A Love Letter to the Fellowship of the Ring

There is no better movie trilogy than the Lord of the Rings. It's time to understand why, starting with the Fellowship of the Ring.

Videos Mentioned

[mxmx]

I will never get tired of videos explaining why my favorite movie is this good

[silvernight]

One moment in Fellowship that always brings tears to my eyes no matter what, is hearing the hobbit children yelling, “Gandalf! Gandalf! Fireworks, Gandalf!”
Knowing that this powerful being, one of the Five sent to protect and maintain Middle Earth, amidst a world of bloodshed and sorrow, war and grief, chose to hold focus to this little land, with little folk, and seemingly little cares and worries. He was such a story among the Shire, so much that these little children looked at this big, ancient figure, and saw safety and fun.

[cardyfreak]

I love how the film handles Boromir. The pile of orc bodies he leaves behind as penance while defending Merry and Pippin feels like a personal touch, like Boromir represents us mere mortals, faults and all, and while, like many and more powerful before him, he may have succumbed to the temptation of the ring, he ultimately sacrifices his life in defence of the defenceless, and his redemption is complete. The tenderness between him and Aragorn at his death is beautiful, and I feel like the endorsement of Boromir really sets steel in Aragorn, and begins in earnest his transition from Ranger to King. Absolutely marvellous stuff.

[bowenhorne]

Literally my favorite movie (followed closely by the sequels), in my mind there’s no movie that matches Fellowship on any level.

[maxducks]

Arwen showing up to save Frodo may have been a movie addition, but my god, was it pulled off so well. The choral elvish music, the light illuminating her arrival as she comes into focus. The whisper of her voice as she breathes out “Frodo…” Little kid me sat on my living room floor, and in that moment, she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. First celebrity crush, right there.

And even today, I still get that feeling Frodo has. The stunning beauty of an elf, the savior riding on horseback, and the weary delirium of his wound with the almost dreamlike way she’s presented. It’s an absolute masterpiece of a scene.

[EvilDaren]

Still the greatest trilogy ever made, still give me shivers to this day every time

[petef]

These were released at the peak of the golden age of cinema. The technology was there, but so was the work ethic.

[scroletyper]

Notice how elrond says unite when tbe camera is in aragorn and fall when the camera is on boromier. Forshadowing that aragorn will unite poeple and bormier will fall in battle.

[rvt]

I'll never forget seeing it in theaters. My brother was a huge Tolkien fan and had been hyping it up so much. I was 11 and thought I was too cool for some fantasy movie and was just tagging along because he wanted to go. By the end of it, the only thought on my mind was, "I HAVE to go see this again!" It was a movie experience like nothing else. How I wish I could go back and see it in theaters for the first time.

[Scriptr]

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was, continues to be, and will forever be the greatest trilogy ever created.

It's quite astonishing to witness this reality become even more true over time.

[nancyhayes]

Very interesting video essay.

I think one of the major reasons Jackson’s trilogy is such a masterpiece is that he and his team made the decision to treat LOTR as “history.” The LOTR movies have a realism to them, a sense that the stories could have happened deep in our own past. They aren’t “Once upon a time”; they’re history turned legend, legend turned myth (paraphrase of the Prologue).

[Umbravitae]

I’ve watched the Trilogy 168 times, and it still doesn’t lose its luster. I love it like a friend that’s walked by my side through all of life’s dangers.

[JosephVice]

I was 16 at the time. I saw fellowship like 8 times in theaters when it came out. It was perfect.

[kimberly]

I watched it with my dad when I was 13, I bought him a nice collection of the books. Together again when the extended versions were released, and I watched it again this time alone as he died. Now I have the blu rays and the collection of books. These movies, this music, will always connect me to my father and that time.

[aboveaveragejoe]

If only The Wheel of Time was made with the same love for the source material that LOTR was made with.

[KitzBeeSeer]

I have watched all three movies back to back over 30 times. This may seem weird but I had watched them so often I now use them as “background music” while I study. It is most comforting, beautiful and peaceful to me focusing on my studies. When I take a break, I don’t have to guess what’s going on and I’m directly back in middle earth.
And can we just all agree that it has the absolute BEST soundtrack ever???

[nickn]

The trilogy’s enduring legacy is proven in so many people who fondly remember it and share what the movie made them feel. Very, very few movies seem to do this anymore.

[timeforlaurynsopinion]

You're totally right that it's all necessary for pacing etc., but man, Merry is one of my favourite characters in the books, and arguably the one who suffers most in the adaptation. In the books, he's so smart, loyal, kind, and brave, and I love his whole arc of gaining confidence and learning how to trust himself. I get why they had to cut a lot of it, but it's such a shame.

[caleb.a.robinson]

I had to re-upload this video 33 times to get it to pass the YouTube copyright checks. That’s 33 times I had to make more edits, including completely redoing the music. If you’d like to watch the original version with Howard Shore’s music and a 5-minute section I cut at the last minute, consider joining the Patreon!


EDIT: The video got claimed. See pinned comment.

[Knobblytyressoggysocks]

I remember watching these for the first time, i was soo completely and fully absorbed, a real connection to the characters, i cared for them, it felt so real. Everything was absolute perfection and still is. I have never seen anything that even comes close. These movies are truly my comfort blanket.