No movie can do justice to the original book. More so if the original happens to be an epic classic like J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece 'Lord of the Rings'. But having said thus, it must be admitted that Peter Jackson, the director of this movie trilogy has done a decent job in staying close to the novel as far as possible. And remained true to the essence of the original without getting carried away by the trappings of producing another spectacular special-effects magnum opus
Due to paucity of space, Intro to Middle-Earth & Story before LOTR... have been moved to the Comments section...
Fellowship of the Ring
Having inherited the ring from his cousin Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggings is advised of the evil powers this ring holds & the danger that it could bring forth on Shire from the evil dark-lord Sauron, by the kind but powerful Wizard , Gandalf the grey. Frodo leaves Shire along with his gardener & friend Samwise Gamgee. On the way, he is joined by two more notoriously naughty & daring hobbits - Merry & Pippin. Their destination is Rivendel- the land of Elves, where the fate of the Ring could be decided. On the way they find themselves being chased by Nazgul (ring-wraith), the undead servants of Sauron disguised as horse riders.
Strider, a brave ranger saves the hobbits from the Nazgul in the bar of Prancing Pony & takes them to Rivendel. On the way the group is attacked by Nazgul in the watch towers of Amon Sul. where Frodo is gravely injured by the King of Nazgul. Strider & Arwen - daughter of Elrond take Frodo to Rivendel.
In the meanwhile, Gandalf who tries to seek the counsel of Saruman the White - the leader of Wizards, is held captive in by the deception. Saruman in his efforts to find & control the ring using a Palantir, has come under the control of Sauron & has formed an alliance with him. He had been secretly building an army of Uruk-hai by cross-breeding Orcs & Goblins. Unlike Orcs (and Goblins) these devious creatures can move out freely even during day time & bright light, posing a greater threat to humanity.
Gandalf escapes from Isengard, the fortress of Saruman with the help of Eagles. He joins Frodo in Rivendel, who has been nursed to health by the magic of Elrond. We also realize the true identity of Strider as Aragorn & his love for Arwen
There in Rivendel a council of men, elves & dwarves is held to decide the fate of the ring. There Gandalf explains to the council that the ring cannot be controlled by anyone other than Sauron & the Sauron has already joined hands with Sauron & built a huge army to destroy men & elves. But Sauron needs to ring to regain his body. Before he could lay hands on the ring, it must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.
A heated discussion breaks out between the races as who should & should not carry the ring. When the alliance of dwellers appears to be breaking over the bickerings, Frodo volunteers to carry the ring to Mordor. Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir the son of Steward of Gondor, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the dwarf, Sam, Merry & Pippin volunteer to assist Frodo in this arduous task. And thus got formed Fellowship of the Ring.
Facing grave dangers along the road in the passes of Caradhras, the mines of Moria & bridge of Kazad-Dum. Here the fellowship loses an important member who is presumed dead. They get held captive by soldiers of Galadriel, the elven 'lady of the woods'. And are followed by a barbarous army of Uruk-hai ordered by Saruman to captivate the Hobbits & kills the others.
Along the way, the ring starts showing it's evil power. Everyone who sees the ring gets overcome by the desire to own it, including Frodo who starts to find himself unable to control the urge to wear it. Boromir, a member of the fellowship seems to have the secret agenda of taking the ring from Frodo, if necessary even by hurting Frodo.
Is Frodo able to reach Mordor? Did the fellowship survive the bickering between the races & the lure of the ring? Was Boromir successful in taking the ring for himself? Can the out-numbered fellowship fight & survive the ravaging hordes of Uruk-Hai? And most importantly... Does Frodo finally succumb to the machinations of the ring, luring him to wear it?
For answers all these questions & more... Watch the movie...
More of the Rings...
The first part of the movie is different from the other parts. It is more of an adventure journey & a quest, rather than depiction of grand heroic battles between the armies of Sauron & Men. It also has a more cohesive, smooth flowing story than the sequels. Though the openings scenes in Shire appear a tad streched, they are justified in introducing Hobbits as a fun-loving, gentle race who are isolated from the happenings in the world of Men & Elves. Though love scenes between Arwen & Aragorn appear out of place, they do provide a romantic interlude to this otherwise serious adventure ( It reminded me of old Hindi film songs. The only thing missing was dancing around bushes & trees :) )
Full credits for Peter Jackson for sticking to the book. No one could have done more justice to this classic. All the actors including Elijah Wood ( Frodo), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Sean Astin (Samwise Gamjee). The best of course are Wood & Astin, as inseparable friends. Cate Blanchett as Galadriel and Liv Taylor add glamour to the movie with their elven looks & sensuality. Otherwise they don't have much role in this action epic.
This movie also has marvellous special effects. A SFX razz-matazz than should not be missed by any SFX fan
# The face-off between Gandalf & the Balrog ( an ancient Demon) over the Bridge of Kazad-Dum (the best IMHO)
# Water Stallions invoked by Arwen to fight-off the Nazgul
# Avalanche along the passes of Caradhras
# Encounter with the monstrous creature near the gates of Moria
# The fight between the Fellowship & the gargantuan Troll in the mines of Moria
Not so high on special-effect, but yet gripping scenes are...
# The fight between the Hobbits & Nazgul inside the watch tower of Amon-Sul
# The last fight between the Fellowship & Uruk-Hai
To be Continued...
The other two parts of the Trilogy will be covered in my next two reviews, Now the parting shot... Is Samwise Gamjee a Parsi Hobbit?!
