The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Released: 2001 (Fellowship of the Ring), 2002 (The Two Towers), 2003 (Return of the King)

Total Runtime: 558 minutes (Theatrical), 686 minutes (Extended)

Directed: Peter Jackson

Produced: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, et al.

Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson, Ian McKellan, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis

Oscars: Fellowship: 4 Wins, 13 Total Nominations. Towers: 2 Wins, 6 Total Nominations. King: 11 Wins, 11 Total Nominations. Trilogy: 17 Wins, 30 Total Nominations. Staggering.

IMDB Plot Summary: Fellowship: A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. Towers: While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron’s new ally, Sarumon, and his hordes of Isengard. King: Gandalf and Aragon lead the World of Men against Sauron’s army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Context, Context, Context: What Created Lord of the Rings, and Why It’s Still Relevant

The world before The Trilogy. J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy story, split into 3 parts, continues to be one of the most beloved and highest-selling works of fiction of all time since its publication in 1955. As is the case with Dune, a film production was kicked around Hollywood for years, and some of the most important filmmakers ever considered taking it on. In 1978, Ralph Bakshi adapted half the material into an animated film that blends cartoons with live action for an honestly very weird but visionary experience. Check it out on YouTube, but you might need a toxicology test later to ensure you were sober.

It wasn’t until 1995 that Peter Jackson acquired the rights, and after multiple interactions with multiple producers, officially got the sign-off for one of the most ambitious film projects ever undertaken: 14 months of principal photography in Jackson’s home of New Zealand, epic runtimes, a score composed from scratch, and a screenplay written by Jackson and his wife, Fran Walsh. This is a risk that studios never take – agreeing to three movies without getting to see how one performs? Bakshi’s adaptations certainly influenced him, but Jackson also wisely turned his eye towards Braveheart for inspiration on grounded, realistic combat scenes and storytelling. And for inspiration on blending special effects with human characters? 1933’s King Kong.

The legacy of The Trilogy. Quantitatively, I’ll briefly let the numbers speak for themselves: 30 Oscar Nominations, with 17 Wins across the trilogy; A $280 million budget converted into a $2.98 billion box office revenue; home video sales, including the Extended Editions, continue to grow. Qualitatively, it achieved even more. On a genre level, it proved that a well-made fantasy movie could exist in the mainstream, just like the original Star Wars had done for science fiction roughly 25 years earlier. The concept of “mainstream fantasy” paved the way for one of the most successful T.V. shows of all time. Special effects that were invented for this film’s large battle scenes are still used today, and those sequences still look terrific. The Battle of Helm’s Deep, visual effects aside, remains alongside the opening beach sequence of Saving Private Ryan and the Battle of the Bastards from Thrones as the most well-constructed, intense, and emotionally taxing battle scenes of all time. However, these scenes that thrill are also balanced with perfectly pitched scenes of emotional character development, featuring gorgeously realized sets. By all standards, these films are masterpieces in the eyes of ordinary viewers and critics alike and are rightly regarded as some of the best films ever made.

The Story and its Characters

Fantasy as exploration of reality. J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian philosopher alongside C.S. Lewis, another intellectual giant of the 20th century. Lewis wanted to express the good/evil themes present in the Bible in a fantasy setting and represent many of those story arcs in his world – out of that was born The Chronicles of Narnia. Tolkien appreciated his friend’s vision and writing style but had a much harder time than Lewis adjusting to life after serving in WW1 and wanted the characters of his world to exist in more shades of gray. There are also some darker themes at play in Tolkien’s work: The ring’s evil is a corrupting force that also functions as a powerful statement on addiction; progress and industrialization vs. nature play a key element; the world’s different beings experience a form of racial hatred and distrust towards each other; and despite the happy ending, Frodo struggles to move on with is life in a way resembling PTSD.

Jackson’s films touch all these themes, and they are realized brilliantly. He also made some effective choices in his storytelling by shifting the chronology of the books and eliminating certain sequences to build the most compelling narrative for the films. Between juggling multiple plots and subplots that all have to wrap up by the time the trilogy concludes, he chooses excellent moments to break up his story into its three parts; each movie is capable of standing on its own legs, with its own tone and “miniature” plot of action, tension, climax, and resolution.

The performances. If the performances falter then these films are a mess; however, the ensemble cast delivers. Viggo Mortensen’s turn as Aragorn moving from a rogue ashamed of his lineage, to embracing it and becoming the rightful king is perfect, and we cheer for him along the way. McKellan earned his nomination as Gandalf in equal turns lighthearted, sassy, and expressing righteous anger and power. Elijah Wood not only acts very well but has the Ryan Gosling effect of subtly using his face to allow us to project mood onto him and reflect the tone of the scene. Andy Serkis is rightly recognized for his brilliant motion capture work creating Gollum and is overdue for a nomination for the work he does here and the recent Planet of the Apes movies.

I think the best and most important performance in these films is Sean Astin playing Samwise Gamgee. His character has the best arc, and it’s great to watch him grow in confidence while maintaining his simple loyalty. After the Fellowship breaks, Sam and Frodo’s journey is told in parallel to the sweeping, fantasy war epic that the other character’s stories become. This way, Sam’s and Frodo’s journey becomes the emotional soul of the movie thanks to Astin's performance.

Technicalities

How to make fantasy feel real? Technically speaking, this trilogy is a marvel. The sets are eloquently designed, and a shocking amount of them were built practically – most of Helm’s Deep, plenty of Minas Tirith, and the Shire. The CGI that was created for this film is still used today and the blend of the two (practical and CGI) makes the experience feel realistic in a way that the excessive CGI of today’s blockbusters never achieves. The costumes deserve the win and so does Howard Shore’s score. Created from scratch, with recurring musical themes for characters and countries and moods, featuring a full orchestra and vocal chorus that is simply impeccable – epic filmmaking at its finest. Unlike old-school epics however, Jackson employs very modern camerawork to keep the audience engaged, and the frequent close-ups of our character’s dirty, battered, sweaty faces are images that keep us gripped and make it feel like real people are on this adventure. I usually pick one technical element that shines the brightest, but these films are technical masterpieces, so my pick is the blending of all these elements.

John’s Highlight Reel

Fellowship:

· One Ring to Rule Them All. The opening 10-15 minute sequence giving us the history of the world, the Ring, and everything we need to know functions very well to give us both the information that we need to understand, as well as a preview of how these films function. Epic battle scenes are paired with moments of character, and both are given equal weight.

· The Long-Expected Party. The entire Shire sequence is a splash of joy, and it’s a treat to revisit. The music, the brightly colored set, and the performances all work perfectly to introduce this pleasant, out-of-the way place. Tonally, it feels different than the rest of the films’ darkness, but that is so necessary to visually show how far from home the Hobbits have to go.

· Fight on Weathertop. Jumping ahead a little bit, the Nazgul attacking our band of hobbits on top of the ruined tower of Weathertop is a masterclass in the kind of tension and dread that Jackson can create. It effectively drives the plot forward and gives us great character moments. We also finally get to see Aragorn in action as he deftly fends off all 5 Nazgul.

· Horse Chase. Arwen, Aragorn’s elf girlfriend, takes the dying Frodo across the river via horseback into elf territory. The chase is very well filmed, using real horses and excellently edited to create tension. It also features some fun special effects, but the film’s moment of victory is soon turned sad as Arwen realizes she may have been too slow (she wasn’t).

· Forming the Fellowship. We’re smartly introduced via arguments to the characters that will make up the Fellowship and the movie doubles down on the racism that exists between humans, elves and dwarves. The look, the costumes, the set, the acting – a recipe for an iconic movie moment is there, and Jackson delivers.

· Boromir’s Slow Corruption. This is a series of recurring moments given even more time in the Extended Editions (compared to a true scene) where the Ring begins to tempt Boromir and it features some brilliantly subtle moments.

· Moria. This makes up nearly 30 minutes of the movie, but the entire Moria sequence perfectly encapsulates everything that makes these movies so special. We are treated to a beautiful mix of practical sets and computer-generated environments; we have moments of tension as the Fellowship tries to go unnoticed; levity and humor when Pippin sends the loudest armored skeleton down a massive hole; an excellent battle scene; great life lessons from Gandalf, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”; and an emotional death scene.

· The Final Battle. It’s one the most grounded fight scenes in the whole series – our small group of heroes battling it out against a large group of enemies in the woods with their swords, axes, and archery. Boromir’s death scene is still one of the most well-constructed and emotional death scenes in cinema, matched only by the emotional near-death of Sam when he stubbornly follows the fleeing Frodo, and the Fellowship is officially split.

Towers:

· Opening Flashback. This movie immediately lets us know that flashbacks and visions are an important part of this section of the story by showing us Gandalf’s apparent death from a new angle, and a very technically accomplished fight scene. We’re also treated to the emotional punch of seeing Boromir again.

· Saruman Moves Against Rohan. If he were still alive, I could listen to Christopher Lee (Saruman) read the phone book. In a voice-over/montage, Saruman pledges his loyalty to the dark lord, introduces us to the “peasant” country of Rohan where most of the action will be set in this movie, and we get emotionally moving sequences of villages being plundered.

· How Pippin and Merry Escaped. Another instance of the movie playing with time, watching Aragon analyze the aftermath of a battle to determine how the captured Pippin and Merry escaped death gives a pretty grim movie one of its earliest positive notes and expertly relieves the tension that we’ve been building to when they were feared dead.

· Dead Marshes at Night. We get our first truly sympathetic Gollum, where we understand the damage of being addicted to the Ring and through some great mo-cap work we can see pain and regret on his face. We also get the terrific reveal of a Nazgul, alive and well, now riding a flying lizard – the threats our characters face have significantly grown.

· Gandalf Cures Theoden. A newly resurrected Gandalf rides to the capital of Rohan, where we’ve seen the aged king being manipulated by his creepy advisory, Wormtongue. Gandalf uses his new full power to exorcise Saruman out of Theoden, and he is triumphantly de-aged and comes to his senses. The funeral that follows is also very moving.

· Gollum/Smeagol Conversation. This scene restores my faith that simple, innovative filmmaking is alive and well. The scene begins with “Gollum” talking directly into the camera, then the camera rotates and “Smeagol” addresses it from another angle. For the remainder of the conversation, “Gollum” addresses “Smeagol” from one angle, and “Smeagol” addresses “Gollum” from the other, but it’s edited to look like two separate people talking to each other.

· Dreams and Flashbacks. The movies shine in a different way here. Aragorn’s dream of Arwen while struggling with his feelings for Eowyn and Elrond’s vision to Arwen showing her that her immortal life doesn’t match up with Aragorn’s mortality are some of the most artistically accomplished moments of the films. There’s also a great flashback of Aragorn “breaking up” with Arwen so she can be with her people. My favorite flashback – only found in the Extended Edition – occurs when Faramir reveals that he’s Boromir’s brother; we see the two of them celebrate a victory, understand their father prefers Boromir, and the scene ends with Boromir being sent to recover the ring.

· Helm’s Deep. There’s a lot of greatness going on here, and it lasts awhile. Theoden’s poetic despair over his situation, played over footage of young farm boys being pressed into the army, is incredibly powerful. The tension builds before the battle, fantastically breaks, and the battle is on. It is visceral, thrilling, fun, but most importantly, coherent. We can clearly see large-scale strategies and defense playing out in real time, in addition to gritty hand-to-hand combat.

· Gollum’s Final Conversation. Gollum/Smeagol fights with himself again, but this time, it’s all filmed in one long take – there’s less of an internal battle going on here, so the visuals match up. Gollum breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience, and the film ends in suspense.

King:

· Another Opening Flashback. The very next scene in the trilogy from my last highlight, we finally see how Gollum came to be. It’s freaky, tragic, and from this moment forward we are convinced there is sadly no saving him; Sam and Frodo are in danger.

· Journey to Gondor. Pippin and Merry are sadly parted, and we are given some extraordinary footage of Gandalf and Pippin galloping through the countryside to the capital city of Minas Tirith, and the mix of practical and CGI pays off to wonderful effect. Denethor is a terrifically complex character; he’s paranoid of losing his power and incompetent – yet broken by grief over the loss of Boromir, his son.

· Light the Beacons. The emergency beacons being lit between Gondor and Rohan feature some of the most profound real footage of mountain ranges you’ll ever see, set to a rousing score.

· Share the Load. In Jackson’s hands the story of Frodo and Sam, while smaller in scale, produces some of the most profound moments in the films. Gollum manipulates Frodo into getting rid of Sam, and this scene is so acutely frustrating and heartbreaking.

· The Edge of Night. In a beautifully devasting sequence, Denethor orders his remaining son Faramir to attack the captured city of Osgiliath though vastly outnumbered. As Denethor gorges himself on fine food and wine and Pippin sings for him, the footage of Faramir’s charge is played in slow-motion with minimal sound; Pippin’s haunting voice is still heard. The orcs all draw their bows, and the audience collectively prepares for the slaughter. Mercifully, we are spared seeing the carnage, but we do see a shocked Gandalf sitting on a bench as the sun sets.

· The Siege of Gondor. Far less grounded than Helm’s Deep but still impeccably staged, the scenes of catapults launching, siege towers approaching, and the Nazgul descending on the city are as much a rush today as they were when I was 11. The continuity is excellent, and the sequence is very coherent and easy to follow; the viewer never feels lost despite the scope.

· Shelob’s Lair. Here is a more nerve-wracking shot of adrenaline than what you thought you signed up for; Frodo, having sent away Sam, is lured by Gollum into the lair of a giant spider. The build-up of tension is excellent and breaks in the brilliant reveal of the monster – still freaky to this day. Sam’s face-off with the beast serves as the culmination of him finding his courage and is immensely satisfying.

· Battle of Pelennor. If Moria from Fellowship gave us 30 minutes of everything great about the trilogy, Pelennor gives us everything great about the action in the trilogy; an epic speech and charge, joy turned to fear with the approaching elephant army; a harrowing showdown; joy yet again when Eowyn kills the Witch King; and an emotional character death for Theoden.

· Destroying the Ring. For the first time since the Fellowship was all in the same place, we’re treated to an action sequence that’s directly cross-cut; in this case, the movie jumps back and forth between our heroes at the Black Gate and Frodo, Sam, and Gollum inside Mount Doom. This is the trilogy’s fever pitch climax, where the action feels the tensest and our favorite characters face real peril. The destruction of the ring is a joyous sequence, but the celebration is cut short when most of our characters fear Frodo and Sam’s death. Once they reach safety, the conversation between Frodo and Sam features some heartbreaking character moments and beautiful celebrations of friendship.

· The Endings. After the Ring is destroyed, there’s still nearly 30 minutes of movie left, and if Jackson had kept to the books, there would have been another hour. With this, both Jackson and Tolkien emphasize that coming home and moving on is an integral part of any journey or experience; these sections feature some of the most artistically achieved moments in cinema – especially the coronation. Frodo’s inability to adjust to home life, resulting in him sailing away with the elves is as poignant a statement on trauma in the film as it was in 1955.

Came for _____, Stayed for ______

The epic fantasy. I was first introduced to these films when I was 10 or 11, and I thought the action sequences and fantasy world were the coolest thing ever. The battles were massive, well-made, and super engaging, and the supernatural elements were mind-blowing. As I grew older, I began to appreciate how the mix of practical filming techniques blending with CGI to make this fantasy world feel truly lived in, which makes it still feel real for me at 24. The story can feel larger-than-life, and that blended with a wonderfully realized world produces, on one hand, an escapist fantasy trilogy that will be sure to live on.

The human themes. On the other hand, a terrifically-built world and interesting story wouldn’t be enough to elevate this trilogy above its genre to the status that it has in the history of movies; this is accomplished by its remarkably powerful and human themes. Addiction, grief, corruption, morality, racial bias, friendship, trauma, and romance are not only present in the films, but handled with care. How and when Jackson chooses to emphasize these themes is crucial but accomplished masterfully. There’s a reason these films garnered so much acclaim and commercial success in their day and have become the standard for powerful storytelling with supernatural elements. And unlike Thrones, it sticks the landing.