| Major Cast | |
|---|---|
| Elijah Wood | as Frodo Baggins |
| Ian McKellen | as Gandalf/Mithrandir |
| Ian Holm | as Bilbo Baggins |
| Sean Astin | as Sam Gamgee |
| Sala Baker | as Sauron |
| Dominic Monaghan | as Merry |
| Billy Boyd | as Pippin |
| Viggo Mortensen | as Aragorn/Strider |
| Christopher Lee | as Saruman |
| Noel Appleby | as Everard Proudfoot |
| Megan Edwards | as Mrs. Proudfoot |
| Sean Bean | as Boromir |
| Cate Blanchett | as Galadriel |
| Orlando Bloom | as Legolas |
| Marton Csokas | as Celeborn |
| Michael Elsworth | as Gondorian Archivist |
| Mark Ferguson | as Gil-Galad |
| Lawrence Makoare | as Lurtz |
| Andy Serkis | as Gollum (voice) |
| Brent McIntyre | as Witch-King |
| Peter McKenzie | as Elendil |
| Sarah McLeod | as Rosie Cotton |
| Ian Mune | as Bounder |
| Craig Parker | as Haldir |
| Cameron Rhodes | as Farmer Maggot |
| John Rhys-Davies | as Gimli/Voice of Treebeard |
| Martyn Sanderson | as Gatekeeper |
| Harry Sinclair | as Isildur |
| Liv Tyler | as Arwen |
| David Weatherley | as Barliman Butterbur |
| Hugo Weaving | as Elrond |
| Bruce Allpress | as Aldor |
| John Bach | as Madril |
| Sala Baker | as Man Flesh Uruk |
| Jed Brophy | as Sharku/Snaga |
| Sam Comery | as Eothain |
| Brad Dourif | as Grima/Wormtongue |
| Calum Gittins | as Haleth |
| Bernard Hill | as Theoden |
| Bruce Hopkins | as Gamling |
| Paris Howe Strewe | as Theodred |
| Nathaniel Lees | as Ugluk |
| John Leigh | as Hama |
| Robbie Magasiva | as Mauhur |
| Miranda Otto | as Eowyn |
| Bruce Phillips | as Rohan Soldier |
| Robert Pollock | as Morder Orc |
| Andy Serkis | as Gollum |
| Olivia Tennet | as Freda |
| Ray Trickitt | as Bereg |
| Karl Urban | as Eomer |
| David Wenham | as Faramir |
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 | ||||||||||||
| Production Companies: | * New Line Cinema * WingNut Films * The Saul Zaentz Company |
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| Distributors (USA): | * New Line Cinema (theatrical) * New Line Home Video (VHS/DVD/Blu-ray) * WB Television Network, The (broadcast premiere) * Alliance Universal (DVD) * New Line Home Entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray) * Turner Classic Movies (TV) |
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| Release Dates (US): | * 12/19/2001 * 12/18/2002 * 12/17/2003 |
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| Running Times (theatrical): | 178 / 179 / 201 minutes | ||||||||||||
| Languages: | English | Quenya | Old English | Sindarin | ||||||||||||
| Domestic Box Office: | $313,837,577 (12/05/2003) $340,478,898 (12/12/2003) $377,019,252 (05/28/2004) |
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| Foreign Box Office: | $? | ||||||||||||
| Production Budget: | $93M / $94M / $94M (Est.) | ||||||||||||
| Production Notes: | |||||||||||||
There are some additional complexities. For example, each film was released in DVD, Extended DVD, and extended Blu-ray formats, with different running times. The table shows these times in minutes.
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It is the Third Age of Middle Earth. Far from The Shire, a bucolic region of farms and fields inhabited by Hobbits (or Halflings), ancient forces have once again begun to stir. The spirit of the dark lord Sauron, vanquished in the Second Age by armies of Dwarves, Elves, and Men, gathers itself in the desolate land of Mordor. In that distant time, drawing on the power of the One Ring it had forged in the depths of Mount Doom, it came near to dominating all of Middle Earth. It was foiled by the merest chance: A wild blow by Isildur with the shard of his shattered sword cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand and dissipated his threat.1
The One Ring could have been cast into the fires of Mount Doom and destroyed at that time. But Isildur refused; he kept the One Ring. Over the centuries, it was lost to Middle Earth history. But now it has come to a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. The wizard Gandalf, a friend of Bilbo's, comes to suspect he has a ring of power after seeing a stunt he performs at his 111th birthday party. But it takes a visit to the land of Gondor, where he can pore over ancient records, to convince Gandalf that Bilbo somehow has the One Ring. It is horribly dangerous. Imbued with the spirit of its master, it will seek to corrupt anyone who possesses it to his service, and given time will succeed. Bilbo has held it too long; it falls to his nephew Frodo to attempt a perilous quest: return the One Ring to Mount Doom, the one place it can be destroyed, and there cast it into oblivion. Time grows short; the fearsome servants of Sauron are already abroad in the land, seeking to obtain the One Ring at any cost and return it to its master. Should Frodo and his brave companions fail, even the fabled powers of Elvenkind may not suffice to avert the subjugation of Middle Earth.
The best-known work by J.R.R (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien is the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Although it may not be true today, as memories fade, when I read them back in the 1960s they were widely regarded as the best fantasy novels in print. They are the origin of the captivating mixture of heroic battles, magic, and human interest that Peter Jackson preserved so well for his films.
The novels also contain a great deal of additional detail, and a number of characters, that Jackson chose not to include.2 Those details, the sheer complexity of Tolkien's vision, are why we had to wait so long for a credible screen treatment — and credible it is, despite the lamentations of hard-core Tolkien fans. Including them would have made the films too long; it's hard enough to sit through them at three hours.3 Jackson mostly avoided leaving continuity holes in the plot, but there are a few. The lack of information on the reason for Aragorn's banishment is one that comes to mind.4 (We see him posing as "Strider" at the start of the film: a wanderer dressed in rough clothing, sitting alone in a tavern — an unusual role for the man who, as Isildur's heir, is the rightful King of Gondor.)
Another great thing Jackson successfully translates from the books is Tolkein's view of the worth of Hobbits. In the books, they stand half as high as men (hence the name "halflings") and have little to no voice in the councils of the major powers. Neither do they figure in the legends of elves, dwarves, or men. Yet Tolkien points out that they have a strength of character unsuspected by loftier folk. This comes through clearly in the films, largely because of the marvelous acting done by Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam).
There are a few things I wish Jackson had made clearer. One is the reason Aragorn is in exile from Gondor, the land where he should by rights be king. Another is the scouring of the Shire, which does not appear at all in the films. These could have been included without adding much running time. On the other hand, their lack doesn't subtract much from its quality.
| My Rating: 10 out of 10 |
Capsule review: This trilogy of films is, quite simply, a masterpiece. Peter Jackson has achieved a nearly perfect blending of pathos, desperate struggles against hopeless odds, despicable villany, heroic battles of mighty armies, human interest, monstrous creatures, magic, and just a dash of humor. He has coupled this to superb special effects and a sublime score. The result is magnificent, enthralling, a true epic that held my attention throughout the nine hours of running time (though I watched one disc per night.) There are a number of fine film treatments of works of fantasy.5 However, I don't think anything will surpass this one. |
| The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) | IMDB Rating: 8.8 | Raters: 1,552,922 |
| The Two Towers (2002) | IMDB Rating: 8.7 | Raters: 1,390,882 |
| The Fellowship of the Ring (2003) | IMDB Rating: 8.9 | Raters: 1,537,703 |
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