The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy based on the fantasy novel written by J.R.R Tolkien. There are three movies; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
The novel was initially released in three volumes in 1954 and 1955. It was written in phases between 1937 and 1949, with a large portion of it taking place during World War II. Since then, it has been published multiple times and has been translated into at least 38 languages, making it one of the most well-known pieces of 20th-century literature.
You can watch Lord of the Rings on Netflix and revisit the amazing tale of adventure and fantasy.
Main Story of Lord of the Rings
The main story revolves around the Ring of Power created by the Dark Lord Sauron and features characters including Hobbits, Elves, Men, Dwarves, Wizards, and Orcs (referred to as goblins in The Hobbit).
The narrative unfolds across Middle-earth and chronicles the developments of the War of the Ring after calm beginnings in the Shire. The Rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, a wicked reborn deity with tremendous supernatural powers who subsequently became the ruler of the dreaded kingdom of Mordor, sets the tale in motion thousands of years before the events in the novel.
At the end of the First Age, Sauron survived the defeat, and in the Second Age, he schemed to gain control over Middle-earth. In the guise of “Annatar,” or the Lord of Gifts, he helped Celebrimbor and other Elfsmiths of Eregion create magical rings of power that gave their users a variety of abilities.
He then created a Great Ring of his own, the One Ring, though in secrecy, with the intention of enslaving the owners of the other Rings of Power. When the Elves learned about him and took off their Rings, this scheme was a failure. Sauron launched a war and enslaved the lords.
Sauran Launches a War
As Men from the island realm of Nmenor aided the trapped Elves, the battle came to a conclusion as Sauron’s soldiers were all but wiped out. Around 1500 years later, the King of Númenor, Ar-Pharazon heard that Sauron is claiming to call himself “King of Men’. He saw this as an opportunity to display his true power and arrived in Middle-earth with his army.
Abandoned by his people, Sauron has to surrender to Ar-Pharazon and was taken to Númenor as a prisoner. He soon started to corrupt their mind, and the King’s against the realm of Valar. He baited the king by saying that he should have the immortality of the Elves.
Al-Pharazon led an invasion of Aman and Valinor, leading to defeat as he and his army were buried because of a landslide in Aman. They would remain buried there until the Final Battle.
As a result, Númenor was open to threats, and the King of Arda called upon Eru Ilúvatar (God), who destroyed the city by opening a chasm in the sea. As a result, Sauron’s physical body got destroyed, but his spirit returned to Mordor and assumed a new form.
More than a century later, Sauron attacked the Nmenórean exiles who had made it to Middle-earth. The exiles, led by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion, had time to prepare.
After joining forces with the elf king Gil-galad to form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, they marched against Mordor, vanquished Sauron on the plain of Dagorlad, and besieged Barad-dûr, where Anárion was killed.
Sauron’s Army Defeated
After seven years of fighting, Sauron was forced to fight the commanders one-on-one. During the conflict, Elendil and Gil-galad died, and Elendil’s sword, Narsil, splintered beneath him. When Isildur used the hilt-shard of Narsil to remove the One Ring from Sauron’s hand after his body had likewise been defeated and killed, Sauron’s spirit vanished and did not reemerge for a thousand years.
Isildur was urged to destroy the One Ring in the only manner it was capable of being destroyed—by throwing it into the active volcano where it was made, Mount Doom. But he refused and chose to keep it as payment for the deaths of his father and brother.
Isildur and his army were ambushed by a group of Orcs at the Disaster of the Gladden Fields two years later while they were traveling to Rivendell. The former was all but slaughtered, but Isildur managed to escape by donning the Ring, which rendered mortal wearers invisible.
Yet while he was swimming in the vast River Anduin, the Ring came off, killing him with an orcish arrow, and it was lost for two millennia. Then Déagol, a Stoor, by chance discovered it. His friend and family member Sméagol strangled him for the Ring, and his maternal grandmother exiled him from his house. He escaped to the Misty Mountains, where he withered over time and evolved into the repulsive, slimy creature known as Gollum.
The Fellowship of the Ring
The first movie takes place 60 years after The Hobbit. Frodo Baggins, Bilbo’s adoptive heir, is in possession of Bilbo’s magic ring. Later, Gandalf led to the discovery that that magic ring is actually One Ring that was made by Sauron the Dark Lord himself.
In order to find the Ring, Sauron sent the evil Nazgûl to Frodo’s home country of the Shire in the guise of riders in black. Samwise Gamgee, his devoted gardener, and three other close friends—Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, and Fredegar Bolger—all assisted Frodo in escaping.
Frodo decides to take the ring to the Elven Haven of Rivendell. During the journey, he is joined by a man, Strider, who is revealed to be Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor and Arnor – two great nations founded by exiles after the defeat of Númenor. He aided the elves in their journey to Rivendell at Gandalf’s request.
In Rivendell, the hobbits learn that the only way to defeat Saurons’s army is if Aragorn took up his inheritance and fulfilled an ancient prophecy. He has to wield the sword that cut the ring from Sauron’s finger. Everyone decides that the best course of action is to cast the ring into Mount Doom and destroy it.
Frodo takes up the task, along with his companions forming “Fellowship of the Ring.”
The Two Towers
The Two Towers tells the adventures of Frodo and Sam as they make their way to Mount Doom. They manage to tame Gollum, who then shows them a secret passageway to Mordor.
However, Gollum betrays Frodo, with the help of the great spider, Shelob, and even though he survived, Frodo was captured by the Orcs. In the War of the Ring, the Witch-king led a fallen host from Minas Morgul into combat against Gondor when Sauron began an all-out military assault on Middle-earth.
The Return of the King
The third film further advanced into the story and shows Gandalf’s, and Aragon’s advances. The Alliance of Gondor and Rohan fought valiantly against Sauron’s armies in order to divert him from the Ring, hoping to buy time for Frodo to destroy it.
The Fellowship helped in the final battles against Sauron’s armies. They also took part in the siege of Minas Tirith in Gondor and the decisive life-or-death battle before the Black Gate of Mordor.
Sam rescues Frodo from the Orcs and they finally reach Mount Doom, followed by Gollum. Frodo, however, gave in to the Ring’s temptation and took it for himself. Gollum fought him but eventually managed to bite the Ring off. Gollum, overcome with joy, sank into the mountain’s fires, and the Ring was destroyed.
Sauran is finally defeated and Aragorn is finally crowned king. However, Saruman managed to escape, before being overthrown. Also, Frodo remained wounded, both in body and spirit. He accompanies Bilbo to the Sea of Valinor to find peace.
Read more:
Conclusion
The Lord of the Rings is considered one of the greatest works of fantasy literature that has been adapted into a highly popular film and TV series. The franchise is at par with some of the popular names in the industry such as The Harry Potter series, and Game of Thrones.
