The Lord of the Rings trilogy: A benchmark of the best that fantasy has to offer

Great films come by only once in a while. And great trilogies, or great film series, are even rarer to find. So when a great trilogy does come by, it should definitely be watched and enjoyed by everyone who loves films. Great film trilogies, or series, also become benchmarks for future productions, and that shows the true value of their quality. One such series is The Lord of the Rings trilogy which is an epic story with roots in high fantasy novels.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Frodo Baggins is a hobbit who lives with his fellow beings in their peaceful region called The Shire. Around the time that his uncle is to celebrate his 111^th birthday, a trusted wizard called Gandalf returns to their peaceful town and discovers that the ring gifted to Frodo by his uncle is the One Ring, a powerful magical ring which was created over 2,500 years earlier by a dark lord named Sauron. Gandalf tells Frodo to leave the protection of The Shire as Sauron’s servants, the Nazguls, would be pursuing him to retrieve the ring. Gandalf decides to consult head wizard Saruman the White and entrusts Samwise, a fellow hobbit, to travel with Frodo and keep him safe. Gandalf discovers that Saruman has pledged allegiance to Sauron by helping him build an army of a new breed of warrior Orcs called Uruk-hai. During this time, Frodo and Sam are joined by two happy-go-lucky hobbits, Merry and Pippin, as they continue their journey and encounter the Nazguls. In the fight, they are assisted by a mysterious ranger named Aragorn who promises to escort them to Rivendell where they are reunited with Gandalf. In a counsel of the races, it is decided that the One Ring has to be taken to the fires at Mount Doom to be destroyed. Frodo takes it upon himself to complete the task and is joined by his hobbit friends; Sam, Merry and Pippin – along with the wizard Gandalf, the ranger Aragorn, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf and Boromir, a man from the lands of Gondor. This group forms the Fellowship of the Ring which sets off on their journey as they battle Sauron’s Orcs in the Mines of Moria and Saruman’s Uruk-hai leading to their numbers being depleted and the Fellowship being scattered across the lands of Middle Earth.

The Two Towers: Frodo and Sam continue their journey towards Mordor where Mount Doom is located. They are attacked by Gollum, a previous possessor of the ring who is consumed by his desire for it and wants it back. Eventually, Sam and Frodo overpower Gollum and have him guide them to the Black Gate of Mordor. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli continue their search for Merry and Pippin and arrive at Rohan where the King Theoden is under a trance put on him by Saruman and his accomplice, Grima. The king’s nephew, Eomer, accuses Grima of being a spy and Grima has him banished from the kingdom. Eomer leaves Rohan but travels and collects an army of loyal men. Eomer and his men kill the Uruk-hais who had taken Merry and Pippin as prisoners. During the battle, Merry and Pippin flee and enter into Fangorn forest where they meet Treebeard, the oldest of the Ents. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli continue their search for Merry and Pippin and confront Eomer who informs them of the battle with the Uruk-hais. The trio find the trail of Merry and Pippin which leads them into Fangorn forest where they are reunited with Gandalf. They return to Rohan where Gandlaf frees king Theoden from the spell he is under. Theoden decides it would be safer to move his people into their stronghold, Helm’s Deep. Saruman dispatches his army to Helm’s Deep to kill the people of Rohan. The battle at Helm’s Deep lasts for many hours as citizens of Rohan and an Elven army try to hold off Saruman’s forces before they are assisted by Eomer’s army in finally banishing the Urak-hai army. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin try and eventually convince Treebeard and the other Ents to attack Saruman’s base at Isengard. Frodo and Sam continue their journey with Gollum as they are met by Boromir’s brother, Faramir, and his army of rangers. The army is attacked by Orcs and a Nazgul which leaves Frodo, Sam and Gollum alone to continue their journey.

The Return of the King: Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Theoden and his army meet Merry, Pippin and Treebeard at the flooded Isengard. They travel to Edoras where they split once again and Gandalf and Pippin set out to seek Denethor, the steward of Gondor. Against Denethor’s wishes, Pippin lights a beacon which signals for ally armies to be sent to Gondor as they fall under siege. Aragorn receives the sword Anduril which helps him prove that he is the heir of the king Isildur as he recruits the Army of the Dead who owe their allegiance to Isildur’s bloodline. Sauron’s armies lay siege to Minas Tirith. Theoden and his Rohirrim army arrive midway to provide support to the falling army of Gondor. They manage to hold off the might of Sauron’s army which is led by a Witch-king until Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli arrive with the Army of the Dead and help win the battle. Frodo, Sam and Gollum continue their journey into Mordor via Minas Morgul. Sam overhears Gollum’s plan to kill Frodo and steal the ring. He tells Frodo of this but Frodo banishes him after being convinced by Gollum that Sam only wants the ring for himself. Sam is heartbroken and leaves but returns to find that Gollum has led Frodo to a giant spider and left him paralysed. Sam defends Frodo from the spider but can do nothing as an Orc patrol captures Frodo and takes him to Sauron’s fortress. Sam rescues Frodo and they continue towards Mount Doom. At this time, Aragorn takes the remaining army from the war and lays siege to the Black Gate of Mordor to divert Sauron’s attention as Frodo and Sam continue their final surge to destroy the One Ring.

The film trilogy is an adaptation of a three volume novel which was written by J. R. R. Tolkien. Each volume of the novel corresponds to one of the three films which they are adapted and draw their name from. Although the novel is one whole piece with a continuous storyline from start to finish, the films are only complete as a trilogy with each individual film being only a part of the whole and standing as an incomplete story by itself. The trilogy is an approximate 12 hours in its extended edition (approximately 9 hours in its original theatrical edition) which is made up of 3 films of roughly 4 hours each, but in fact, the trilogy is actually like a 12 hour long film since the storyline is continuous.

The trilogy falls under the fantasy genre. In the literary form, it is an epic from the high fantasy genre; a fantasy story which creates a world of its own which is beside the real world. The trilogy itself is epic in the realm of epic fantasies. It also falls under the genres of action and adventure. It sets a bar in the world of fantasy which is not easy to accomplish for other films. It probably stands by itself as one of the greatest productions and film adaptations of a fantasy series ever made. It also has amazing elements of adventure with characters making long journeys with new discoveries and new additions to the plot. Even the action is brilliant with its amazing battle sequences.

The trilogy tells the tale of a long arduous journey from the point of view of the protagonist and also has subordinate stories running along which are about camaraderie and loyalty to one’s own friend or country, courage in the face of adversity, pride and honour in doing what you love and are required to do, the triumph of good over evil, and many more. The storyline has taken a great load of work and it shows. The characters in the trilogy come out splendidly, with complete sketches being visible at the end, after a gradual revealing of each character’s traits during the course of the plot.

The action sequences which include fight scenes, battles, chases, and more, are really well done. The battle scenes which are shot in the trilogy may be among the best ever produced in a film. The special effects and CGI work is extremely well done which can be seen in the battle sequences and with the coming to life of the character of Gollum. The performances put in by the actors have passion which brings the story to life beautifully. The score in the trilogy also creates a great feel to it and is used repeatedly during the course of the three films.

The trilogy is awesome. It should be watched by anyone and everyone just to understand and acknowledge how epic it really is. Without watching the trilogy from start to finish, it is impossible to really understand, praise or criticise it. Hence, watching it is a must.