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A brave hobbit embarks on a perilous journey to destroy a magic ring with the help of a fellowship of warriors and a wizard in the enchanted land of Middle Earth.
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Why watch the movie The Lord of the Rings?
Chief Editor at Filmelier
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All of the magical adventure of J.R.R. Tolkein's thrilling "Lord of the Rings" trilogy comes to life in this brilliantly animated tale of the enchanted land of Middle Earth, and the brave band of hobbits, heroes and wizards who set out to save it. Covering the events of the first two books of the series -- "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" -- brave hobbit Frodo Baggins sets out from the Shire with his friends Sam, Meri and Pippin, to destroy the magic ring his uncle Bilbo has bequeathed him. Joined by brave warriors Aragorn and Boromir, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf, and the powerful wizard Gandalf the Grey, the fellowship struggles against the forces of darkness that threaten to overtake the land. Featuring the vocal talents of John Hurt ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Alien") and Anthony Daniels (both "Star Wars" trilogies), and directed by animation legend Ralph Bakshi ("Cool World," "Fritz the Cat").
"Decades before Peter Jackson's epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien's novels were considered "unadaptable" due to the vast scale of the locations, creatures, armies, and battles described by the author. This didn't deter animator Ralph Bakshi from giving it a shot. Best known at the time for innovative adult animation like Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic, Bakshi used a mix of traditional animation techniques and rotoscoping (animating over live action footage) for his 1978 version of The Lord of the Rings. The film, which adapts the plots of both The Fellowship of the Ring'and The Two Towers, is a bit strange to watch due to its blend of techniques, which don’t always seem to belong to the same movie. However, even though it pales in comparison to what Jackson would achieve nearly a quarter of a century later, it’s an ambitious and commendable attempt to faithfully bring Tolkien’s epic to the screen. While it succeeded at the box office, it received a lukewarm response from critics and some segments of the audience, who lamented its "unfinished" story. Nevertheless, over time it has become a cult film and an inspiration for Jackson’s own movies (and, by extension, practically any subsequent adaptation)."