Category: 2001

As a fantasy film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) exhibits all the hallmarks of its genre, as one would expect from an adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1954 classic high fantasy novel. The story takes place in Middle-earth, an imagined, self-contained world rather than our real one. Magic is also a central and pervasive force, whether it’s through magical artifacts like the One Ring or the abilities of wizards like Gandalf and Saruman. The film features mythical beings ranging from immortal Elves to grotesque and malevolent creatures like Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls. As I note in my book Action Scenarios in Film: The Essential Guide to Action in Film, the modality of a fight scenario changes with the film genre in which it’s situated. This holds true for fantasy films as well, with the fight between Gandalf and Saruman being an illustrative case.