Chapter 259: The Charm of Legolas

Gandalf's "death" is the most tragic moment in the first part of The Lord of the Rings!

It feels like, Legolas is responsible for being "handsome," Gandalf is responsible for being "emotional," Aragorn is responsible for being "brave," the dwarf is responsible for being "reckless," Merry and Pippin are responsible for "drawing monsters," and our main character Frodo is responsible for... well, being "miserable"!

This is the role assignment for each character in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Gandalf falls off the cliff, but the group doesn't have time to mourn. After a few hobbits scream "No~," the eight-member Fellowship continues their journey.

After enduring countless hardships, they finally arrive at—Lothlórien, which means "The Dream Land of Blooming Flowers."

Here, the Noldor, Sindar, and Silvan Elves reside.

Galadriel and Celeborn are the rulers of Lothlórien.

This place is a true dreamlike realm, and the forest of Lothlórien is bathed in gold year-round.

The leaves of the Mallorn trees turn yellow in autumn but never fall in winter.

When spring arrives, the golden leaves fall to the ground, covering it, while new green and silver leaves sprout and golden flowers bloom on the trees.

The Mallorn tree is unique to Lothlórien, and no other place in Middle-earth has these trees, except for the Shire.

The Mallorn tree seed in the Shire was a gift from Galadriel to Samwise Gamgee.

Lothlórien is also a peaceful and safe place.

Galadriel uses the power of her Ring, Nenya, to protect Lothlórien from evil and danger, while also slowing the passage of time.

As the most powerful woman in Middle-earth, Galadriel possesses many abilities and methods—her Mirror, which can show glimpses of the past and future, though not always accurately because the future has so many possibilities.

Using the Mirror, Galadriel makes a prophecy for the Fellowship. It reveals that the One Ring is slowly corrupting and seducing the members of the Fellowship, and perhaps, in the near future, one of them will fall?

By this point, most viewers could already guess that the one who would fall would be Boromir.

After all, the clues have already been subtly given. It's a commercial blockbuster; it won't make the audience work too hard to guess.

Whether it's Gandalf or Legolas, the Ring's temptation works the same way—"Put me on, put me on, put me on, and I will give you great power."

But is Gandalf someone who craves power? He'd rather spend his time at a tavern having a drink or traveling somewhere.

Is Legolas someone who craves power? He'd probably prefer to be a minstrel, and the Elves are about to leave Middle-earth anyway.

The same goes for Gimli, the four Hobbits, and Aragorn. Their need for power is not that strong; they either already have it or don't need it at all.

Only Boromir has a clear desire.

His desire isn't for power or to defeat Mordor; it is to defend Gondor and its people.

But Mordor is powerful, and that's why he wants more strength.

This is why he is so easily tempted by the Ring.

The segment when the Fellowship enters Lothlórien can also be seen as a healing and upgrading journey for the group.

Lembas bread, Elven cloaks, stronger bows and arrows, and the Light of Eärendil, among others.

After equipping themselves, the Fellowship is ready for their next leg of the journey.

To make the journey more thrilling and to highlight the bravery and handsomeness of a certain character, Peter Jackson arranges a pursuit by an orc army for the Fellowship.

The Fellowship sets off by boat, and orcs appear along the banks of the river. Legolas has his most heroic moment in the first film.

He stands proudly at the front of the boat, his foot on the bow's raised edge, holding a bow in one hand and placing the other on his quiver. His cloak billows in the wind, his hair flies, and he glares sharply at the orcs rushing toward him from both sides of the river.

One orc, confident in his strength, wields a mace and leaps from a tree toward the boat.

With a quick but graceful motion, Legolas draws an arrow, draws his bow, and shoots!

Whoosh!

Thud!

The orc falls into the river, swallowed by the water.

But this orc's actions seem to trigger the attack, and more orcs rush in from both sides.

Legolas remains steady at the bow, unwavering even as the boat rocks. He releases arrows rapidly, his movements fluid and graceful, creating a symphony of bowstrings snapping and arrows whizzing through the air.

Orcs are struck and fall into the water, and those who manage to evade the arrows are taken out by Aragorn and the others.

Thanks to Legolas' precise archery, the Fellowship successfully enters the larger river, with the orcs unable to keep up.

Then, two massive statues appear—The Argonath (The Gates of Gondor).

The statues depict Isildur and his brother Anárion, the founders of Gondor, with Isildur being the one who, in the opening battle, severed the Dark Lord's finger.

The river scenes were filmed on the Kawarau River in New Zealand. To depict the large statues in the film, Weta Workshop created smaller models, which were then enlarged using special filming techniques and digital effects.

When the film presents a long shot of the boat passing the Argonath statues, the powerful contrast between the small boat and the monumental statues is awe-inspiring.

Even the most discerning fans of the Lord of the Rings books can't help but be moved by this scene.

Shortly after landing, the Fellowship enters the forest.

Soon, Galadriel's prophecy comes true.

Boromir succumbs to the temptation of the Ring and tries to secretly take the Ring from Frodo.

Fortunately, the hobbits are sharp enough to escape from Boromir.

Now, the Fellowship faces the threat of division.

In the original timeline, this part of the story saw Aragorn, the human hero, find Frodo alone and resist the Ring's temptation, thus agreeing with Frodo's idea that the hobbit should go on the journey alone.

But in this version, Peter Jackson gives Martin more screen time and has Legolas and Aragorn both find Frodo. It is Legolas who proposes that Frodo should travel alone.

Martin's performance here is truly fitting, using a tone of wisdom and experience to show the long life of the Elven prince, while also demonstrating his strength and decisiveness.

When Legolas convinces Aragorn, the entire theater bursts into applause.

At that moment, Saruman's Uruk-hai army arrives.