Curse that ring! / I can carry you!

This three-part series of films, based on three novels by an Oxford professor named J.R.R. Tolkien, celebrates the courage, comradeship and loyalty of a group of friends who belong to different races. The creatures of Middle Earth include elves, dwarves, hobbits, men and women, and even trees. They fight against the forces of darkness, not for wealth, power or personal glory, but for freedom. The dark lord Sauron, creator of the ring of power, threatens to destroy the kingdoms of the magical creatures and the kingdoms of men. Armies are raised to oppose him, but the greatest threat to his power is a little creature named Frodo Baggins, nephew of the famous hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Hobbits are not too different from humans, but they are small and they go barefoot all the time. Frodo sets out to destroy the ring of power, which will also destroy Sauron.

I’ve known a few women who would kill for a band of gold, but this ring means more than a wedding. It gives its bearer power to rule. Unfortunately, it also corrupts and sickens its bearer. Even the magical creatures of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth cannot resist its evil influence. Even the powerful gray wizard Gandalf both desires and fears the Ring of Power. The even more powerful white wizard Saruman falls victim to its influence, even though he never possesses it.

Average, Above Average, Excellent

The director says in the special features on the DVD that the goal of the first two movies was to get to the third, and it shows. The first movie, Fellowship of the Ring, is only average. People like it more for the unique setting and unusual creatures than for the story. The second movie, The Two Towers has more action and a better story than the first, but it tends to get by on special effects rather than careful plotting, so it’s above average but not over the top. The third movie, The Return of the King, finally catches the golden ring (pun intended). It has story, characters, special effects, suspense, and a satisfying ending.

Some Thoughts

These three films have a medieval texture, almost like King Arthur’s
Camelot. From the soundtrack music to the costumes, and down to the manner of speech, they remind me of that time in our history which we tend to think of as more honorable than our own time. The violence is bloodier, since battles are fought face-to-face and not by pushing buttons at a remote and safe location. On the other hand, every interaction is more personal and more human.

This tale is more than a fantasy. Magic does help the heroes from time to time, but they succeed only through their courage, comradeship and loyalty. Frodo must bear the ring, but he never could succeed without the support and faith of his friend Sam. Frodo has been chosen to carry the ring, but Sam has been chosen to carry Frodo. All of them need each other, and even the special effects and spectacles never overpower the story of the relationships among the friends and enemies who move the plot along.

The director, Peter Jackson, went from an unknown to a famous film industry giant by making these movies. Many of the cast members were also unknown before he cast them in The Lord of the Rings. Elijah Wood plays Frodo, and I knew that he was right for the part as soon as I saw his remarkably expressive eyes. Sean Astin plays Sam, and I can’t imagine anyone else in this pivotal role as Frodo’s best friend. Liv Tyler makes a beautiful elf, and it’s no wonder that Aragorn (played impeccably by Viggo Mortensen) falls deeply in love with her. There’s a love triangle, since the human Princess of Rohan falls in love with Aragorn. This triangle is resolved at the end of the third movie in the trilogy, but it still makes me feel sad. Orlando Bloom was hired right out of acting school to play the elf hero Legolas, and he seems perfect for the role; to me, this actor looks like an elf, even without the pointy ears. Veteran actors Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee make magnificent wizards.

Summary

Part one of this ambitious trilogy Lord of the Rings begins the battle against the dark lord Sauron and his evil ring of power. When Bilbo Baggins leaves to visit the land of the elves, he leaves Frodo Baggins all of his property, including the gold ring that he found in his travels. That ring, and the quest to possess it, threatens to destroy the world. As a result, Frodo is forced to leave his home in the Shire and take the ring to a safe place. This task falls to a hobbit, in Gandalf’s words the “most unassuming of all creatures”, because he has some ability to resist the ring.

Frodo sets off with his friend Sam, and they meet more friends along the way. Unfortunately, they also meet enemies. Although they manage to reach Rivendell. the land of the elves, they are not safe and the ring cannot stay there.

The Fellowship begins to break up. One soldier dies, and Gandalf falls into the pit. Frodo decides to leave on his own because the ring is such a strong temptation for the others. Sam refuses to be left behind.

The sequel, part two of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, works better than part one, The Fellowship of the Ring, where most of the major characters were introduced. It has more action, more conflict and bigger panoramas than part one. Additional characters take part in the adventure, and the villains stir up more trouble, danger and violence. I do get tired of hearing three or more characters shouting, “Frodo, Frodo, Frodo!” in scene after scene.

Frodo must destroy the Ring of Power, in order to defeat the forces of darkness that threaten all the hobbits, elves, men and other virtuous inhabitants of the land. The only way to destroy the ring is to take it to the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged by the dark lord Sauron.

This sequel introduces Gollum, the creature who held the ring for 500 years before losing it to a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Gollum’s name used to be Smeagle, before he was destroyed by his love and hate for the ring. The ring has destroyed him, yet he still suffers from an overwhelming desire to possess it. As a result, he must serve Frodo and help him to reach Mount Doom.

The influence of the ring changes Frodo from a happy young hobbit to a weary, suspicious person. The burden of the ring grows heavier as he carries it closer to Mount Doom.

Meanwhile, other members of the Fellowship of the Ring must rescue Merry and Pippin, the two hobbits who were carried off by evil orcs in part one. Merry and Pippin escape from the orcs, only to be captured by a talking tree – well, actually, it’s and Ent, a tree-herder.

Gandalf returns, and he is more powerful than before.

The King of Rohan is freed from evil enchantment, but he makes the mistake of failing to take up arms against evil until the enemy soldiers ambush his band of women and children as they flee. The courageous dare to fight, even when they have no chance of winning the battle.

Part three, The Return of the King, focuses on the struggle of Aragorn, the self-exiled heir to the throne of Gondor, to earn the right to claim his heritage. He feels unworthy because his father could not resist the lure of the ring of power. At the same time, Frodo struggles to reach to Mount Doom, in spite of a series of hazards and obstacles. Sam clearly sees the treachery of Smeagle, the gaunt, deformed creature who lives only to possess the ring. Frodo makes some bad choices, but Sam refuses to abandon him.

The ending shows that even seasoned soldiers fear death, but they can overcome their fear and accomplish great deeds. On the other hand, those who let their fear overpower them will destroy themselves by making the wrong choices. Most of all, it shows that nobody can accomplish a heroic task without the help of friends, and that all heroes must be willing to give up everything for the right cause, without regard for personal gain.

Features

Each DVD in this set is actually two DVDs. The second one has all of the special features, which include TV specials, Internet clips and music videos by Enya, who sang in the movie sound track. There are clips from the movie, as a well as info about how the books first came to be published, as well as how the three movies came to be made, and interviews with the director and the cast and crew. It’s all worth watching.

Opinion

First, I wish that they had mixed the sound track better for home viewing. On all three DVDs, the music blasts my eardrums, and the people speak so softly that I can’t tell what they’re saying. I have to constantly adjust the volume control.

Many Tolkien fans believed that no film could ever do justice to the novels. I believe that this film proved them wrong, and some fans tell me that they were pleasantly surprised at how good these films are. The lands of hobbits, elves, goblins, orcs and men all come alive, and the story is played out realistically, not as a fantasy. This story is about the best and worst qualities that we can find in ourselves. I really hate the way it ended because it was so open that it forced me to see part two, The Two Towers, in order to get the closure that I expect at the end of a movie.

Compared to part one, part two makes better use of Christopher Lee as the evil wizard and Ian McKellen as the good wizard.

I think that The Two Towers could stand on its own, even if you didn’t see part one. Of course the ending is left open to entice you to see part three, The Return of the King, but it isn’t as open or unfulfilling as the ending of part one. Even so, you should have part three on hand if you want to get the complete closure that a final ending provides.

The most memorable line in all three movies comes near the end of part three, when Sam says to Frodo, “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!” That line seems to encapsulate a major theme that runs through all three films: friendship and mutual aid count for more than power and magic.

Recommendation

I recommend that you have all three movies hand, so you can watch the entire story play out. Of course, you’ll need at least three days to watch them. Also, I kept going back to watch them again and find the details that I missed on the first viewing. They paid very close attention to detail and continuity in these films.

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Thank you so much for reading this humongous review!

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