2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Release Year: 2001
- Director: Peter Jackson
- Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first movie of the trilogy. I was so tempted to put this movie No. 1 on the list of The Lord of the Rings movies because it’s just so magical.
In the movie, Frodo Baggins, a hobbit, is forced to take the Ring (the one to rule them all!) out of the Shire when Black Riders arrive looking for it. With three companions, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, Frodo tries to take the Ring to Rivendell. When they are nearly captured, Frodo and his companions are joined by Strider, who leads them to their destination. There, it’s decided that the One Ring be taken to the Fires of Mount Doom to be destroyed and stop Sauron from taking over the world.
There’s something incredible about how Jackson and the creative team were able to capture the feel of The Shire from the first frame. When we meet Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf in the Shire, there’s this comfort and sleepiness in the village. It feels like home, and it’s so jarring when the Black Riders arrive looking for the Ring.
In the movie, we also get to see the camaraderie and friendships of the Fellowship begin to form. As things seem like they are starting to click, though, we’re thrown for a loop at the end of the movie that feels so final. Are Sam and Frodo ever going to see the rest of these people again? Will they complete their mission? We’ll have to keep watching to find out!