Right, well I figured it was time for yet another revisitation but this time it will be a more epic revisitation of sorts as the subject itself IS rather epic and the subject in question are my initial reviews of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The reason I'm looking at them again is because I just recently watched them all again, so figured why not?!
So, I will start here with the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring and do my usual expanding on certain sections of my previous review.
So, with that all said let's take another look at this film some 19 years on...
And the usual warning is coming...
PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!
STORY
So, yeah... LOTR is quite a detailed story, so breaking it down is never that easy without being long-winded but I will do my best! ;-)
So, I will start with the
introduction quickly which details the story of the creation of the One
ring at Mount doom by the dark lord, Sauron. An alliance of men and
elves leads to a battle against Suaron who is killed by Isildur (Harry Sinclair) who
takes the ring into Mount doom which is the only place it can be
destroyed. However the power of the ring corrupts and takes over
Isildur's mind and he keeps the ring to himself but is later killed by
Orcs. The ring is later found thousands of years later by a hobbit
named Smeagol, who is also consumed by the ring and later is named
Gollum (Andy Serkis). The ring however is soon lost to Gollum and is
later discovered by another hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm).
The story jumps forward 60 years where Bilbo is preparing to celebrate
his 111th birthday and he is visited by his good friend and wizard,
Gandalf the grey (Ian McKellan). Bilbo tells Gandalf that he intends to
leave his home in the rural Shire and go to live with the elves at
Rivendell, leaving his inheritance to his nephew, Frodo (Elijah Wood).
At the night of the party Bilbo uses the ring to disappear and he heads
back to his home to pack but he is interrupted by Gandalf who warns him
to leave the ring he has for Frodo, which Bilbo reluctantly does before
he goes.
Gandalf then decides to go and do some research on the ring and discovers the truth behind of it as the spirit of Sauron is still alive in the ring. Gandalf then goes back to Frodo to warn him and that he must take the ring away from the Shire as he has learned that Gollum was captured by Sauron's forces and he revealed to them of the ring's whereabouts at the Shire. Gandalf then catches Bilbo's best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) who was eavesdropping outside and he tells him to accompany Frodo on his journey with the ring to the village of Bree.
Gandalf then travels to Isengard to meet with his fellow wizard,
Saruman the White (Christopher Lee) who reveals that he is aiding Sauron
and then he has unleashed the ring wraiths to retrieve the ring.
Gandalf then fights Saruman but ends being imprisoned by him in his
tower.
After they start out their journey from the Shire they meet up with
fellow hobbits, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) however
the ring wraiths soon appear as they sense the ring when it is near and
they follow them. On their arrival in Bree, Frodo and the others find
that Gandalf has not arrived as he agreed but are instead joined by a
mysterious ranger named Strider (Viggo Mortensen) who escorts them to
Rivendell.
However on their journey the ring wraiths attack them and
Fordo is stabbed by one of the ringwraiths holding a morgul blade and
that the wound cannot be treated normally and Frodo will need Elvish
medicine so he calls on his Elvish lover, Arwen (Liv Tyler) who takes
him to Rivendell where he is treated just in time. Frodo awakens to
find himself at Rivendell and he is reunited with his hobbit friends and
Gandalf who managed to escape from Saruman's tower via an eagle.
After this Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving) Arwen's father, holds a meeting
with others to decide the fate of the ring and decides that it must be
destroyed at Mount Doom where it was forged and only then Sauron's evil spirit can be
destroyed with it. After some bickering at the meeting when no one
agrees on who will take the ring to Mount doom, Frodo volunteers to take
the ring himself. As a result a fellowship is formed consisting of
Frodo, Gandalf, Merry and Pippin as well as a dwarf named Gimli (John
Rhys Davies) an elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) Boromir of Gondor (Sean
Bean) and Strider who is revealed to be Aragorn, a descendant of Isildur
and the rightful king to the throne of Gondor.
And its from here where
all nine of these men embark an epic and incredibly dangerous journey
to destroy the ring and end Sauron's power.....
THOUGHTS
Well there isn't too much doubt the LOTR trilogy remains the jewel of
the crown in Peter Jackson's career and at its time at was such a
remarkable and epic undertaking it must have been incredibly daunting
for Jackson to try and condense the story for the big screen. The film
itself is quite lengthy but is also quite often exciting and
thrilling to watch and the characters are mainly very likeable and
rootable.
Visually the film is also stunning and it was shot throughout
various locations in New Zealand and the film's production in itself
was a lengthy undertaking as it started back in 1997 with Jackson
story boarding the film. The film is also well noted for its
groundbreaking use of special make-up effects as well as CGI effects and
using such techniques as forced perspective, which comes in use during
the scene where we see the hobbits lined up in the forming of the
fellowship as they stand beneath the taller characters such as Aragorn
and Legolas.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES
OK we could be here all night with this one so I will TRY and keep it
fairly short! But yes the film's performances on the whole are
excellent with a top notch cast all doing great work.
Starting with Elijah Wood, who is excellent in his role as Frodo Baggins, the genial hobbit who is thrown in a dangerous journey and given the tremendous burdening task of carrying the ring.
Wood
has some good scenes in the film of course of which include his first one where Frodo sits at peace in the Shire reading and he suddenly hears the voice of Gandalf and he runs over to see him arrive riding his cart and horse. So, Frodo smiles wryly at Gandalf and says to him teasingly "You're late!" and Gandalf offended says "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, he arrives precisely when he means to!" but he then breaks into a smile and laughs and Frodo jumps over and hugs him and says "Its wonderful to see you, Gandalf!".
Then there is the scene where Gandalf returns to the Shire after discovering the truth about the ring, which he has entrusted to Frodo to keep it safe and he tells him that the ring cannot remain in the Shire and that Frodo must leave with it.
So, in the scene, Gandalf tells Frodo of Sauron's thirst for the ring and "He must never find it!" and Frodo says "Alright, we keep it hidden. We never speak of it again! No one know's its here, do they? Do they, Gandalf?" and Gandalf admits that Gollum told the enemies where it was when he was captured and Frodo reacts in horror and says "But that would lead them here!". So, Frodo holds out the ring to Gandalf and insists "Take it, Gandalf! Take it! You must take it!" but Gandalf refuses and shouts "Don't tempt me, Frodo. I would use this ring with the desire to do good but through me it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine". Frodo however insists "But it cannot stay in the Shire!" and Gandalf agrees "No, it can't" and Frodo then asks "Then what must I do?" and Gandalf tells him he must leave the Shire.
Another good scene from Elijah is where Frodo having been saved from death by the Elves after being stabbed by one of the Nazghul (i.e. the ring wraiths) talks to Sam, who is eager to head back to the Shire but Frodo is not quite so keen.
So, in the scene, Sam is packing to go home and Frodo walks in and asks him "Packed already? I thought you wanted to see the Elves, Sam?" and Sam says "I do" and Frodo teases him slightly and says "More than anything!". Sam awkwardly tells Frodo "I do. Its just... we did what Gandalf wanted, didn't we? We got the ring this far to Rivendell and I thought seeing you're on the mend, we'd be off soon". Frodo takes a moment and then turns to Sam and says "You're right, Sam. We did what we set out to do. The ring will be safe in Rivendell. I am ready to go home".
I won't mention too many but I will mention the scene where he volunteers to take the ring to Mordor while Elrond's council attendees argue. And Frodo says "I will take it!" but they don't hear him so he says it louder and he says finally "I will take the ring to Mordor!" as the meeting falls silent leaving Frodo looking awkward who says "Though....I do not know the way!".
Another good scene is where Frodo laments that during their fellowship
journey "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had
happened" but Gandalf reassures that something good will eventually come
of Frodo having the ring.
And of course there is the scene where Frodo watches on in horror as Gandalf falls into a chasm after the Balrog wraps it tail around his leg and Gandalf says "Fly you fools!" before he let's go and Frodo screams out "NO!!!!!!!!!!!" as he is taken to safety by Aragorn.
Ian McKellan is superb as Gandalf, which is a part he was surely born to play and he inhabits the part with all he has and there is no doubt that no one else could have played Gandalf as well.
McKellan has various highlights in the film such as his first scene when Gandalf arrives at the Shire and Frodo spots and says "You're late!" and Gandalf says to him somewhat sharply "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to!" but then they both start to laugh and then share a hug.
And later there is the scene where Gandalf refuses to take the ring from Frodo and he pleads with him "Don't... tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo. I would use this ring from a desire to do good... But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine!".
Then there is the scene where Gandalf meets with Saruman but learns that he has turned to helping Sauron and Saruman says "We must join with Sauron. It would be wise, my friend" and Gandalf defiantly says "Tell me, old friend, when did "Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness?!!" before they launch into the battle of the staffs!
Another notable scene is where Frodo in the mines of Moria, laments over how he wishes that the ring never came to him but Gandalf reassures him in a way it was a good thing. So, Gandalf tells Frodo "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought". Also in the scene, Gandalf and the others are lost in the mines of Moria and he has a light bulb moment and says "Ah! Its this way!" and Merry says "He remembered!" but Gandalf says to him "No, but the air isn't so foul down here! If in doubt, just follow your nose!".
And last
of all there is Gandalf's last scene in the film where he confronts the
Balrog standing over a bridge in the mines of Moria and he shouts at it "YOU CANNOT PASS!!. So, Gandalf holds up his staff and defiantly says "You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow!". And he raises his sword and staff together and yells "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!!" and slams them down as part of the bridge gives
way and the Balrog disappears into the chasm below but not before its
whips up and grabs hold of Gandalf's leg who is pulled over the edge.
And Gandalf desparately tries to holds on as he looks up at his
fellowship members and says "Fly you fools!" before letting himself go
into the mighty chasm.
Viggo Mortensen is also excellent as Aragorn/Strider, who makes a
mysterious first appearance in the film as a ranger but is later
revealed to be a descendant of Isildur and the rightful heir to the
throne of Gondor.
Mortensen also has some great moments such as his intro scene where as the strider he keeps himself in the shadows and watches Frodo put on the ring and after he takes it off again, Strider grabs Frodo and says "You draw too much attention to yourself, Master Baggins!". And later Aragorn tells Frodo about the ringwraiths "They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One!".
Another good scene from Viggo comes when Aragorn arrives to fight off the ringwraiths and he checks on Frodo who has been stabbed and Aragorn picks up the sword which disintegrates in his hands "He has been stabbed by a morgul blade! I cannot help him, he needs Elvish medicine". And as Frodo get's weaker and weaker from his wound Aragorn explains that "He is passing into the Shadow World. He'll soon become a wraith like them!" but soon enlists the help of his girlfriend, Arwen to save Frodo.
And last of all there is the great fight scene between the
leader of the Uruk-hai and Aragorn which ends with Aragorn beheading
the big bugger. And this is followed by his last line of the film where
he decides to try and save Merry and Pippin who have been taken by the
Uruk-hai. And Aragorn says to Legolas and Gimli "
We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we
have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel
light. Let's hunt some Orc!".
Sean Astin is also very good in his role as Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Frodo's best
friend and Astin despite being American affects a really good Bristol-esque English accent that he holds convincingly throughout.
Astin also has some good moments in the film such as his first scene where Sam is caught eavesdropping outside Bilbo's home and he is pulled through the window by Gandalf. And Gandalf demands to know what he has overheard and Sam nervously says "N-nothing important. That is, I heard a good deal about a ring, and a Dark Lord, and something about the end of the world, but... Please, Mr. Gandalf, sir, don't hurt me. Don't turn me into anything... unnatural!".
And there are a few other scenes I could mention but I don't know them offhand so I will mention this one from when Frodo and Sam set off on their journey and Sam loses Frodo in the crop fields of the Shire. And Sam calls out for Frodo desparately "Frodo?! Frodo!" and Frodo appears who asks what he is shouting about and Sam says "I thought I lost you" and Frodo says "We're still in the Shire" and Sam says to him "I made a promise to Gandalf. "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee." And I don't mean to". Sam then admits to Frodo "This is it. If I take one more step, it'll be the furthest away from home I've ever been".
And lastly there is the scene from Astin is the one where Galadriel hands out each member of the Fellowship a gift on their departure from her. So, in the scene Galadriel hands Sam some elfish rope and says to him "For you, Samwise Gamgee, Elven rope, made of hithline" and Sam takes the rope but he sheepishly asks her "Thank you, m'lady...have you ran out of those shiny daggers?" referring to the ones she gave Merry and Pippin.
Christopher Lee is great as the secondary villain of the film, Saruman (formerly the wise but now just an evil misguided douchebag!) who does the evil bidding of the spirit of Sauron.
Lee also has some great moments in the film such as his first scene where he reveals his betrayal to Gandalf who tries to leave his castle but he uses his wizardy to close all the doors.
So, in the scene, Saruman explains to Gandalf that it is already too late to prevent Sauron's forces as the Nazgul have left to hunt down the ring. So, he says to Gandalf "The hour is later than you think. Sauron's forces are already moving. The Nine have left Minas Morgul" and Gandalf asks "The nine?" and Saruman says to him "They crossed the River Isen on Midsummer's Eve, disguised as riders in black" and Gandalf now worried asks "They have reached the shire?" and Saruman says "They will find the ring and kill the one who carries it".
So at this point, Gandalf instantly tries to leave as he mutters Frodo's name only for Saruman to magically seal every exit door now revealing his true nature, he smiles and says to Gandalf "You did not seriously think that a Hobbit could contend with the will of Sauron, there are none that can!". And Saurman continues by saying to Gandalf "We must join with Him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron. It would be wise, my friend!". But they engage in a battle of the staffs and Saruman gains the upper hand and uses his staff to spin Gandalf around helplessly and he says to him " I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of pain!!" and sends Gandalf spinning helplessly into the air towards the top of his tower.
And lastly there is the scene where Saruman explains to the newly bred Uruk-hai leader, Lurtz "
Do you know how the Orcs first came into being? They were elves once, taken by the dark powers, tortured and mutilated. A ruined and terrible form of life. Now... perfected. My fighting Uruk-Hai. Whom do you serve?" and Lurtz shouts "Saruman!".
Ian Holm does very well also in his role as Bilbo Baggins and he too has
some good moment in his performance such as his opening scene where
Gandalf turns up at Bilbo's door and knocks it. #
And Bilbo testily says as he walks to the door "No, thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!". And in the next scene when Gandalf says that he suspects Frodo knows something of Bilbo's intended departure, Bilbo says "Of course he does, he's a Baggins, not some blockheaded Bracegirdle from Hardbottle!".
Then there is the scene where Bilbo is about to depart but is reluctant to give up the ring so willingly to Gandalf and he says "Now it comes to it, I don't feel like parting with it. It's mine, I found it. It came to me!". And after Gandalf yells at him, which causes Bilbo's house to shake and Gandalf's voice to deepen Bilbo finally gives up the ring and let's it slowly drop off his palm onto the floor as if it was a lead weight.
And lastly
there is the scene where Frodo is reunited with Bilbo at Rivendell and
notices that Bilbo has aged considerably as the ring prolonged his life
but the effects have since worn off. And as Bilbo gives his armour
called Mithril and a sword called Sting he notices Frodo wears the ring
around his neck as a chain as Frodo buttons up his shirt after putting
on the armour and he says "Oh my old ring! I would like to hold it once
more" but Frodo instead buttons up his shirt wearily causing Bilbo
suddenly lash out at him and his face becomes ghoulish and Bilbo
afterward alarmed, apologizes.
Hugo Weaving is pretty good
as Lord Elrond and again its a part that is almost tailor made for his
style of acting.
And I will mention a couple of his scenes starting with the one where Elrond talks with Gandalf and shares his concerns over Sauron's growing armies.
So, Elrond says to Gandalf in the scene "Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the East; his eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin!". Gandalf then explains that Saruman's trechery runs deeper than Elrond knows as he has bread an army of hyrbid orcs/elves, the Uruk-hai. Elrond them warns Gandalf that the ring cannot stay in Rivendell "This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to withstand both Mordor and Isengard. Gandalf, the Ring cannot stay here. This evil belongs to all of Middle-Earth. They must decide now how to end it. The time of the Elves is over, my people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we've gone? The Dwarves? They toil away in caverns, seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others".
Elrond then laments over his lost faith in humanity as he recalls when Isildur refused to destroy the ring. And he says to Gandalf "Men are weak. The Blood of Numenor is all but spent, its pride and dignity forgotten. It is because of Men the Ring survives. I was there, Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago. I was there the day the strength of Men failed!". And after the flashback of Isildur waking away from the firey pit of Mount Doom, Elrond says "Isildur kept the Ring. It should have ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure. There's no strength left in the world of Men. They're scattered, divided, leaderless!".
And later on there is the scene where Elrond and the others hold a meeting where they decide that the ring must be destroyed. So, Elrond says to the others "You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed". So, Gimli suddenly says "Then what are we waiting for?!" and he charges up and strikes the ring with his axe only for it shatter into pieces and it sends him reeling back. So, Elrond tells Gimli "The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this".
Then there is Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan as the hobbits Pippin and Merry, who are almost like an inseparable couple in the film who provide some comic relief along the way and the two of them share a nice onscreen rapport with one another. And Boyd has some fun moments in the film such as the scene where Aragorn leads the hobbits and Pippin complains about being hungry and he says of Aragorn "What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?!" and Merry says "I wouldn't count on it!".
Then there is the moment where Merry and Pippin gatecrash the council meeting Elrond holds and Pippin says to Elrond "Anyways, you need people of intelligence on this sort of... mission... quest... thing!" and Merry says "Well that rules you out, pip!". And as Elrond announces the fellowship to include them and Pippin says "Great! Where are we going?".
Another amusing scene from Billy and Dom is the one where on leaving Lothlorien, the group have been given packs of Elvish bread (Lembas bread). So, Legolas proudly tells the others "One small bite is enough to feed the stomach of a grown man!" and Merry asks Pippin "How many have you eaten?" and Pippin tells him "Four" and he let's out a burp.
And lastly there is the scene where the fellowships begins to break up as the Uruk-Hai attack them and Merry and Pippin hide in the woods from them but see Frodo nearby, who is set on leaving them behind to carry out his task alone. So, as Pippin call over to Frodo "Frodo! Come here!" Frodo looks at them and shakes his head and Pippin asks "What is he doing?" and Merry realises "He's leaving" and they see the Uruk-hai soldiers nearby and Merry tells Frodo "Go, Frodo!" as Merry and Pipping shout to gain the attention of them.
Sean Bean does well in his role as Boromir of Gondor who is quite an arrogant character who also falls foul of the ring's influence and he tries at one stage to take it from Frodo but later redeems himself at the cost of his life.
Bean also has some good moments such as his first scene at
the council where he warns the others of the dangers that lie in Mordor
"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its Black Gates are guarded by
more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, and the
Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire
and ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with
ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!".
And lastly there is the scene where Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo as he falls under its spell and his greed takes over. So, Boromir in the scene says to Frodo "None of us should wander alone, you least of all. Frodo? I know you suffer, I see it day by day. Are you sure you do not suffer needlessly? There are other ways, Frodo, other paths we might take". And Frodo says to Boromir that he is wary of his words and are a warning to him and Boromir says "Warning? Against what? We are all afraid, Frodo. But to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have... don't you see? That is madness! I only for the right to defend my people!".
Boromir then tries to approach Frodo and says "If only you would lend me the ring..." and Frodo backs off and shouts "No! You're not yourself!" and Boromir taken aback asks "Why do you recoil? I'm no thief!". Boromir then continues becoming more angry "What chance do you think you have? They will find you. They will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end!" and Frodo starts to move away quickly only for Boromir to follow him. Boromir then continues "You fool! Its yours by happy chance!" and he runs after Frodo and grabs him and says "Give it to me! Give it to me!". And as they struggle Frodo puts on the ring to get away from Boromir and he vanishes and Boromir recovers himself, shaken, he calls out for Frodo "Frodo?! What have I done?!" and as we see Frodo run away under the veil of the ring, Boromir shouts "Frodo, I'm sorry!".
Then there is John Ryhs-Davies is great as Gimli, the dwarf who joins the fellowship but he get's to a somewhat spiky start as he argues with Legolas over the ring during the council meeting. So, as Boromir suggests that they could use the ring for good, Legolas tells him "Have you heard nothing of what Lord Elrond said?! The ring must be destroyed!" and Gimli angrily says to him "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!" and he shouts at him "I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf! Never trust an elf!".
And later Gimli provides one of the film's funniest lines when during the mines of Moria sequence when Aragorn is about to grab and toss him over a gap in a bridge and Gimli shouts "Nobody tosses a dwarf!". But as Gimli tries to make the jump he nearly falls and Legolas grabs his long beard and Gimli shouts "Not the beard! Not the beard!".
And lastly there is the scene where just before the fellowship are about to leave Loriendel and are given parting gifts, Galadriel asks Gimli if there is anything he would like and the scene moves forward to Gimli and the others on a boat having departed from Loriendel. So, Gimli says "I have been dealt a wound beyond all healing, for I have looked the last... upon that which was fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me" and Legolas asks "What was it?" and Gimli tells him "I asked for one hair from her golden head... she gave me three".
Cate Blanchett is as good as you would expect her to be in her role
as Galadriel, the co-ruler of Lothlorien where she forewarns Frodo of
the ring's power and later gives the hobbits gifts before they leave.
And Blanchett's best scene is where Frodo meets with her and Frodo at one point offers her the ring and she admits her temptation, which takes on an elemental transformation that terrifies her.
So, in the scene Frodo speaks to her telepathically "If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring" and he holds it out to her and Galadriel does appear tempted. And Galadriel says to Frodo "You offer it to me freely? I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this". And as Galadriel nears the ring, she transforms into a darker figure with a distorted voice "In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn! Treacherous as the Seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!". However, Galadriel recovers herself and says shakenly to Frodo "It seems I have passed the test. I shall diminish into the west and remain Galadriel". Frodo then tells her "I cannot do this alone" but Galadriel tells him "You are a ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of the power is to BE alone!".
Liv Tyler also does pretty well enough in the part as Arwen, Aragorn's love interest and one of the Elves and daughter of Lord Elrond although she does deliver alot of her dialogue in a very hushed manner but she still does it well and she looks quite fetching in that grey outfit she wears.
And I will mention a couple of Liv's scenes starting with her first one where Arwen holds her blade to Aragorn who his unaware her and she asks "What have we here? A ranger caught off his guard?". And Arwen then tends to Frodo who by this time has been stabbed with one of the Nazghul and has become gravely ill. So, Arwen says to Aragorn "He is fading fast, he will not last long, I must get him to my father" and she rides off with Frodo on horseback only to be soon chased by the Nazghul.
So, in the next scene, the Nazghul follow Arwen and then stop by a river as the wraith can't appear to travel over water and the Leader of the wraiths says "Give up the half-ling, she elf!" and Arwen draws out her sword and says "If you want him, come claim him!". And as the Nazghul finally ride onto the water toward her, Arwen chants in Elfish language and conjures a spell that causes a big tidal wave that sends the Nazghul flying away. However at this point, Frodo is near death as his breath becomes shallower and shallower and Arwen tearfully says to him "Frodo?! No! Frodo, don't give in! Not now!" and she hugs his close and says "What grace is given me, let it pass to him. Save him!".
And last of all is
Orlando Bloom who is the weak link in the cast if you ask me and Orlando
Bloom should really be called Orlando Bland! OK, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh here as he does do well enough in the role.
And I will mention the scene where Legolas properly introduces Aragorn at the council meeting at Rivendell after Boromir seems dismissive of him.
So, in the scene, Aragorn warns Boromir, who is tempted to use the ring for the sake of his own people at Gondor, that no one can wield it. So, Boromir asks "So, what would a ranger know of this matter?" and Legolas stands up and tells Boromir "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance!". And Borormir looks at Aragorn and says "So, this is Isildur's heir?" and Legolas tells him "And heir to the throne of Gondor!" but Aragorn seems a bit embarrassed and tells Legloas to sit down.
Lastly, Bloom also still does have the odd cool moment in the film such as the one where Legolas during the final fight scene of the film, stabs one of the Uruk-hai in the face
with one of his arrows and he uses the same arrow shoot another Uruk-hai
soldier. This of course became a trend in the following films where Legolas has one cool scene where he can dispatch enemies in a fancy way.
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
OK so with that section FINALLY over with I at last get the to the
direction and music paragraphs starting with Peter Jackson, the director
who does a tremendous job with LOTR: TFOTR and he shows an uncanny
understanding of the source material and cleverly condenses down the
story to make it into a largely thrilling film. Jackson also
effortlessly handles the film's exciting action scenes which include of
course the fights in the dark bowels of Moria, Gandalf's scene with
Saruman and their fight and the Uruk-hai fight near the end of the film
and also Aragorn's fighting off the ringwraiths. Jackson also even
appears in the film himself as a drunkard chewing on a carrot in the
village of Bree (and I wonder how close that is to the habits of the
real life Jackson! ;-)).
As for the film's score well.... frankly it sucks! No just kidding! No
the score by the great Howard Shore is simply terrific and memorable,
particularly its intro main theme which perfectly sets the tone of the
film. The score is filled with exciting and dramatic passages
particularly in the moments when the orcs and Uruk-hai are present or in
the scenes in the mines of Moria which features the highly memorable
music when we hear the noise of a thousands orcs in the background head
the fellowship's way and Gandalf utters the line "To the bridge of
Khazad-dum!". In short its a great score and it received a well
deserved Oscar that year at the Academy awards (although the merits of
these awards can be debatable but this instance its well merited here).
FLAWS
As for LOTR FOTR's flaws.......well yeah OK perhaps there are few and
for starters the film itself while understandably it needs to be long it
is arguably just a bit too long at times. And we all know that there
were indeed three books (unlike with The Hobbit in which there was ONLY
one yet Jackson decided to make three whole films out of it regardless!)
so there is a lot of story telling to be done. But it has to be said
the film is somewhat slow moving at times and its pacing can threaten to
leave you yawning a little especially as there are plenty of moments
such as the opening scenes at the Shire which seem to go on forever!
This is also notable even during the mines of Moria and the sequence
where they try to enter the mines and Gandalf can't find the proper
password or magical phrase to enter it! And in terms of epic length
films there is always a trade off between being epic and just being
overlong.
And then there are few plot points that lack logic within the film (and
indeed the book for that matter) such as the scene where Elrond reflects
on how Isildur was corrupted by the ring and refused to destroy it and
in the flashback Elrond looks on in shock as Isildur walks away from the
edge atop of the firey pit. Now OK Isildur was corrupted by the ring I
get that but why didn't Elrond try and stop him????!! I mean all it
could have taken was for Elrond to fight and struggle with Isildur
himself and just maybe he might been able to to subdue him long enough
to take the ring and end the evil threat there and then by casting it
into fire himself! But of course then again we wouldn't have had a
trilogy would we???
You could also argue that while the ringwraiths are hyper sensitive
towards the presence of the ring whenever Frodo takes it out it seems a
bit daft in the scene where Frodo and the other hobbits hide in the
woods that when one of the wraiths nearly spots them that it is so
easily distracted by Merry throwing a log of wood! The ringwraiths also
are too quick to make their presence known in the film with all
squealing they do as well but wouldn't it be better if they moved
silently so that way they would attract less attention to themselves?! I mean they did actually manage that in the scene where they sneak into the room where they believe the hobbits are sleeping to kill them only to find the beds they stab are empty and THEN they squeal lol!
Then there is the scene where Gandalf is held captive in Saruman's tower
all it eventually takes is for him to escape is one of the large eagles
to come along and rescue him. But given Saruman's powers of wizardy you
would at least think that he could have put up some sort of magical
force field around the tower to prevent Gandalf from escaping in the
first place! Although perhaps that form of magical power didn't exist
back then in the Tolkien books or indeed Jackson's mind when he had
scripted the film.
And last of all in what has often been criticised in the trilogy is of
course the use of the eagles themselves which begs the question: why
didn't they use the eagles to fly out and carry the ring to Mount doom
themselves, fly in and just drop the ring into the fire to destroy
Sauron's spirit there and then! Its a fair point that has been made by
various fans over the years and it would have again saved a long and
very arduous journey being made on foot by the fellowship and later
Frodo and Sam, which would have saved Frodo alot of psychological
scarring down by the effects of the ring! But again these are mute
points I guess since we would have no trilogy if that were the case.
However, further to that point and in defence of the books and trilogy, Mordor is actually guarded by the Ring wraiths, who fly on large demonic birds that patrol the sky, so actually for the eagles to try and get past them would of course be difficult. So, yeah that is a fair point in itself and they could only get by if Gandalf had stealth eagles that could fly under Sauron's radar! ;-)
Anyway that's it for my look at the flaws.
SUM UP
So to stum up, LOTR Fellowship of the Ring which for the
most part is a very entertaining and often exciting film which
features an excellent cast, some great CGI effects and some good old
fashioned storytelling. It is of course a very long and drawn out film
at times (and the extended edition released later on DVD and also
Blu-ray is even more so!) which seems to take its time in get going but
ultimately it is worth the wait.
And with that said as for a rating, I will give LOTR - The Fellowship of the Ring:
9 out of 10
So, that's it for now and I will be back with another revisitational look at the second film in the trilogy, The Two Towers.
So, till then its bye for now!
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