The Megahit Movies

by Richard Stefanik

  The Witch-King rides a flying Fell-Beast from the castle over the marching troops.

  Gollum, Sam, and Frodo climb up the rock staircase.

  Gandalf tells Pippin to light the beacon on the tower.

  Orcs in boats ride into Osgiliath and attack. Faramir and his soldiers fight the Orcs, but they are defeated. Pippin lights the fire. Other beacons are lit across the mountains. Aragorn sees the beacon and runs to King Théoden. He agrees to help Gondor. He orders the Rohan army to assemble and to meet at Dunharrow. Eowyn says to Aragorn: “The men have found their Captain. They will follow him into battle...to death.”

  Faramir orders a retreat from Osgiliath. “The age of Men is over. The time of Orcs has come!” says the Orc leader. The Fell-Beasts attack the retreating soldiers of Gondor. Gandalf rides out to help them and with his staff produces a white light that chases away the Fell-Beasts. Faramir sees Pippin, then tells Gandalf that he saw Frodo and Sam.

  Gollum, Frodo, and Sam climb the stairs of Cirith Ungol. Gollum lusts for the Ring, and reaches out for it, but instead, grabs Frodo’s hand to help him up the steps. Sam argues with Gollum. Gollum and Frodo both share the experience of handling the ring, and it’s power which Sam does not. Therefore, Frodo has some sympathy for Gollum. Gollum plans to poison the mind of Frodo against Sam. Gollum tells Frodo that soon Sam will ask to take the Ring from Frodo.

  The Witch-King prepares for battle.

  The White Wizard prepares for battle. Pippin pledges fealty to Denethor, who wants his son Faramir to recapture Osgiliath. He shames Faramir by saying that Boromir would not have let the city fall. This is a suicide mission.

  Sam and Frodo are asleep. Gollum takes the last bread from Sam’s sack, spreads the crumbs over him, then throws the bread down the mountain. Sam wakens Frodo then realizes that the bread is gone. He blames Gollum, who points out the crumbs on Sam. Sam hits Gollum, then offers to carry the Ring, “share the load.” “See, he wants it for himself,” says Gollum. Frodo sends Sam away.

  Faramir and his soldiers ride through the city on their way to the suicide mission. The people watch them go and throw flowers along their path. Gandalf tries to stop him, but Faramir has an allegiance to Gondor.

  Denethor asks Pippin to sing him a song as Faramir and his soldiers ride to their deaths. Blood red juice from the small tomatoes he is eating spills from the mouth of Denethor.

  Rohan army only gathers 6,000 spears, which is half of what Théoden hoped for. Aragorn explains that they must ride in the morning. Horses are nervous in the shadow of the mountain. None who venture there ever returns. The Mountain is evil. Aragorn stares into the passage. Eowyn dresses Merry in armor. The Rohan soldiers laugh and say Merry is too small to fight. Eowyn says Merry has a right to fight for those he loves.

  Aragorn dreams of Arwen, who wishes she could see him one last time. A cloaked figure rides up the mountain of the camp of Rohan. Aragorn is summoned to the tent of King Théoden, where Elrond reveals himself, and gives ANDURIL, the sword of flame, to Aragorn. Elrond tells Aragorn that he needs more men, and he should get the men of the mountains, who will answer to the sword of the King of Gondor. Aragorn takes the sword.

  Aragon heads toward the mountain. Eowyn confronts him, but Aragorn tells her he does not love her. Gimli and Legolas join Aragorn. King Théoden tells Eowyn that she will rule if he falls in battle.

  Aragorn goes into the Dwimorberg Mountain to confront the King of the Dead. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas approach the cave of the dead where lives a cursed army, who once swore allegiance to the last King of Gondor, but betrayed him in his time of need. The horses run away from the opening of the cave, Aragorn enters.

  Rohan soldiers ride off to battle. Merry wants to join them, but King Théoden tells him to stay. Eowyn picks Merry up and they ride together.

  The army of Sauron approaches Minas Tirith.

  Aragorn in the cave confronts the dead king and his cursed army. “Fight for me, and I will hold your oaths fulfilled.”

  The Battle of Pelennor Fields begins. A horse returns the body of Faramir to Minas Tirith. The mad Steward Denethor believes Faramir is dead and grieves for the end of his line. The attack begins. Denethor tells the soldiers to run for their lives. Gandalf beats him with his staff and tells the soldiers to hold their positions and fight!

  Fell Beasts with the Nazgul enter the battle and fly into the city wreaking havoc. Pippin kills an Orc. The battle rages throughout the streets of Minas Tirith.

  Gollum leads Frodo to the cave of the spider, Shelob. “This is the only way to Mordor,” says Gollum. Gollum abandons Frodo in the spider cave. Frodo calls out for Sam.

  Sam slips down the rock stairway. He finds the bread and knows that Gollum has betrayed him and Frodo. He runs back up the stairs. Frodo uses the luminous glass phial, the gift of the Elf Queen, Galadriel. He sees the spider and runs for his life. He is caught in a spider web but cuts himself out. Frodo gets out of the cave, but then is attacked

  by Gollum. They struggle. Gollum blames the precious. Frodo lets him go, and explains that he has “to destroy the Ring for both our sakes.” Gollum attacks him again. Gollum is thrown down the mountain side. Frodo collapses then has a vision of Galadriel, the Elf Queen. “If you do not find a way, no one else will,” she tells Frodo.

  Battle scenes. The Flaming Wolf-Head Battering Ram slams into the gates of Minas Tirith.

  Denethor places Faramir on a pyre. He intends a burning death for them both. Pippin tries to stop him, saying that Faramir is still alive. Frodo walks up a rocky path toward the burning tower of Mordor. He is stalked then attacked by Shelob. In the struggle, she stabs him with her stinger and then wraps him up in her webbing.

  Sam comes onto the scene and fights Shelob for Frodo. He stabs her, and Shelob retreats. Sam thinks that Frodo is dead. The sword turns blue indicating that an Orc is near. Sam hides. An Orc and Uruk-hai find Frodo. He is still alive because this is how Shelob likes to feed on her flesh. They take the body of Frodo to a Mordor tower. Pippin tries to save Faramir. Denethor throws Pippin out of the hall. He runs searching for Gandalf.

  The Rohan army approaches the battlefield. Pippin finds Gandalf, together they return. Gandalf tries to stop the burning. He knocks down Denethor as Pippin pulls Faramir off the burning funeral pyre. A burning Denethor runs down the hallway and off the edge of the 7th level of Minas Tirith. He falls to his death onto the battle field below.

  A line of Mumak (elephant-like creatures) attack the Rohan army. The Rohans charge into the Mumak. The Army of the Haradrim attack. Sauron’s army has broken into Minas Tirith and are making their way up the levels. Gandalf and Pippin sit and talk about death being just another change into another world. This gives Pippin hope.

  The Witch-King and his Fell-Beast attack King Théoden. They knock Théoden and his horse to the ground. The horse falls on Théoden. The Witch-King and the Fell-Beast come in for the kill, but thety are confronted by Eowyn dressed in Rohan armor. She cuts off the head of the Fell-Beast and engages in hand-to-hand combat with the Witch-King, who has both sword and malice.

  The ships land at Osgiliath. Aragon, Gimli and Legolas disembark and confront the Orc army. The Green Army of the Dead pour out from the ship and swarm over Sauron’s army.

  The Witch-King has defeated Eowyn. He tells her that it is hopeless because no man can kill him. Eowyn removes her helmet, shows that she is a woman, says “I am no man,” and then stabs the Witch-King with her sword in his face. He crumbles and dies!

  The Green Army of the Dead swarm onto the battlefield.

  Legolas climbs up the body of a Mumak and kills it. Eowyn tries to save King Théoden, but his body is broken, and he dies in her arms.

  Aragorn and his army triumph. Gandalf is on the battle field. Aragorn keeps his promise and frees the Army of the Dead. They vanish. Pippin finds Merry and nurses him.

  Frodo is bound in the Watchtower of Mordor. An Orc and Uruk-hai fight. Sam makes his way back to Frodo. He fights with three O
rcs on the stairway. An Orc is about to stick Frodo, and Sam stabs him instead. Frodo thinks that the Ring is lost, but Sam had taken it from him when he thought Frodo was dead, wrapped in the Spider web. Sam shows Frodo the Ring. Frodo wants it back, saying that the Ring is his burden. Sam gives him the Ring.

  Sam and Frodo, disguised as Orcs, make their way across the fields of Mordor toward Mount Doom. In Minas Tirith, Gandalf and Aragorn talk about the fate of Frodo and the Ring. 10,000 Orcs stand between Frodo and Mount Doom. Aragorn wants to create a diversion to help Frodo. He wants to march to the Black Gates of Mordor to distract the Eye of Sauron.

  The army of Mordor march toward the Black Gate. Sam and Frodo march toward Mount Doom. Frodo drinks the last of the water. “I do not think there will be a return journey,” says Sam. Aragorn’s army is at the Black Gates of Mordor.

  The Eye of Sauron shines on Frodo.

  The Black gates open. The Eye of Sauron shines toward the gate.

  Sam and Frodo move and climb up Mount Doom.

  Sauron’s Army surrounds Aragorn’s Army. This is their moment of desperation.

  Both Sam and Frodo are out of strength. Sam carries Frodo.

  The Eye of Sauron calls out to Aragorn and tells him to stop. Aragorn charges into battle for Frodo!

  Gollum jumps on top of Sam, who is carrying Frodo. They fight, and Sam slashes Gollum with his sword. Frodo continues up the mountain. Fell-Beasts swarm into the battle against the Army of Aragorn. A moth appears in front of Gandalf, then the Eagles appear. Eagles fight the Fell Beasts.

  Frodo stands on the ledge over looking the lava rivers of Mount Doom. He holds the Ring in his hand, but he will not let it drop. Sam pleads with him to throw down the Ring, but Frodo refuses and says “It is mine!” Frodo then puts the Ring on his finger.

  Gollum hits Sam with a rock and knocks him to the ground. Gollum sees the feet marks of the invisible Frodo and jumps on him and fights for the ring. They struggle. Gollum bites the Ring finger off of Frodo, and gets the Rings for himself. Gollum dances with glee at the edge of the ledge. Frodo jumps Gollum and they fight, then together fall off the ledge. Gollum falls into the lava river below with the Ring. The Ring drops into the lava.

  A Troll has his foot on the chest of Aragorn and is about to kill him.

  The Ring dissolves in the lava river.

  Barad-dur, the tower holding the Eye-of-Sauron collapses. The Eye explodes, sending a shock wave across the battle field.

  The Troll runs away as does the Army of Sauron.

  The ground opens up and swallows Orcs and Uruk-hai soldiers.

  The Army of Aragorn cheer, but then watch in gloom as Mount Doom explodes. They believe that Frodo and Sam have been killed. Frodo and Sam make their way to a large rock in the middle of the lava river. They speak of the Shire and express their friendship as the river of lava surrounds them. Sam talks of Rosie being the Hobbit he would have married. They wait for their end, falling asleep on the rock.

  Three Eagles appear in the sky. Gandalf rides on one of them which picks up Frodo. A second eagle picks up Sam. They fly to safety.

  RESOLUTION SCENES Frodo awakes in bed. White-brown light fills the room. Gandalf watches over him. Pippin and Merry enter. They laugh and play with Frodo in the bed. Gimli enters, then Legolas and Aragorn. Sam stands by the doorway. A special look of deep understanding passes between Frodo and Sam.

  Minas Tirith, the 7th level. Turquoise colors dominate. Blue-greens and silver. Silver crown of Gondor. Gandalf crowns him. “Now comes Days of the King.” Aragon is crowned the King of Gondor. He sings an elfish song. White flowers flow down on him. He greets Legolas and the other Elves. He sees Arwen. He kisses her. Man and Elf will marry and unite. The four Hobbits appear and are honored by the people of Gondor. “You bow to no one,” says Aragorn.

  The Fourth age of the Middle-Earth has begun.

  The Hobbits return to the Shire, 13 months from the day they left. They celebrate at a pub. Sam sees Rosie, the barmaid. Sam marries Rosie. Frodo writes the book: Lord of the Rings, but he is not happy. Frodo cannot go back to the old life of the Shire after the adventures that he has had. Four years to the day he completes his book.

  Gandalf the White drives a cart that holds old Bilbo Baggins, who is to be taken to the mystical Elfin harbor known as Grey Havens. Bilbo asks for one last look of his old Ring, but Frodo says that he has lost it.

  Elfin Harbor. Queen of the Elves says that the time has come for the dominion of Man. A ship with Lord Elrond takes Bilbo to a new journey, along with Gandalf and Frodo. Frodo says goodbye to Sam, Pippin, and Merry. It sails away into the yellow sunset as the three remaining Hobbits watch.

  Sam returns to his wife, two little children and house in the Shire. They enter the house and close the yellow door behind them.

  THE END OF PART III

  COMMENTARIES ON THE LORD OF THE RING TRILOGY There are many common story structures that are found in these movies. These are standard Hollywood story structures, yet, they still worked to make these movies megahits.

  Most of these popular movies have a unique object that both the antagonist and the protagonist desire to possess. It is obvious in these movies that this is the ONE RING. The antagonist group (Lord Sauron and Wizard Saruman) want it because of the ultimate power it will give them, while Frodo and the Fellowship want to destroy the Ring. Yet the Ring can make the bearer also desire the power it has. The unique object forces the conflict to be a life and death struggle: only one side can possess it. The Ring is used to expose very deep character traits in each character. It shows us how the different characters react to the power the Ring possesses. This device enables the writer to create different character motivations based on how a character reacts to the Ring.

  The Ring gave Bilbo long life. It caused Boromir to threaten Frodo, and even Bilbo almost became violent when he tried to repossess it. Sméagol (Gollum) killed his friend Déagol for the Ring then its power drove him insane. Humans don’t even have to touch it to feel compelled to own it, because the humans are the weakest creatures in Middle-Earth. It even transforms Frodo by the end of the movie. Frodo cannot destroy the Ring and desires to keep it for himself.

  The antagonist side wants the Ring because it will give them the power to control others. Frodo and the Fellowship want to destroy this power and remain free. This is a very common theme found in many megahit movies and the Unique Object in these movies helps the writers to develop this theme. In Star Wars, it was the plans to the Death Star that would allow the Rebels or the Empire to control the most powerful weapon in the universe. In MIB, it was the “Galaxy around Orion’s Belt,” and it was the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

  The first plot twist in The Lord of the Ring occurs when Gandalf goes to his master Saruman for advice about what to do with the Ring. The surprise twist is that Saruman has gone to the dark side and is in league with the evil spirit, Sauron. Betrayal is always an effective plot twist. Surprise plot twists create tension and excitement in the audience, especially, if there is a betrayal of trust. When the audience sees a wise wizard like Gandalf betrayed, they wonder who will be the next character to betray the protagonist. The betrayal of Gandalf raises the emotional stakes in the audience, since a character for whom they have empathy has been placed in grave danger. Jeopardy and danger are absolutely necessary to make a story exciting. The black Ringwraiths come after Frodo because of the unique object he has in his possession. The Ring forces Frodo to leave his home, the Shire, so that it will not be destroyed.

  Themes are statements about the values that characters must exhibit in order to achieve their objectives. Some values will lead to success, others to failure and death. The Lord of the Ring movies are epic stories that follow the Hero’s Journey structure, but not all megahit movies do this. In these popular movies, the villain is always much more powerful than the hero in the beginning, and this is obvious with Frodo versus Sauron. But in the beginning of the movie, the audience believes tha
t Frodo has the powerful Gandalf as his mentor. Once Gandalf seems to be easily defeated, then the situation for Frodo appears even more desperate. The Lord of the Ring has the classic inciting event as the catalyst for the story. Bilbo Baggins leaves the Ring for Frodo. At first, Gandalf does not realize that this is the “ONE RING,” so he has Frodo place it in an envelope while he goes to Minas Tirith to read the ancient documents. Gandalf returns and throws the envelope into the fire. He then has Frodo look for the inscription which he finds written on the Ring. Once Gandalf realizes the evil in this Ring, he knows that it cannot stay in the Shire. He then has Frodo and Sam carry the Ring away. They plan to meet him in Bree. Frodo’s life will never again be the same. His world will forever change because of this inciting event.

  This story structure starts with a vulnerable character (Frodo) then making his vulnerability even worse with the loss of Gandalf. This increases the audience’s emotional involvement in the story. The dramatic objective of the protagonist is NOT to find and keep “the Holy Grail,” but to destroy an object that is the most powerful weapon in the universe before it destroys all life. He becomes the reluctant hero. His primary objective is to transport the Ring to its destruction which is the opposite of most quest movies. For the audience, the main question in this story is will Frodo destroy the Ring before it destroys him.

  Frodo has a character arc. Once he is stabbed by the Witch-King, he will never be the same. That is why he cannot stay in the Shire after the journey is done. And carrying the Ring changes him, for the Ring has the spirit of Sauron within it. Frodo does not become the happy hobbit at the end of the movie that he was in the beginning. The Lord of the Ring is about what an obsession for power will do to a mind. Even the queen of the elves, Galadriel, was almost seduced by the power of the Ring. Yet, it is also the story of how Frodo and Sam must survive under the constant threat of betrayal by Gollum. They need Gollum to show them how to get to the mountain, but Sam does not trust him.