Tag Archives: lord of the rings

Film Review: Fellowship of the Ring

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Want some action? Adventure? Fantasy? This movie has all of those elements! The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of 3 movies that tell the tale of the full Lord of the Rings stories. This movie was inspired by the book The Fellowship of the Ring which is one of the Lord of the Rings novels. This series is the sequel to The Hobbit, so I would suggest you read that book and/or watch the movie before you watch the “Lord of the Rings”. 

The movie starts with Gandalf traveling to the Shire to visit Bilbo for his  111th birthday. Yes, 111th!! To celebrate this special event, the hobbits of the Shire organize a party. Bilbo, who has missed the mountains a lot, decides to leave the Shire with a prank where he becomes invisible using the ring. Gandalf urges Bilbo to leave the Ring for Frodo, but the ring never leaves a good impact on anyone and Bilbo struggles to part with it. 

As Sauron gains power over time, it is up to Frodo to destroy the ring in the place it was created: Mount Doom in Mordor. Frodo and his friends Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took, and Meriadoc Brandybuck all travel together as they escape Black Riders and Ringwraiths. Also, they have to be careful about a former friend who has turned into a foe. Who? Saruman the White, who once was one of Gandalf’s sorcerer and wizard friends. Gandalf the Grey barely escapes his death as Saruman builds an army of Orcs in Isengard.  A small group with Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Gandalf the Grey, Frodo the Hobbit, Samwise Gamgee the Hobbit, Merry and Pippin the Hobbits, and Aragorn and Boromir the men form the Fellowship of the Ring. They battle orcs everywhere they go, but their connection and fierce combat skills help them through their battles. 

One of my favorite quotes in this movie is from Samwise Gamgee. He repeatedly states, “ I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise. ‘Don’t you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.’ And I don’t mean to.” This quote shows what loyalty and friendship are all about. When Frodo is all alone heading to Mordor, Sam decides to stick with Frodo even though he knows that death is most likely behind this journey.

In this movie, sacrifices and teamwork are crucial for Frodo and the Fellowship to reach their goal: To destroy the ring. Even though they have to depart at times, their friendship always shines daylight even through the darkest hours. 

This movie is one of my favorite movies so far because it has action and adventure which I always seek in a movie. The teamwork and friendship that are constantly shown throughout this movie are incredible and inspiring. I rate this movie a 10 out of 10 and I would recommend it to everyone who likes adventure and fantasy movies. 

Also, you can watch and read the other Lord of the Rings movies called The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Enjoy!

Fellowship of the Ring is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Quiz: Which Fictional World Would You Live In?

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Fictional worlds–from the rich and expansive Grishaverse to the extensive landscape of Middle Earth to the modern world of Percy Jackson to the incredibly detailed Wizarding World–are wonderful destinations for readers to travel to every so often. In fact, many of these worlds are so rich and detailed that it requires no great effort to imagine oneself living in them. The following quiz will give you an idea of which fictional world you might belong in, if you could live in one. This is in no way meant to be an affirmative test; I simply thought it would be a quick, fun activity for book lovers.

Included Worlds: This quiz includes only four of the multitude of incredible fictional worlds: Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse (from Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows); J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World; J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle Earth; and Rick Riordan’s world of Percy Jackson.

How to take it: It’s pretty simple; please look at each question (there are 7) and choose the letter that answers the question best for you. Somehow record your answers, on paper or in your head. When you’re done, you can look at the answer key to discover which of the four fictional worlds you might belong in!

The Quiz

1. Which location would you want to visit the most?

a. New Zealand; b. Scotland; c. The United States; d. Russia

2. Which drink do you think you would enjoy the most?

a. Mead; b. Butterbeer; c. Nectar; d. Kvas

3. What is your favorite mode of transportation?

a. Pony or horse; b. Broomstick; c. Flying ship; d. Carriage or boat

4. What is your preferred form of communication?

a. Moths; b. Owl; c. Iris messages; d. Messengers

5. What is your preffered form of magic/fighting?

a. Traditional weapons (swords, bow and arrow); b. Magic spells; c. Special abilities inherited from my parents; d. Control/manipulation of elements

6. Which body of water do you like the most?

a. Rivers; b. Lake; c. Sound (i.e. Long Island Sound); d. Oceans and canals

7. Where would you most like to live and train?

a. No place in particular; b. Hogwarts; c. Camp Half-Blood; d. The Little Palace

Answer Key: Your potential fictional home depends on which letter you chose the most.

  • Mostly “a”: Middle Earth
  • Mostly “b”: The Wizarding World
  • Mostly “c”: The world of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
  • Mostly “d”: The Grishaverse

Thank you for taking this quiz! These are all wonderful fictional worlds–and of course, they are only four out of of many incredible universes. I hope you enjoyed taking this quiz!

-Mia T.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Return of the King - Wikipedia

After the previous installments in the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, the last novel, The Return of the King, is not to be missed. In it, the fate of the both former Fellowship of the Ring and the quest of the Ringbearer are revealed in the same rich literature that is characteristic of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The war against Sauron the Dark Lord is not going well. The great city of Minas Tirith is already under siege by the great army of Mordor, and its allies in Gondor are nearing the same fate. The only hope for the armies of the West is if the Ringbearer, Frodo the hobbit, succeeds in his quest to destroy the One Ring, for then and only then can Sauron be defeated.

However, Frodo, too, has reached obstacles in his journey to Mount Doom. He and his companion Samwise must muster up the last reserves of their strength to take on the uphill battle that is the destruction of the One Ring, and face the unavoidable fact that, even if they should succeed, they will never return home to tell the tale.

In the exhilarating finale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, danger is more present than ever, and the heroes must face the daunting task of saving Middle-Earth as they know it. The Return of the King is a fitting end to the incredible trilogy, and should not be missed for the world.

-Mahak M.

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, Part 2): Tolkien, J.R.R. ...

After the compelling events of the first installment in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, readers will not be disappointed by the quality of the second part, The Two Towers.  The Fellowship of the Ring has been divided: the bearer of the Ring, Frodo, and his friend Sam have mysteriously disappeared, and two of the Company have been kidnapped by the despicable Orcs. The rest is left to stave off the wave of darkness that continues to seep out of the dark land of Mordor.

In Book I, the fate of the remnants of the Company is described as they continue on their mission. While hobbits Merry and Pippin attempt to escape their evil captors while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli track them across the wide plains of Middle-Earth. On their journeys, the two groups meet allies and foes, and eventually cross paths, and, in a happy twist of fate, manage to gain an advantage in the war.

Meanwhile, Book II describes Frodo and Sam, Middle-Earth’s last hope, and their perilous travel to the evil land of Mordor, with the twisted creature Gollum as their untrustworthy guide. Together, they travel throughout the land in their quest to destroy the One Ring and bring peace to all, but Frodo’s trusting nature is exploited in the cliffhanger of an ending.

Overall, fans of The Fellowship of the Ring will enjoy The Two Towers as much, if not more than, they relished the first installment. J.R.R. Tolkien does not fail to deliver a delightful combination of bewitching prose and poetry that keeps the reader engaged from cover to cover. 

-Mahak M.

The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

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When 111-year old Bilbo Baggins, hero of The Hobbit, gifts a stunning ring to his beloved nephew Frodo, he unknowingly changes the course of Middle-Earth history forever. For the innocent-looking ring is in truth the One Ring, which the Dark Lord of Mordor has lusted after for years, and will do anything to retrieve.

Seventeen years later, Gandalf the Grey appears in the Shire, warning Frodo of great danger. In order to preserve what is yet good in Middle-Earth, Frodo sets off with only his gardener Sam and his cousins Merry and Pippin as his companions. During his travels, he encounters numerous allies that eventually form the Fellowship of the Ring, the sole task of which is to destroy the One Ring in the fire of the fittingly named Mount Doom in the dark land of Mordor. 

However, the Company faces great dangers during their journey, and are pursued by the hated Orcs, soldiers of Sauron himself. Nevertheless, the greatest danger proves to be the object of their quest, the One Ring, whose malignant influence on all members of the Fellowship spurs a sudden betrayal that results in a kidnapping and a death.

The first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring is sure to delight all readers, combining action and adventure with a realistic world that readers will not hesitate to thoroughly immerse themselves in.

-Mahak M.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. IT can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

Book vs. Movie: Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

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The Lord Of The Rings series is just beautifully written By J.R.R. Tolkien. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in the series. Personally, I enjoyed both the book and the movie. They both totally immerse you in the world of Middle Earth, bringing you into the immense fantasy world the J.R.R. Tolkien has created. Giving you an escape from the real world, where you can, just for a couple of hours, live in the world of the Shire and Mordor with hobbits, dwarves, goblins, wizards, elves, and the all seeing eye. It is all a creative adventure that keeps you on your toes the entire time, wondering what is going to happen next.

As always, the book is better than the movie. It just goes more in-depth into the lore and the story. It has more characters and just more detail than what can be explained in the movie. The book tells the story of the adventure of Frodo Baggins, who has come into possession of the One ring, an extremely powerful ringed forged for the Dark Lord who, after thousands of years of submission has yet again started to rise. It is not an easy book to read and requires a lot of attention and comprehension, which is what makes it so easy to get lost in the book and forget about the real world.

The movie, however, is still very good. Unlike other books made into movies, the Fellowship of the Ring movie still follows the original story line, just cutting out some of the smaller details. It of course, is not as good as the book but it still is a great movie. Also, the soundtrack of this movie is amazing. It is one of my favorite movie soundtracks and it just help makes the movie great.

Overall, both the book and the movie are great. I would totally suggest both of them to anyone though, reading the book before watching the movie will probably help give you the full picture of the realm that J.R.R. Tolkien created.

-Ava G.

Both the novel and film are available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.