oh, right. Another movie. So, Willow is possibly influenced by The Lord of the Rings, though George Lucas has yet to acknowledge it. But come on; it’s about a man of short stature who receives something that doesn’t belong in his world and is sent on a mission to return to where it came from. There’s a dark sorcerer who wants to use that thing to gain power and immortality. And there’s a swordsman, probably the man’s most able ally, who kicks butt, takes names, and looks good doing it. Willow turned a profit on its release, but it was not the major blockbuster it was expected to be. It has since been relegated to cult status, and most likely, if you’ve seen it, you love it. If you haven’t, you think it looks dumb. There are three things that make this movie great and worth your attention: 1. Warwick Davis as Willow. The guy is mostly a bit player or hidden behind heavy makeup for roles and so to see him and his own face in a starring role gives him the chance to show his talent. 2. Val Kilmer as Madmartigan. If you read my Tombstone review, you know I have a very one-sided man crush on Val Kilmer. Next to Doc Holliday, this role is why. And 3. The soundtrack, particularly the theme music. It’s a gorgeous piece of music and if you spend any time listening to film soundtracks, you need to add it to your playlist.

The evil Queen Bavmorda hears a prophecy that she will be destroyed by a child with a special birthmark. To try and prevent this, she imprisons every pregnant woman in the realm. The child of prophecy is born, but the mother convinces the midwife to smuggle the child out of the realm. Bavmorda sends her hounds after the midwife and so she lays the child on a raft of grass and sends it downriver. Bavmorda also sends her daughter, Sorsha, and her army led by General Kael to find the baby. Downriver, a village of the dwarven people called Nelwyn prepare for a festival where the village leader is expected to pick one of them to become a sorcerer. However, a hound disrupts it before being killed. Willow presents the baby as a possible reason for the hound’s attack. Willow and group of volunteers are tasked with returning the baby to the tall people, or Daikini. They come across Madmartigan, a mercenary locked in a cage, who offers to take the baby if the Nelwyn free him. They end up doing so, but on the way back, Willow and his friend, Meegosh, discover some brownies have stolen the baby but the Fairy Queen stops them and explains that the baby is the baby from the prophecy, the Princess of Tir Asleen, Elora Danan. She tasks Willow with taking the baby and finding the enchantress Fin Raziel, and gives him a wand to learn magic with.

Willow runs into Madmartigan as he’s causing trouble in a tavern, and the two escape together, barely missing Sorsha and Kael. They find Raziel, who is turned into a possum, but are soon captured. Willow tries to quickly transform Raziel back into human to little effect. Willow, Madmartigan and Raziel escape by holding Sorsha hostage, but she escapes from them too. They arrive in Tir Asleen, but it’s overrun by trolls. Bavmorda’s army arrives and in the chaos, Kael makes away with Elora. Willow turns Raziel back into human just before Bavmorda performs a ritual to banish Elora from the realm and the two sorcerers duel. Willow tries to get Elora back during the fight, and is successful by confusing Bavmorda with a sleight-of-hand trick. Bavmorda, in her confusion, accidentally completes the ritual on herself. Tir Asleen is restored, Madmartigan and Sorsha (who are now in love) agree to raise Elora until she can rule, and Willow returns home as a sorcerer-in-training.