Reviewed by Ian Maher

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Director: Peter Jackson (2001)
Distributor: New Line Cinema.  Certificate: PG

Sorry Harry Potter, but not even a lifetime at Hogwarts could prepare you for the heavyweight evil faced by the heroes and heroines of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Director Peter Jackson’s first cinematic instalment of Tolkien’s trilogy creates a breathtaking land of Middle-earth. On the side of good are hobbits (short people with hairy feet who are characterised by a childlike spirit), elves, dwarfs and humans, not to forget the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen). The baddies include the fearsome Black Riders, hideous creatures called orcs, goblins, and the master wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) who has become corrupted by the power of the Dark Lord (and if Star Wars creator George Lucas is not indebted to Tolkien, then I am a Jedi Knight). Sauron's presence pervades Middle-earth in the form of an all-seeing red eye.

In the Shire, a region of Middle-earth, a ring in the possession of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) attracts the attention of Sauron. One of the Great Rings of ancient days it possesses a terrible power that consumes all who wear it. Once, Sauron almost conquered all through the ring and again he seeks it. When Bilbo leaves the Shire, Gandalf entrusts the ring to Bilbo’s nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood). Recognising the approach of Sauron’s Black Riders Gandalf urges Frodo to depart taking the ring with him. Accompanied by three hobbit companions Frodo is hotly pursued by the Black Riders. Meanwhile Gandalf seeks the counsel of Saruman only to discover that he has given himself over to the power of Sauron, and for a while Gandalf is held captive.

The hobbits meet a stranger called Strider (Viggo Mortensen), the warrior king Aragorn in disguise, who joins their journey towards Rivendell, an ancient refuge of the elves. Eventually the gallant band reach Rivendell where Frodo recovers from an almost fatal wound inflicted by a Black Rider, following the timely intervention of Arwen (Liv Tyler), daughter of the elf lord Elrond. There they are reunited with Gandalf who has escaped from Saruman. At a council of representatives from the various people of Middle-earth it is decided that the only way to destroy the ring is to cast it back into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, Sauron's stronghold and its place of origin. A fellowship of nine, led by Gandalf and including hobbits, humans, an elf and a dwarf, set off for Mordor as the forces of evil grow stronger. The fellowship encounters attacks from a host of hideous servants of Sauron, one of which apparently costs Gandalf his life. Aragorn leads the broken-hearted band onwards to the elf kingdom of Lothlorien where they are encouraged to go on by the Lady Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). Eventually they approach Mordor, though not without further cost.

The film ends leaving you longing to know what happens next. I cannot imagine anyone who sees The Fellowship of the Ring and has not read Tolkien’s trilogy being able to wait a whole year for the next film. It really would be an agonising wait.

THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH 

Some key themes: Courage, strength in weakness

In the figure of Saruman is the embodiment of the corrupting influence of power. Once a great wizard of the order to which Gandalf belongs, Saruman is overcome by the power of the Dark Lord Sauron. It is the familiar story of a fall from grace, a turning away from good to evil, an embracing of darkness instead of light.

Within the Christian tradition Satan is a fallen angel, cast down from heaven for trying to grasp power that belongs to God alone. Satan then tempts Adam and Eve with the promise of power that would come to them through eating the forbidden fruit. They are unable to resist and are exiled by God from Eden (Genesis 3). Throughout the unfolding story of the people of God is the constant yearning after power for selfish ends and the awful consequences that result. Jesus himself was confronted with this temptation but saw it for what it was and resisted by keeping his eyes focused on the will of God (Matthew 4.8-10). This is the challenge for all Christians in a world where the abuse of power, and its potential to corrupt, is all too evident.

In The Fellowship of the Ring it is the little people, the hobbits, who essentially stand in the gap and prevent the forces of evil from extinguishing all light and hope. They have no magical powers or military prowess. All they possess are selfless, sincere hearts and that is enough to frustrate Sauron's ambition. Some might argue that this is naïve, yet there is a ring of truth about it (no pun intended). It is at the heart of the Christian Gospel and evident in such places as the Song of Mary (Luke 1.46-55) and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5.1-12) where the values of the world are turned on their heads. It is certainly evident in the life of the God who became one with us in Jesus and shared in our human frailty, triumphing over all the forces of evil through the self-giving love that took him to the Cross.

Where does that leave us in a world where the ability of power to corrupt is no less potent than 'the one ring' of Tolkien's story? Perhaps it is simply for us to remain aware of how easy it is to become attracted by the lure of self-gain at the expense of others. Though we are unlikely to cause the destruction of kingdoms, it is within the capability of all of us to wreak havoc in the lives of those around us. The right path is not always the easiest one, but it is the one that we must choose if we are to avoid siding with the darkness. It will often feel risky and dangerous, like moving into an unknown country but in Jesus we have a sure guide. The challenge for each of us is to find the courage in our hearts to follow him. If it all seems rather daunting, remember: even the smallest person prepared to stand up for what is right can make a difference.

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