"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001) follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he inherits a Ring that can corrupt and destroy the world, and sets out with eight companions to carry it toward the only place it can be unmade. The film ends with the fellowship broken apart by betrayal and death, leaving Frodo and his loyal friend Sam to continue the journey to Mordor alone. Directed by Peter Jackson and based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel of the same name, the film is the first installment of a trilogy that also includes "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King." It sets up the central quest, introduces the fellowship, and ends on a cliffhanger rather than a resolution.
Table of Contents
- How does the Ring come to Frodo, and why is it dangerous?
- What happens at the Council of Elrond, and who forms the Fellowship?
- What happens in the Mines of Moria, and why does Gandalf fall?
- Why does the Fellowship break apart, and what does Boromir do?
- How does the film end, and what is left unresolved?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Ring come to Frodo, and why is it dangerous?
The wizard Gandalf the Grey confirms that a plain gold ring inherited by Frodo from his uncle Bilbo Baggins is the One Ring, forged by the dark lord Sauron to dominate the other Rings of Power and control Middle-earth. Sauron lost the Ring in battle centuries earlier, and it passed through several hands before Bilbo found it, as shown in the earlier film "The Hobbit" trilogy's source material. The Ring is dangerous because it corrupts whoever holds it, amplifying greed and the desire for power, while slowly extending the bearer's life at the cost of their will.
Gandalf tells Frodo that Sauron's forces, the Ringwraiths (also called the Nazgûl), are hunting for the Ring and for the Shire, the hobbits' homeland. Frodo leaves home with his gardener and friend Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, and they are soon joined by two more hobbits, Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, after the Ringwraiths attack them on the road. The group is pursued relentlessly because the Ring calls out to its wearer's enemies and makes him harder to see while making him easier for wraiths to sense. At the town of Bree, the hobbits meet a ranger named Strider, who turns out to be Aragorn, the hidden heir to the throne of Gondor, and he agrees to guide them toward safety.
What happens at the Council of Elrond, and who forms the Fellowship?
After the Ringwraiths wound Frodo with a cursed blade near Weathertop, Aragorn and the elf Arwen race to get Frodo to the elven refuge of Rivendell, where Elrond, the elven lord, heals him. At Rivendell, representatives of Middle-earth's free peoples, men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits, gather at a formal meeting called the Council of Elrond to decide what to do with the Ring. The council determines that the Ring cannot be used as a weapon against Sauron, since it would corrupt anyone who tried to wield it, including Gandalf.
The only option is to destroy it by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, the volcano where it was forged, because that is the only place capable of unmaking it. Frodo volunteers to carry the Ring there, and eight others swear to protect him on the journey. The resulting Fellowship of the Ring includes Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, the elf archer Legolas, the dwarf warrior Gimli, and the man Boromir, son of the steward of Gondor. Boromir argues for using the Ring as a weapon for his city, a disagreement that foreshadows the conflict that later breaks the group apart.
What happens in the Mines of Moria, and why does Gandalf fall?
Blocked from crossing the mountains, the Fellowship enters the Mines of Moria, an ancient underground dwarf kingdom, where Gandalf hopes to find Gimli's cousin Balin. Instead they find the mines overrun by orcs and discover Balin's tomb, learning the dwarf colony was wiped out. The group is attacked by orcs and a massive cave troll, and Frodo is stabbed but survives unharmed because he is secretly wearing a mail shirt made of mithril, a rare and nearly indestructible metal, given to him by Bilbo.
Escaping the orcs, the Fellowship reaches a bridge where Gandalf confronts a Balrog, an ancient demon of fire and shadow that the dwarves' mining had awakened. Gandalf breaks the bridge beneath the Balrog but is dragged down into the chasm with it as the creature's whip catches his leg. His fall leaves Aragorn to take over leadership of the group as they flee Moria in grief.
Why does the Fellowship break apart, and what does Boromir do?
The surviving Fellowship travels to the elven forest of Lothlórien, ruled by the Lady Galadriel, who gives each member a parting gift and shows Frodo a vision of possible futures in a magical mirror. Afterward, the group travels by boat toward Mordor, but tension over the Ring's fate comes to a head when they stop near the falls of Amon Hen. Boromir, overcome by the Ring's influence, tries to take it from Frodo by force, insisting it should be used to defend his people.
Frodo escapes by putting on the Ring, which turns him invisible, and realizes he can no longer trust the group to protect him without being corrupted themselves. He decides to continue to Mordor alone rather than risk the Ring falling into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, an orc army sent by the wizard Saruman, who has allied with Sauron, attacks the Fellowship. Boromir dies defending Merry and Pippin, redeeming himself before his death, but the two hobbits are captured and carried off by the orcs.
How does the film end, and what is left unresolved?
By the film's final scenes, the Fellowship has split into three strands that the sequels pick up separately. Frodo, realizing the Ring endangers everyone around him, sets off alone for Mordor, and Sam catches up to him and refuses to let him go without him, the two continuing the quest together. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli choose to pursue the orcs holding Merry and Pippin captive rather than follow Frodo, since Frodo has clearly chosen his own path and the hobbits need rescuing immediately.
This decision sets up the parallel story lines that run through "The Two Towers": Frodo and Sam's journey toward Mordor, and the hunt to recover Merry and Pippin. The film ends without resolving the Ring's fate or confirming whether Gandalf survived his fall, both deliberate cliffhangers that carry directly into the next installment. Aragorn's closing line, affirming that the Fellowship's purpose is "not yet over," signals that the quest continues even though the original nine companions have scattered into separate paths.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Gandalf die at the end of "The Fellowship of the Ring"?
The film leaves his fate unresolved after he falls with the Balrog in Moria; his return is addressed in "The Two Towers."
Why does Frodo leave the rest of the Fellowship?
After Boromir tries to take the Ring from him, Frodo decides traveling alone with Sam is safer than risking further corruption among the group.
What happens to Merry and Pippin at the end of the film?
They are captured by Saruman's orcs after Boromir is killed defending them, setting up their storyline in the next film.