Revisiting Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Poster Description: A white, misty light shines, illuminating Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) frightened face. He is surrounded by his allies: (Left) sweaty-haired Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) holds his sword up ready, and beautiful Arwen (Liv Tyler) stares off out of frame. Bunched together, Pippin, Sam, and Merry look up uncertainly. On the right, Galadriel gazes past her silver hooded cloak, her golden hair poking out and past her shoulders. Gandalf scowls beside Frodo, his bushy eyebrows and beard bristling. Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas raise their battle horn, axe, and bow to fight. The white light accumulates into misty water where the Nine Ring Wraiths gallop on horses.

How has it been over two decades since The Fellowship of the Ring was released? In that time, we’ve seen three (THREE!) Hobbit films, which I will most certainly revisit one day. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Rings movies have become my go-to comfort films. This means I watch them when I need background noise and time to focus on an essential task while still having something excellent to look at without getting completely distracted.

I originally wrote a review for Fellowship in 2012, six months before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hit cinemas. As ever, those thoughts will be highlighted in blue.

2012: Okay, for those who don’t know by now, The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of books by J.R.R Tolkien, set around the backdrop of Middle Earth, where elves frolic through forests, dwarves roam underground, and hobbits (tiny, little people with hairy feet), just keep themselves to themselves in the Shire, a place where I secretly wish to live one day.

2022: It was the Hobbit-holes that did it for me. Big round doors and archways, and everything on one level? Yes. Plus, the concept of a second breakfast still sounds stupendous. It’s also easy to forget that, once upon a time, The Lord of the Rings was deemed unfilmable due to the massive budget needed to do Tolkien’s sprawling universe any kind of justice. Last year, I read a brilliant article from The Independent that offered an oral history of the film’s fractious development. At one point, Quentin Tarantino was bandied around as a potential director. What a trilogy THAT would have been with him at the helm; he’d have cast himself as Elrond, no doubt.

Hindsight is strange, but New Zealand was the best and only location to capture Middle Earth, so absolutely.

2012: The Fellowship of the Ring is set sixty years after…The Hobbit… instead of Bilbo Baggins setting off on an adventure, you have Frodo, his nephew…or maybe it’s his second cousin, twice removed; you never can be sure with hobbits.

2022: Er, I meant to say Tolkien’s lore can be interpreted either way.

Image Description: The Shire is lush and green with houses rising in low hills with trees growing on top. Gandalf’s pointed hat is just visible in the wide shot as he drives across a sloped pathway in a humble horse and cart. The horse is bay-coloured with a bright, white blaze down its face. Bilbo’s house has a round, vibrantly green door. At the bottom of some stone steps is a message on the gate, but it’s too tiny to read right now.

2012: It is Frodo who is chosen for the incredibly daunting task of destroying the One Ring – that’s a magic ring that belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron.

2022: Actually, Frodo volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor. The scene is a masterpiece for building tension, and Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood’s performances are impeccable. I remember being so surprised when I heard Wood’s genuine voice during an interview because his British accent is so convincing.

2012: But [Frodo] is not alone on this journey, oh no. He travels with eight companions, including three of his kin: his devoted friend (and gardener) Sam, and Merry and Pippin. They’re the kind of Ant and Dec of the group. There’s also Legolas, an elf (Orlando Bloom, probably the main reason I watched this so many times, as a teen), a dwarf, Gimli, two men, Boromir (Sean Bean, who still can’t quite shake off his Sheffield accent) and Aragorn… as the film progresses, his back-story is slowly revealed… he battles many of the fellowship’s foes, but he is also full of softly-spoken angst, but only in the presence of his elfin belle, Arwen.

2022: Aragorn was initially meant to be played by (then twenty-something) Stuart Townsend. Best known for his role as the vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned, it’s safe to say Townsend was far too young to play a world-weary Ranger. Most likely, they cast him for his looks, yet a week before filming began, he was dropped for Viggo Mortensen. Townsend, unsurprisingly, took the decision badly, but the casting people made the right call. Mortensen is perfect as Aragorn and was so dedicated to the role he carried his sword in between takes. Peter Jackson even called him by his character name on many occasions!

Mortensen’s performance is a breath of fresh air. Aragorn fights not because he enjoys doing it but to protect those he cares about; plagued by the mistakes of his ancestors, he is not afraid to cry or show affection. My heart melts when he cups Arwen’s face in his hands – that, or Aragorn has a thing about her ears. Either way, it’s a lovely, tender moment.

Image Description: Aragorn (left) and Arwen are close enough together for their noses to touch. Gazing at Arwen’s lips, Aragorn is tanned, needing a shave, and his dark hair is wavy and shoulder-length. A chain around his neck glints softly silver. Arwen seems to glow. Her hair is pulled back to reveal her pointed ears.

Because the novels were published in 1953, it’s not a shock to know there are very few female characters. However, I read the books aged ten (once I’d watched the films to the point of obsession)) and was bitterly disappointed by how little Arwen featured in them. The decision, then, to have her flee with Frodo away from the Ring Wraiths in the movie, instead of a high elf named Glorfindel was a welcome one. The Wraiths – or Nazgul – are still terrifying, helped by their shrill screams (created by producer and Jackson’s wife, Fran Walsh, whilst suffering from bronchitis). Admittedly, the river horses look a bit dated today, but the sequence is still one of Fellowship’s countless extraordinary moments.

Another point to the good guys…

Image Description: Nine hooded figures in black hold deadly swords. They flee on dark horses in a panic from mystical water that froths beneath their hooves. A green forest watches on, probably entertained by the triumph against evil.

Orlando Bloom was my first celebrity crush, so his (rather wooden) performance will forever hold a special place within me. With that said, the older I get, the more I appreciate humble characters like Samwise Gamgee – though not like my younger self did with Legolas! Like my reaction to Wood, I was stunned to learn Sean Astin wasn’t British because he captures Sam’s quiet, stoic nature so well. As for Merry and Pippin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd offer much of the film’s much-needed comic relief – and cause for Gandalf’s anger!

2012: …a wizard played with heart-breaking ease by Sir Ian McKellen. Apparently, Sean Connery was lined up for the role, but turned it down, because he “didn’t understand the story.”

2022: What can I say about McKellen’s performance that hasn’t already been said? Any other actor would have made Gandalf unlikeable or turned that iconic line into something hammy, but McKellen finds a precise balance between warmth and incredible power.

I… CAN HEAR…THIS IMAGE!

Image Description: Gandalf clutches his sword, Glamdring, and his magic staff in both hands. He is dirty, squinting up into glowing white and orange light. He looks magnificent.

Saruman is played by the late Sir Christopher Lee, who, on top of being brilliantly cast, knew JRR Tolkien personally – and could throw a pen and make it stick in a tree like a spear. The battle between Gandalf and Saruman would have looked ridiculous without Howard Shore’s blistering score.

2012: The plot is rather complicated (many would call it epic), full of dark twists and turns and magic, and “do we trust this person, or are they just trying to get their filthy mitts on the Ring?” kind of paranoia that is very engrossing.

2022: Cate Blanchett’s appearance as Galadriel is brief, and she has the daunting task of voicing the film’s masterful introduction. I might have said there are few female characters in Tolkien’s works, but when they appear, they make a hell of an impact, and Blanchett smashes that point home.

The scene where Boromir is tempted by the Ring is a gripping piece of theatre. With violent rage and tearful regret, there are no special effects to show the change, only Bean acting his socks off.

2012: I will take this time to applaud the crew that spent four hours every day applying the necessary make-up to bring the orcs to life. They were the reason I hid behind a cushion while I watched the film for the first time, aged nine… especially when you see them being ‘created.’ I call it the maternity ward, heh, heh, ew.

GIF Description: A writhing, humanoid mass struggles to escape a muddy sac. A small orc tugs it away, only for the colossal orc inside to grab them by the throat. The new arrival is filthy with a flat face, dominated by an open, fanged mouth and long ropes of hair.

2022: My love of the marriage between practical and digital effects endures. When CGI was still quite a fresh medium, it is surprising how well the creatures have fared in twenty-one years. Most notably, the eye of Sauron, the cave troll in the Mines of Moria, and the Balrog still look as awe-inspiring as they did during my first viewing. The fight between Aragorn and Lurtz, the mighty orc, pushes the 12A certificate (and my nerves) to the limit. Mortensen would have been wounded by an unscripted flying weapon without his quick reactions!

2012: [The Fellowship of the Ring is] a little hard to keep up with if you’ve never read the books before, but despite that, there’s enough action and comedy to captive and engross you completely. Truly an epic classic.

2022: While I now disagree that the plot is challenging to follow, The Fellowship of the Ring runs nearly three hours. Still, it feels like an actual labour of love, and I am grateful for its impact on cinema and me as a girl. An epic classic, indeed.

The Verdict:

2012: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

2022: 4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

You can read my revisit of The Two Towers here

My Sources:

Fellowship of the Ring film poster - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

The Lord of the Rings oral history - https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/lord-of-the-rings-oral-history-fellowship-b1975180.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Image: Gandalf arrives at Bag End - https://drifttravel.com/new-zealand-celebrates-20th-anniversary-of-lord-of-the-rings/

Trivia about Aragorn – I mean, Viggo Mortensen behind the scenes - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv

Image: Aragorn and Arwen - https://www.silverpetticoatreview.com/romantic-moment-arwen-and-aragorn/

Image: Horses VS water, who will win? - https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/fellowship-ring-2/

Image: Gandalf squares up to the Balrog - https://mckellen.com/cinema/lotr/reviews.htm