Fantasy fans can celebrate another big anniversary after the premier of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Cinemas started to show the first part of The Lord of The Rings trilogy twenty years ago on December 10th, 2001. We can declare without doubt that J.R.R. Tolkien created a masterpiece by writing the wide-ranging and tempestuous story of Middle-earth. His fantasy world seems to provide a continuous source of raw material for film makers. On September 2nd, 2022 a new series presenting the events of the Second Age is coming up on Amazon. The movie makers have to do their job with their whole heart if they want to come up to the original trilogy. Because Peter Jackson created something genial by transferring the monumental adventures of the One Ring to the silver screen. Let’s see what are the twenty things that make The Lord of the Rings epic and its movie version so legendary!

1. Of course the most essential one is the precise world building. Tolkien created the most important characters of the fantasy genre by dreaming up elves, dwarves, orcs and ents. Moreover, he didn’t only work out the history of his creatures to the tiniest details but he invented new languages for them as well. According to some theories, Tolkien actually built his complex fantasy world around these fictional languages.

Photo: New Line Cinema

2. New Zealand provided a great setting to bring the colourful world of Middle-earth to life, so the pictures are breathtaking. This country has every kind of landscape; the cosy, inviting Shire, the beautiful Rivendell, the hard frost and snowstorms of Caradhras, the mystical Lothlorien, the majestic Minath Tirith, the creepy Cirith Ungol or the Mount Doom where the Fate of a whole world is falling out.

Photo: New Line Cinema

3. The symphonies of Howard Shore intensify the powerful effects even more. The composer created special themes for the different species, places and situations which give a special depth to their respective scenes. Furthermore, there is a song presented by a popular singer in every part of the trilogy which makes the soundtrack much more touching. In the OST of The Fellowship of the Ring we have May It Be by Enya, at the end of The Two Towers there is Gollum’s Song by Emilia Torrini and The Return of the King is closed by Into the West sung by Annie Lenox. In addition, Billy Boyd as Pippin also sings in The Steward of Gondor.

4. After discussing the setting of The Lord of the Rings, it’s time to focus on the story. Going through their own personal initiation is a key element for the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. Some of them are transformed spectacularly by walking bravely on this painful and fearful way, just like Gandalf who turns from a Grey Mage into a White Mage, or Aragorn who leaves the Strider behind and grows up to the role of the king. And there is Sam who goes from gardener into a real warrior attending to his friend and who is considered as the true hero of The Lord of the Rings by many fans. Someone wakes up and triumphs over his own ego in the last minutes of his life; someone is forced to stand his ground without his best friend for the first time. But of course Frodo, the Ring Bearer goes through the biggest change while defeating himself on the way leading to Mount Doom.

Photo: New Line Cinema

5. The fact that a hobbit, a representative of the smallest species who might seem insignificant, is the fittest for keeping and destroying the One Ring, gives a very important life lesson. It shows how much power can hide in a person who seems weak at first sight or prefers melting into the background instead of taking centre stage showing off their aptitude. This lesson is intensified when the powerful Witch-king of Angmar is killed by a woman, the princess Eowyn who had to join the army in Pelennor Fields in disguise and did this with the aid of another hobbit, Merry Brandybuck.

Photo: New Line Cinema

6. The previous human-hobbit teamwork shows how superbly different creatures can cooperate in tough situations. But beside this we can see more examples for the alliance of species. The way that Legolas and Gimli put aside the mutual prejudices and become true friends is laudable. And it is gripping when Treebeard is thrown off his quiet apathy and is fired up on seeing the death of his fellows to take fight by the side of hobbits.

7. Cooperation and friendship among different species aside, a healthy competitive spirit remains between Legolas and Gimli. Their rivalry in orc-hunting is very funny. For example in the scene where Legolas kills an oliphaunt with all its enemy riders and Gimli’s reaction is only: „That still counts as one!”, will stay with us forever.

8. But the real masters of entertainment are Merry and Pippin. They celebrate the victory on Orthanc on the worthiest way; by drinking beer and clowning. The two trouble-makers often bring a smile on the face of fans with their cheerful nature and always funny mood. And there is nothing that could take the edge off of a hopeless situation so efficiently as the jokes of Merry and Pippin.

9. But hobbits hold the first place not only in jokes. Although they don’t possess either serious magic or considerable physical force, they are tougher than anybody would suppose of them and they compensate their flaws by cunning. The way that Merry and Pippin lead the orcs away from the proximity of Frodo, leave hints for Aragorn and the remaining members of the fellowship then escape from the ugly creatures of Saruman, is a pretty fine show. Just like the scene when Frodo and Sam sneak in Barad-dur in disguise and provoke a fight in order to escape from the sight of the orcs.

Photo: New Line Cinema

10. Besides cunning, force and magic, something else helps the members of the fellowship; their unconditional faith. We can see it in Aragorn in the most spectacular way. Although he steps on the Path of Dead with Anduril in his hands, as the heir of Isildur in order to call in fight the King of the Dead, he needs a huge amount of bravery. And when the orc envoy standing at the Black Gate wants to dissuade Aragorn, showing him a false proof that he caught and killed Frodo, his attempt is unsuccessful. The king feels that the news can’t be true and believes that his friend is still alive. And the imperturbable faith is rewarded: the Fellowship of the Ring always triumphs even in hopeless situations.

11. On the way leading to victory, different relics get an important role. The Lord of the Rings-story is a real repository of these treasures. And which fan wouldn’t want to hold the reforged Anduril, Bilbo’s Mithril shirt, the bottle containing the light of Elendil or Galadriel’s other gifts given to the members of the fellowship looking into their souls, or the One Ring? Arwen’s iconic medal was also reproduced by many craftsmen in human version.

Photo: New Line Cinema

12. The moment when the abovementioned medal gets to Aragorn is a bright proof of the purest love. The link between the king of Gondor and Arwen is inexpressibly deep, and Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler brought to life its power very efficiently on the movie screen. Looking at their scenes together among all the battles is very uplifting. It is also a source of joy that princess Eowyn, who fell hopelessly in love with Aragorn, doesn’t remain lonely and she finds happiness on the side of another man, Faramir. The scene in The Return of the King’s extended version when they take each other’s hand and smile, tells more than thousand words.

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13. Not only love but family relations – whether amiable or poisoned –  are also represented in a very vivid way by the actors. The link between Bilbo and Frodo, between Elrond and Arwen, between Theoden, Eomer and Eowyn and between Denethor and Faramir are one by one interesting additions to the story which bring the heroes closer to spectators.

Photo: New Line Cinema

14. Further relations with reality are created by the bloopers which got into a few scenes, but as they perfectly fitted on them, they stayed. These little errors make The Lord of the Rings even more lifelike. For example, the scene where Ian McKellen as Gandalf bumps his head against a timber in Bilbo’s house or when Viggo Mortensen kicks a helmet accidentally and he cries out in pain. But there are very sweet real features as well: the scene of Sam with his family where Sean Austin’s own daughter plays the bigger child.

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15. Director Peter Jackson couldn’t resist the temptation for some cameo appearances in these legendary movies. We can see him in The Fellowship of the Ring on the street in Bree, crunching a carrot, in The Two Towers throwing a dart in the Battle of Helm’s Deep and in The Return of the King as a pirate who is shot by Legolas’s arrow.

16. Beside the main characters and the director, every single member of the film crew was extremely enthusiastic and did their task with their whole heart. Nothing proves it better than the endurance of actors impersonating the orcs who bore the make-up process heroically for hours and hours every day of the shooting. And although the armies of the enemy weren’t created with CGI effects, the spectacular battle scenes laid the foundations of the 21st century’s filmmaking.

Photo: New Line Cinema

17. Of course we can’t forget one of the most contradictory characters of the story, Gollum. We might feel hate or pity toward the repulsive, sneaky creature which was made from the hobbit, Sméagol by the evil power of the One Ring. But one thing is certain: his sibilant voice calling to „His Precious” will be part of the public imagination forever, and in this manner probably he is the most frequently quoted LOTR-character.

GIF: tenor.com, Jay Johnson

18. There are only two characters who are even more paradoxical than Gollum: Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry. They didn’t appear in the movies but because of their dark secrets that are full of potential, they deserve to be mentioned. They are the first creatures who help the hobbits during their dangerous journey but they probably weren’t guided by warm-heartedness. Tom appears as a jovial guy who likes eating, drinking and joking and his door is always open for wanderers in trouble. And Goldberry’s ethereal beauty makes an elf-like impression. But why do two such kind-hearted creatures live in the dreadful Old Forest next to Barrow Downs in the neighbourhood of the Withywindle? We have a solid reason to assume that Tom and Goldberry aren’t who they say themselves to be. Of course there is a well-elaborated theory related to their real identity and motivations.

Image: Pixabay, Darkmoon Art

19. The boarding in Grey Heavens is one of the most touching scenes in The Lord of the Rings movies. The painfully ceremonial reality of the parting of the ways and passing to an unknown place mixed with the excitement of expectation are expressed in it. On the other hand, it raises thought-inspiring philosophical questions: After a hero has gone through a series of challenges, can they return to their old, calm, uneventful(?) life? What can they do in peacetime when nobody needs their force and bravery or at least they have to use it in a completely different way than earlier?

Photo: New Line Cinema

20. Last but not least I have to mention Bilbo’s one hundred and eleventh birthday party. The colourful crowd, the joyous music, the smoke-ship swimming through a circle and the spectacular firework show the hobbits the carefree happiness of a world worthy to fight for and return to. At least for those whose Fate has been written like this.

Photo: New Line Cinema

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