In the quiet lands of the Shire, a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, only to discover it is the One Ring, an ancient artifact of ultimate evil forged by the Dark Lord Sauron. To prevent Middle-earth from falling into eternal darkness, Frodo must leave his home and undertake a perilous journey to the Cracks of Doom to destroy the Ring. He is joined by a fellowship of eight companions—Hobbits, Men, an Elf, a Dwarf, and a Wizard—who must face ringwraiths, orcs, and betrayal as they march toward the land of shadow.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States New Zealand |
Premiere date |
December 19, 2001 |
Running time |
178 minutes |
Genre |
Fantasy Adventure Action |
Budget |
$93,000,000 |
Box Office |
$898,204,420 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
Peter Jackson |
Produced by |
Peter Jackson Barrie M. Osborne Fran Walsh Tim Sanders |
Written by |
Fran Walsh Philippa Boyens Peter Jackson |
Music by |
Howard Shore |
Cinematography |
Andrew Lesnie |
Edited by |
John Gilbert |
Production Co. |
New Line Cinema WingNut Films |
Distributed by |
New Line Cinema |
Top Cast |
|
|
|
Official Trailer |
|
Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in The Lord of the Rings Collection
|
The Plot
The Shadow of the Past
Following the festivities of his 111th birthday party, the eccentric Bilbo Baggins departs the Shire, leaving his possessions—including a mysterious magic ring—to his nephew, Frodo Baggins. As time passes, the wizard Gandalf the Grey grows increasingly troubled by the nature of Bilbo's trinket. Suspecting it may be the One Ring lost for over three thousand years, Gandalf rides south to the ancient city of Minas Tirith to seek discernment. There, in a small, dusty archive room filled with centuries of history, he pores over fading scrolls and historical documents for months. His research leads him to the account of Isildur, which reveals a crucial test: the Ring contains lines of Black Speech, burning with fire, visible only when heated.
Gandalf returns in haste to Bag End and tests his theory by throwing the ring Frodo has been guarding into the hearth. As the gold heats, fiery letters emerge, confirming Gandalf's worst fears: this is indeed Sauron’s One Ring. The wizard explains the grave danger; Sauron has returned and seeks the Ring to cover all lands in a second darkness. He urges Frodo to leave the Shire immediately. During this revelation, Gandalf detects a disturbance outside the window and catches Frodo’s gardener, Samwise Gamgee, eavesdropping. Recognizing Sam's loyalty—and perhaps the hand of fate—Gandalf decides to send him along as Frodo's companion on the perilous journey.
The Betrayal of Isengard
While the hobbits prepare to depart, Gandalf rides to Isengard to consult with the head of his order, Saruman the White. Upon arriving at the tower of Orthanc, Gandalf expects counsel but instead finds betrayal. Saruman reveals that the Nine—the Nazgûl or Ringwraiths—have ridden forth from Minas Morgul in the guise of Black Riders to capture the Ring and kill its bearer. When Gandalf attempts to flee to warn Frodo, Saruman closes the doors of Orthanc, revealing that he has already been corrupted to Sauron's cause. He attempts to sway Gandalf, arguing that they must join with the Dark Lord to survive.
Angered by this treachery, Gandalf refuses to submit. A violent duel ensues between the two wizards, where Saruman utilizes his power over the tower to overpower the Grey Wizard. Defeated, Gandalf is imprisoned atop the pinnacle of Orthanc. From this high vantage point, he is forced to witness the industrialization of Isengard; Saruman, following Sauron's commands, orders his Orcs to tear down the ancient trees to fuel the fires of industry, constructing weapons of war and birthing a new, terrible breed of Orc fighters: the Uruk-Hai.
A Knife in the Dark
Unaware of Gandalf's fate, Frodo and Sam travel toward the town of Bree. Along the way, their group grows as they are joined by fellow hobbits Merry and Pippin, who literally stumble into the quest. The journey quickly turns terrifying when they encounter a Ringwraith on the road, narrowly escaping detection. Upon reaching the Prancing Pony inn at Bree, they discover that Gandalf is missing. Instead, they are approached by a mysterious Ranger of the North known only as "Strider," who knows of their plight and agrees to guide them to the safety of Rivendell.
Strider leads the hobbits through the wilderness to avoid the main roads, eventually stopping to rest on the ruins of Weathertop. In the darkness of night, they are ambushed by the Nazgûl. While Strider fights off the Ringwraiths with fire and steel, Frodo is cornered. In the chaos, he is stabbed by a Morgul-blade, a cursed weapon that threatens to turn him into a wraith if not treated immediately. Strider tends to the wound as best he can, but the poison spreads rapidly.
Flight to the Ford
With the Nazgûl in pursuit, the group is intercepted by the Elf Arwen, who recognizes the severity of Frodo's condition. She takes the fading hobbit on her horse, riding hard for the Elven haven. The Ringwraiths give chase, closing in as they reach the Ford of Bruinen. Arwen crosses the river and, using her elven magic, summons the waters to protect them. A massive surge of water, shaped like galloping horses, rushes down the riverbed, sweeping the pursuing Ringwraiths away and buying Frodo the time he needs to reach safety.
The Council of Elrond
Frodo awakens in Rivendell, healed by the skills of Arwen’s father, Lord Elrond, a veteran of the battle against Sauron three thousand years prior. Frodo is relieved to find Gandalf waiting for him. The wizard explains his absence, recounting his escape from the clutches of Saruman atop Orthanc with the aid of a Great Eagle. With the Ring now temporarily safe, Elrond convenes a secret council to decide its fate. He warns that Rivendell is no longer a sanctuary; the Elven realm could soon come under attack from the combined forces of Mordor and Isengard.
The Council agrees that the Ring cannot be hidden or used, but must be destroyed. This can only be accomplished by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, the very place it was forged. Amidst the arguments of Elves, Dwarves, and Men, Frodo bravely volunteers to take the burden. He is soon joined by his loyal hobbit friends—Sam, Merry, and Pippin—and Gandalf. Strider is revealed to be Aragorn, the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, and pledges his sword to the quest. They are joined by the Elf Legolas, the Dwarf Gimli, and Boromir, the son of the Steward of Gondor. Together, these nine companions form the Fellowship of the Ring, bound for the fires of Mordor.
