The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring spoilers explained

What is the main twist in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring?

The Ring that Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) carries is revealed to be the One Ring of Sauron, and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) discovers this when Frodo's ring proves to be indestructible in fire and displays the Black Speech inscription. The true twist is that the Ring cannot be destroyed by any ordinary means, and the only way to defeat Sauron is to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, a journey that Gandalf entrusts to Frodo. Additionally, the wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) is revealed to have betrayed the free peoples, having allied with Sauron and imprisoned Gandalf at Orthanc.

What happens in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring?

The film opens in the Second Age of Middle-earth, with a prologue narrated by Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). The Dark Lord Sauron forges the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom to control the other Rings of Power. A last alliance of Elves and Men, led by Gil-galad and Elendil, fights Sauron at the Black Gate. Isildur (Harry Sinclair) cuts the Ring from Sauron's hand, but refuses to destroy it, keeping it as weregild for his father and brother. Sauron's spirit endures, and Isildur is later killed by Orcs, with the Ring lost in the River Anduin for over two thousand years.

The Ring is found by the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis), who keeps it in a cave under the Misty Mountains for five hundred years, calling it his "precious." The Ring abandons Gollum and is found by the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), who takes it back to the Shire. Sixty years later, at his eleventy-first birthday party, Bilbo uses the Ring to vanish and then leaves the Shire, bequeathing the Ring and his home, Bag End, to his nephew Frodo. Gandalf, suspicious of the Ring, tells Frodo to keep it secret and safe, and departs to investigate.

Seventeen years pass. Gandalf returns and confirms that the Ring is the One Ring of Sauron by throwing it into the fire in Frodo's hearth, where the Black Speech inscription appears. Gandalf tells Frodo that Sauron has regained his strength and is seeking the Ring, and that Frodo must leave the Shire. Frodo, accompanied by his gardener Samwise Gamgee, and his cousins Merry Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin Took (Billy Boyd), sets out for Rivendell. They are pursued by the Black Riders, the Ringwraiths, Sauron's most terrible servants. At the Ford of Bruinen, the hobbits are nearly captured, but the river rises in a flood of white horses, driven by Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and Gandalf, and the Riders are swept away.

The hobbits arrive in Rivendell, where Elrond convenes a Council. The Council decides that the Ring must be destroyed, and Frodo volunteers to take it to Mordor. The Fellowship of the Ring is formed: Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, the Elf Legolas, the Dwarf Gimli, and Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor. They set out from Rivendell, attempting to cross the Misty Mountains via the pass of Caradhras, but are blocked by a fierce snowstorm, which Gandalf suspects is the work of Saruman. They instead travel through the Mines of Moria, where they discover the tomb of Balin and are attacked by Orcs and a cave troll. They flee into the Chamber of Mazarbul, and are confronted by a Balrog, a demon of the ancient world. Gandalf faces the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, and both fall into the abyss, with Gandalf crying "Fly, you fools!" as he falls.

The remaining members of the Fellowship emerge from Moria into the woods of Lothlórien, where they are received by Galadriel and Celeborn (Marton Csokas). Galadriel shows Frodo a vision of the future, and offers him the chance to take the Ring, but she resists the temptation. The Fellowship departs down the River Anduin in boats, heading south. At the hill of Amon Hen, Boromir, corrupted by the Ring's influence, attempts to take the Ring from Frodo by force. Frodo puts on the Ring and vanishes, then flees, deciding to continue the quest alone. Sam catches up with him at the riverbank, and the two set off together. Meanwhile, Boromir is attacked by a band of Uruk-hai, Saruman's Orcs, and fights to protect Merry and Pippin. He is shot with many arrows, and the Orcs capture the two hobbits. Aragorn arrives and finds Boromir dying, who confesses his failure and asks Aragorn to save his people. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli send Boromir's body down the river in a boat, and then set out to rescue Merry and Pippin. The film ends with Frodo and Sam looking out over the desolate land of Mordor, with Sam saying, "I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales," and Frodo replying that they will, before they continue their journey.

Quick, non-spoiler context

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.