There isn’t a wasted shot in the theatrical edition of The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s a near-perfect movie. The first act is perhaps the greatest example of seamless exposition in filmmaking ever produced, as the production covers 6,000 years of history, a textbook’s worth of world-building, and the introduction of a dozen immediately compelling lead characters. Pohle Jr., Robert W.; Hart, Douglas C.; Pohle Baldwin, Rita (2017). The Christopher Lee Film Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. p.155. ISBN 978-0-8108-9270-5.

Mitchell, Philip Irving. "A Beginner's Guide to Tolkien Criticism". Dallas Baptist University. Archived from the original on 30 April 2012 . Retrieved 24 July 2012. But when I’m sitting down for an all-day marathon, I want the tighter, better version of the movie, the one that’s engineered as a cohesive cinematic story rather than a collection of translated scenes. The Extended Editions brought LotR home The 50 Best Movies of the Decade (2000–2009)". Paste Magazine. 3 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011 . Retrieved 14 December 2011. Bruce Hopkins (8 October 2008). "New Zealand actors settle out of court with New Line". TheOneRing.net. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008 . Retrieved 9 October 2008. Main article: Production of The Lord of the Rings film series Alan Lee, a Tolkien illustrator who assisted in the visual design, at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow.Thorin and Company continue their journey toward The Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas (another LotR staple) joins the fray alongside newcomer Tauriel (played by Ant-Man’s Evangeline Lilly). While the company reaches Esgaroth, a lake-town south of Erebor, Bilbo descends into the mountain, where he encounters Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug ultimately leaves his lair and departs for Esgaroth, setting up the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy. The Fellowship of the Ring gets split into two parties, with Frodo and Samwise followed by the creature, Gollum. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippen each follow their own paths. Speaking of the elves, there will be famous and not-so-famous faces in the series. Robert Aramayo ( Game of Thrones) is the legendary elf Elrond who, when the show starts, is the young – in Elven terms, anyway – Herald to elven High King Gil-galad, who is portrayed by Benjamin Walker (Jessica Jones). Charles Edwards ( The Crown) is Celebrimbor, the elven smith who creates the Rings of Power for Sauron. Although, the Dark Lord is disguised at the time, and manipulates Celebrimbor into forging them. Davidson, Paul (15 May 2001). "LOTR Footage Wows Journalists". IGN. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012 . Retrieved 30 April 2010. Lord of the Rings News | LoTR movie internet trailer preview". Xenite.org. 10 April 2000. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008 . Retrieved 30 April 2010.

Rérolle, Raphaëlle (5 July 2012). "Tolkien, l'anneau de la discorde". Le Monde (in French). Archived from the original on 9 July 2012 . Retrieved 15 May 2019. past exhibitions: The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: The Exhibition". Museum of New Zealand. 8 January 2016 . Retrieved 16 April 2021.

Perry, Douglass C. (4 October 2002). "LOTR: The Two Towers Interview". IGN . Retrieved 11 November 2014.

greatest movie trilogies of all time". The Independent. 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020 . Retrieved 11 November 2020. The only potential confusion in the Lord of the Rings-Hobbit timeline comes from the fact that The Hobbit trilogy is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, despite being released a decade later. Michael Horton interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020 . Retrieved 19 December 2020.Frodo and Sam are joined by fellow hobbits Merry and Pippin, and they evade the Nazgûl before arriving in Bree, where they are meant to meet Gandalf at the Inn of The Prancing Pony. However, Gandalf never arrives, having been taken prisoner by Saruman. The hobbits are then aided by a Ranger named Strider, who promises to escort them to Rivendell; however, they are ambushed by the Nazgûl on Weathertop, and their leader, the Witch-King, stabs Frodo with a Morgul blade. Arwen, an Elf and Strider's beloved, locates Strider and rescues Frodo, summoning flood-waters that sweep the Nazgûl away. She takes him to Rivendell, where he is healed by the Elves. Frodo meets with Gandalf, who escaped Isengard on a Great Eagle. That night, Strider reunites with Arwen, and they affirm their love for each other. The Lord Of The Rings – The Two Towers". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018 . Retrieved 9 May 2019.