The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, a nominee for Best Picture of 2001, was the first in a trilogy of films adapted from the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien about hobbits, elves, dwarfs, and men and their various alliances. It's an exciting start to a series of movies that challenge viewers with their epic scope and interlaced plots. I'll readily admit that I have never read the books on which this and the other two films are based. I did read The Hobbit when I was a teenager because it was given to me by an aunt, but I chose to read lots of other books besides the rest of the Tolkien ones. I say that in order to point out that I cannot vouch for the fidelity with which director Peter Jackson and his collaborators have tackled the material. I can only state that he has made an engrossing, thrilling trio of films, and that The Fellowship of the Ring does an excellent job of setting up the action for the remaining two films.
I can't imagine providing a concise summary of what happens in this film, so I'll try to stick to just some of the main themes and moments. The focus, of course, is on a ring, a remarkable piece of jewelry since it gives you control over a set of rings that had been forged for elves, dwarfs, and men. In other words, it gives you total power. Naturally, you want such a ring either to be destroyed or to be in the hands of someone who can be trusted. Unfortunately, it first belonged to Sauron, the Dark Lord, and he's used it for evil purposes. Through a strange series of events, it has wound up in the hands of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), and he's ready to retire from the adventures he's had and write a book. He entrusts the ring to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood), who inevitably faces the task of finding a safe place for the ring.
Through the intervention of a wizard, Gandalf (the remarkable Ian McKellan), Frodo sets off on an adventure that will take him through much of Middle Earth, the mythical land described in the Tolkien books. He has company on his journey, first from three other hobbits: Samwise (Sean Astin), Pippin (Billy Boyd), and Merry (Dominic Monaghan). Hobbits are, by nature, peaceful folk who like to eat and drink and smoke; they are unaccustomed to having adventures, so this band of four almost immediately gets into difficulties. For instance, there's a troop of scary creatures called the Nazgul after them in order to kill Frodo and take custody of the ring for Sauron, who's making a comeback now that the ring has been rediscovered. So far, he's only a large eye, but with possession of the ring, he'll apparently be reconstituted as his old evil self.
There's also an evil wizard, Gandalf's counterpart, called Saruman (Christopher Lee) who is in league with Sauron. It's obvious that the hobbits are going to need assistance if they are going to make it past all of these obstacles and get to Rivendell, the home of the fairies. Their first guide is Stryder (Viggo Mortensen), a human who's later revealed to be Aragorn, the heir to the kingdom of Gondor, but we can't get to that just yet. After finally making it to Rivendell, Frodo listens as a meeting of elves, dwarfs, and men devolves into a debate as to how to handle the powerful ring he's brought there. After it's decided that it should be destroyed by throwing it into the fires of Mount Doom, another argument ensues as to who should be entrusted to carry the ring. After hearing enough of the bickering, Frodo says he will do it. The other hobbits volunteer to travel with him, as do Legolas (Orlando Bloom), an elf with a talent for using a bow; Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), a dwarf with a temper and a strong ax; Aragorn, of course; and another human named Boromir (Sean Bean), who also has a claim to the throne of Gondor. Gandalf will also join them, completing what Elrond (Hugo Weaving), the king of the fairies, dubs the Fellowship of the Ring.
I have had to gloss over a great deal of information, of course, such as Aragorn's romance with one of the elves, a beauty named Arwen (Liv Tyler). And I've had to skip over the wizards battle between Gandalf and Saruman; it's quite a bloody fight, though. There's also the spectacular sequence involving a giant monster made of fire (the belroc?) that lives in the mines once run by the dwarfs and that seems to have killed Gandalf in their fight together. The remaining band of the Fellowship also encounter Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), an elf witch who shows Frodo the future that might occur if he fails in his quest. It involves the destruction of his homeland, the shire where the hobbits live. It's that glimpse of the future that seemingly convinces Frodo that he must take on the burden alone, and he leaves just before a battle with some vicious looking creatures called uruks or orcs or something like that. I never quite figured out the difference.
And, to be honest, unless you're a huge fan of the books, I think at some point you give up caring about all of the details and just get swept up in the film. You'd have to keep a scorecard to remember everyone who might be important. And the different relationships between the various residents of Middle Earth are just too complex to discern most of the time. Once you give up worrying about that stuff, you can then enjoy watching the Fellowship encounter the various obstacles along the way to achieving Frodo's goal. You'd have to expect that a battle between good and evil for the possession of an object like the ring will not be handled quickly or simply. There are numerous confrontations, and each one is depicted with great intensity. The film's creators have managed to cram a lot into the film even if it does clock in at more than three hours long.
I'd like to point out the beauty of the landscape through which Frodo and his friends travel. The film was shot in New Zealand, and Jackson has made effective use of the mountains and swamps and forests and rivers and green expanses of land here. Each area has a distinct "look" as well. For example, Rivendell is bathed in light, casting a glow on everyone there. When making the trek through the mountains, by comparison, the Fellowship encounters mostly darkness, almost too dark to see. When they are battling the uruks in the forest near the end of the film, Aragon and the others are presented in naturalistic light. It's clever cinematography throughout the film.
I haven't yet discussed the image that lingers with you after watching the first film in the trilogy, but it's just how much power that the ring has. When Frodo accidentally slips it on his finger, he becomes invisible. However, he's still able to see everything around him in a sort of blurry way. It brings into focus the evil creatures like the Nazgul, though, making them easier to see. And the ring has a curious appeal to almost everyone who encounters it. Gandalf is afraid of the ring, perhaps sensing its power over its wearer. Boromir covets the ring, as does Galadriel. Frodo has gotten an early glimpse of just how hypnotic the ring is when his uncle Bilbo has become almost a snarling demon when he's refused a chance to touch the ring again. It comes as little surprise when, late in the film, Frodo says, "I wish the ring had never come to me." It is quite a burden to carry.
I'm sure most people don't go to a movie like this for the acting. You're meant to be caught up in the technical achievements of the film, and it would be hard not to be impressed by what Jackson and his crew have accomplished. They've created places and creatures in a seamless way that makes you feel as if this world were truly real. However, thanks to performances like McKellan's and Mortensen's and Wood's, you are also able to care about the characters and desire that they complete this arduous task before them. McKellan was the only member of the cast ever to be nominated for an acting Oscar, and it was for The Fellowship of the Ring. He lost, sadly, but he brings such a sense of humor and a few moments of incredible power to his role that you wish he had more screen time. I also admire what Mortensen and Wood (and the others) do here, but they are all allowed to shine even more in the subsequent films in the series.
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