Review - The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

            Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I just finished watching the first two episodes of Amazon's new series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and I gotta say it's pretty good. Don't get me wrong, there's still a ways to go before the season wraps up, but I definitely enjoyed the first two episodes. And that got me to finally get off my ass and take a look at the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, which ran from 2001 to 2003. Directed by Peter Jackson, this highly ambitious film trilogy starred Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Miranda Otto, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Karl Urban, David Wenham, John Noble, Ian Holm, Bernard Hill, Brad Dourif, Andy Serkis, and Sean Bean. 

             Okay, so the story is a long and tiring one, so I'll give my best summary. Okay? Here we go. Long ago, in the land of Middle-Earth, there was the forging of the great rings: three for the elves, seven for the dwarf lords, and nine for the race of men. Within each ring was the power to govern each race. However, in the desolate hellscape of Mordor, the dark lord Sauron forged a master ring in the fires of Mount Doom. One ring to rule them all, as the legends say. With the power of the ring, Sauron's cast army, including both Goblins and Orcs, swept across Middle-Earth in a campaign for dominance. However, it was a last alliance of men and elves that finally stopped him on the slopes of Mount Doom, where Sauron met his end at the hands of Prince Isildur, who cut the ring from Sauron's hand using the broken sword of Narsil. Isildur then kept the ring, despite the warnings to destroy it by the elf lord Elrond. Ultimately, despite his good intentions, the ring led Isildur to his death, and he lost it. Eventually, two cousins named Deagol and Smeagol found it while fishing, and Smeagol killed his cousin and took the ring, which prolonged his life and mutated him into a pathetic wretch of a creature known as Gollum. Years would pass, and eventually Gollum would lose the ring, only for it to be picked up by a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who took it with him as he journeyed with Thorin Oakenshield and his company of dwarves (but let's save that for when I take a look at The Hobbit trilogy). And now, we get to the events of the first movie: The Fellowship of the Ring.

           Sixty years later, and we would meet Bilbo's nephew Frodo, who is awaiting the arrival of a wizard named Gandalf the Gray, who has arrived to celebrate the 111th birthday of Bilbo at a massive party in The Shire. It is after the party that Bilbo takes his leave of the Shire, leaving his home of Bag End, as well as the Ring, to Frodo. Gandalf, upon trying to pick up the Ring, finds some strange power within it, and takes his own leave to investigate it. Some weeks later, Gandalf returns and throws the Ring  into the fireplace, revealing the hidden letters emblazoned upon it, thus confirming it to be the One Ring. Gandalf tells the story of the Ring, and how Gollum told the Nazgûl, also known as the Ringwraiths, of the Ring's location. This forces Frodo to leave the Shire, but is joined by Samwise Gamgee, or Sam for short, as Sam was eavesdropping on what was going on. 

           Frodo and Sam, later joined by their friends Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, escape a run in with the Nazgûl and arrive in the village of Bree, where they meet a ranger referred to as Strider. Strider guides the four Hobbits to Rivendell, which is home to a group of Elves led by Elrond. En route, however, the Nazgûl attack, and their leader stabs Frodo with a Morgul blade. Meanwhile, Gandalf heads to Isengard, where he meets with Saruman the White, who has turned traitor and joined forces with Sauron. Saruman then receives orders from Sauron to build an army worthy of Mordor, wherein Saruman's goblin allies begin tearing down the trees surrounding the tower of Isengard, and they dig deep to find buried Orcs, specifically Uruk-hai, to build the army. 

            Frodo, meanwhile, is taking a turn for the worse, and the elf Arwen, daughter of Elrond, arrives and hurries him to Rivendell to be healed by her father. After easily dispatching the Nazgûl, Arwen gets Frodo to Rivendell in time, where he is successfully healed by Elrond. Frodo is reunited with Bilbo, who has noticeably began to age due to his parting from the Ring. Later on, a gathering occurs, where representatives from across Middle-Earth gather to discuss what should be done about the Ring. Many ideas are mentioned, and we learn that Strider is, in fact, Aragorn, who is the heir to the throne of Gondor. Elrond determines that the Ring must be taken into Mordor, cast back into the fires of Mount Doom, and destroyed. Frodo volunteers to the task, with Gandalf offering to guide him in the way to Mordor, Aragorn offering to keep him safe, along with a dwarf named Gimli, an elf named Legolas, and a man named Boromir. Sam, Merry, and Pippin also join in, and the nine are formally referred to as the Fellowship of the Ring. 

            So, the Fellowship heads on their quest, and end up getting thwarted on their journey by Saruman. Ultimately, Frodo takes Gimli's suggestion and the Fellowship heads to the mines of Moria. Unfortunately, the dwarves living there were all killed by goblins, who attack the Fellowship with the aid of a massive cave troll. The enemies are defeated, but the Fellowship is forced to flee to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, where they run afoul of a massive fiery creature known as a Balrog, and Gandalf falls fending off the creature. The rest of the Fellowship heads to the forest of Lothlorien, home of the elves Celeborn and Galadriel. That evening, at the Mirror of Galadriel, Frodo is shown a premonition of the horrors that could happen if he should fail in his task. Galadriel nearly accepts Frodo's offering of the Ring, but manages to reject, and she then gives him some encouraging words of wisdom. The next day, the Fellowship departs with fresh supplies, and eventually enter the domain of men, where after a brief reprieve, they are attacked by a group of Uruk-hai and goblins, whom kill Boromir, and abduct Merry and Pippin. Frodo and Sam, now separated from the others, head off to Mordor, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli go to rescue Merry and Pippin, ending the movie. 

           It's here where we pick up the second movie, The Two Towers, which has three distinct plot points. First, is Merry and Pippin, who are rescued by an Ent known as Treebeard. Throughout the movie, Merry, Pippin, and Treebeard travel through the forests, eventually meeting other Ents, who determine that the two Hobbits are definitely not Orcs. However, after seeing the devastation Saruman caused to Isengard, Treebeard summons the Ents together to fight Saruman, and break a nearby dam to completely flood Isengard, trapping Saruman atop his tower. 

          The second focuses on Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, who are following in the trail of the Uruk-hai that abducted Merry and Pippin, and it's here where we learn that not only did Gandalf defeat the Balrog, but was resurrected as the more powerful Gandalf the White, who leads the trio to Rohan, and the seat of King Theoden, who has been corrupted by Saruman's puppet Grima Wormtongue, who manipulated the banishment of Theoden's nephew Eomer, forcing him to leave behind his sister, Eowyn. Gandalf frees Theoden from Saruman's control, and the King banishes Grima, forcing him to retreat to Isengard. Unfortunately, Theoden is forced to evacuate his keep, and his people, to the fortress of Helm's Deep. Gandalf heads off to find recruits to aid in the inevitable battle ahead, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli help the people of Rohan to Helm's Deep. 

         Upon arrival, the army of Rohan fortifies their hold in Helm's Deep, and are reinforced by a battalion of elves led by Haldir, who was sent to help in the battle by both Elrond and Galadriel. The battle of Helm's Deep runs quite long, and is easily one of the best battles in cinema, wrapped up with the arrival of Gandalf, Eomer, and the banished Riders of Rohan, who finish off the massive Uruk-hai army. Gandalf warns, however, that while Saruman is defeated, Sauron won't take losing the Battle of Helm's Deep so easily. 

         The third major story focuses on Frodo and Sam, who get guidance from a surprising guide: Gollum. Gollum, slightly begrudgingly, leads Frodo and Sam to the Black Gates of Mordor, but seeks to get the two Hobbits into Mordor through a secret stairway near Minas Morgul. Unfortunately, the party is caught by warriors of Gondor, led by Boromir's younger brother Faramir. Faramir, upon learning of the Ring, initially plans to take them to the city of Minas Tirith in Gondor, but after a lengthy journey, relents and sets Frodo, Sam, and Gollum free, and the three head off to Mordor, with Gollum planning to use "her" to get rid of the two Hobbits and retake the Ring, ending the movie. 

          Okay, so now we get to the final film of the trilogy: Return of the King. It's here where Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find Merry and Pippin celebrating a victory in the flooded remains of Isengard. Shimmering in the water, Pippin notices the palantir, which Gandalf takes from him. Later that night, in Rohan, Pippin takes a look into the palantir, wherein he sees that Sauron is sending a massive army to attack Minas Tirith. Gandalf takes Pippin to the city to warn the Steward of Gondor, Denethor, of the coming danger. Denethor, however, is aware of Gandalf's true intentions, which is to supplant Denethor as leader of Gondor with Aragorn. 

        Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam follow Gollum's lead, and follow a secret path past Minas Morgul, where they run afoul of a massive spider named Shelob, which is the "her" Gollum mentioned before. Frodo is eventually nabbed by some goblins, only to be saved by Sam, and the two head off and sneak into Mordor. 

         While that is going on, the army of Gondor prepares for battle, with the beacons being lit to get the aid from Rohan, and Theoden gathers his forces to aid Gondor in the ensuing battle. While on the way to Minas Tirith, Elrond comes to meet Aragorn, warning him that Arwen will die if the Ring is not destroyed, and that another army is arriving by ship to help Sauron's forces in the battles ahead,.but that only one army can aid in the fight. Elrond then presents Aragorn with a new sword: Anduril, which was forged from the shards of Narsil. Aragorn, with Legolas and Gimli at his side, heads to the Paths of the Dead, and calls for the army of the Dead to answer to their oaths to the King of Gondor. 

        Okay, so as cool as the Battle of Helm's Deep was, the Battle of Minas Tirith is waaayy more epic and massive in scale, as we see it from multiple fronts. And in one instance, Eowyn takes down the Nazgûl leader, the Witch King of Angmar (and yes, he was the one who stabbed Frodo before), Pippin saving Faramir from being burned alive by Denethor, and the ghost army sweeping through the amassed forces sent by Sauron. After the battle, our heroes rest, but take leave for the gates of Mordor, where (in the extended edition) Aragorn beheads a being known as the Mouth of Sauron. The arrival of Aragon, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, and the others draws the gaze of the Eye of Sauron, which is a massive fiery eye that watches over everything in and around Mordor. This buys Frodo and Sam time to enter the chasm of Mount Doom to destroy the Ring. Unfortunately, the weight of the Ring's power finally overtook Frodo, who refuses to destroy it. Gollum shows up, bites Frodo's finger off, and takes the Ring. However, a scuffle leads to Gollum falling into the lava below, and he and the Ring are both destroyed, causing a massive eruption of Mount Doom, the destruction of Mordor, and the end of Sauron's threat. 

        Aragorn is named King of Gondor, Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin return to the Shire, where Frodo uses the blank pages in Bilbo's book to write down the story of his own adventure, calling it "The Lord of the Rings." Later on, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin take Bilbo to the docks, where Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn are waiting to take both Bilbo and Frodo to the Undying Lands of Valinor, leaving the Shire behind. Sam, who has married and had two children, returns to his family, ending the movie and the trilogy. 

          Okay, so obviously trying to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic was no easy feat. However, Peter Jackson's idea was to film the entire trilogy in one go, cutting it into three movies in post-production. This honestly is smart, as it makes scheduling for shooting the movies easier, and allows the actors to get other roles and not have to worry about returning to film the next chapter. In recent years, other major films have used this concept, with the most notable examples being Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Seriously, Peter Jackson really revolutionized this concept of filming a multi-part movie all at once. 

          On top of that, I also really loved the scenery in this movie. The locations, which are in Peter Jackson's native New Zealand, are some of the most gorgeous landscapes and areas I've ever seen on film. And remember, this is at a time when George Lucas was focused on blue-screen filmmaking and digital landscapes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. So, to see a director utilize real landscapes and real locations is something to really commend that person on. 

          The ensemble cast is easily one of the best assembled since Francis Ford Coppola put together his cast for The Godfather, with Elijah Wood being terrific as Frodo, Sean Astin making for a terrific Sam, you get the idea. The coolest part is that several actors, such as Orlando Bloom, Karl Urban, Dominic Monaghan, and so on would become major stars after this trilogy, with Karl Urban going on to be involved with franchises like Riddick, Star Trek, The Boys, and even appearing in Thor: Ragnarok. Long and short of it, the actors in this trilogy were all fantastic. However, I would be remiss if I didn't bring up Andy Serkis as Gollum. Now, obviously, Gollum is a digital character, but there is a real performance behind the CGI. All of Gollum's facial movements, mannerisms, and means of moving around were all from Andy Serkis himself, who wore a skin tight mocap suit on set throughout the movie. Literally, I agree with everyone else: get Andy Serkis a frickin acting Oscar already. He's more than earned it. 

        The music by Howard Shore is fantastic. Hell, I don't think we'd ever get an amazing music score for a fantasy epic until Ramin Djawadi's score compositions for the HBO series Game of Thrones . Howard Shore did really well with the music in this trilogy. Lastly, the digital effects by WETA Workshop we're some of the best in cinema at the time, and they still hold up all these years later. Honestly, these guys are right up there with ILM in terms of digital effects. 

       You know what? I think I've gushed about this trilogy long enough. No surprises here, I'm giving The Lord of the Rings trilogy a rating of 5/5. Seriously, this is one of the greatest film trilogies ever made. 

         This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time, when we take a look at Disney's new movie Pinocchio.