>>This particular hobbit has a computer printout above his desk which reads,
>>"MORDOR SHALL FALL".
>>
>>-- DRR
>>
>>
>
>I watched the second "Rings" last night, and just couldn't follow it (much
>to my daughter's chagrin: "Come on, Dad!"). Could you or anyone here explain
>the plot and why it's such a successful enterprise?
>
The obvious question is whether you've seen the first movie or not. But,
here's a Baedeker to get you started.
1) Sauron, in Mordor, is massing his forces to take over Middle-Earth. His Ringwraiths are still seeking the One Ring, which Frodo is taking to Mordor to destroy.
2) Saruman, a powerful wizard, has decided to ally himself with Mordor. To supplement Sauron's Orcs, and to build himself a power base, he has created a race of fearsome fighters called the Uruk-Hai. (These are the big uglies with white-hand marks on them.) He also knows that a Hobbit carries the One Ring, so he has sent his Uruk-Hai to seize them.
3) Although the other races of Middle Earth will all be brought to ruin under Sauron, they are not yet allied with one another. Men, Elves, and Dwarves do not trust each other. Dwarves just want to mine for precious metals, Elves sense that their time in Middle-Earth is passing, in favor of the Age of Men. (Hobbits have been considered too inconsequential to worry about.)
4) The attempt to escort Frodo to Mordor, to destroy the ring, has failed, with the deaths of both Gandalf and Boromir. Of the remaining seven, a) Frodo and Sam push on to Mordor by themselves, b) Merry and Pippin, the other two hobbits, have been kidnapped by the Uruk-Hai and are being brought back to Saruman, and c) Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas are tracking them to rescue them.
Okay, that's enough to get you into the second movie. Here's a rough idea of what happens.
1) Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas meet up with Gandalf, thought dead, now resurrected with greater powers. He dissuades them from rescuing Merry and Pippin. He believes that Saruman will send his forces to attack the Kingdom of Gondor, and they will be needed there.
2) Merry and Pippin escape the Uruk-Hai, and find refuge in Fangorn Forest. There, they meet Treebeard-- an Ent, a tree-like being centuries old-- and attempt to explain to him what's going on in the rest of the world.
3) Frodo and Sam attempt to enter Mordor. Gollum, a Hobbit who's been twisted and ruined by the Ring since he found it centuries ago, has followed them there. He attempts to steal it back. Frodo, moved by pity (he understands the Ring's effects), does not kill him. Instead, he forces Gollum to swear to bring them into Mordor. Gollum agrees, but Sam is understandably suspicious.
4) Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Gandalf journey to Gondor, to the hall of King Theoden. Theoden has been weakened by the wizardry of Saruman, and the duplicity of his aide, Grima Wormtongue. He has made mad decisions, including banishing his most loyal son, who now fights Mordor's and Saruman's with the Riders of Rohan. Meanwhile, the Uruk-Hai and Orcs have been attacking the towns of Gondor.
5) Gandalf counters Saruman's magic. Theoden recovers, banishes Grima, and begins to rally his kingdom for the coming assault. At the urging of Gandalf, Theoden decides to bring his subjects and his army to the fortress of Helm's Deep, which is much more defensible. (It should be said that Aragorn is also the last of the lineage of Kings of Man, and has had no desire to take his kingdom.)
6) Deespite Saurman's superior technology, seige engines, and massive army, the defense of Helm's Deep succeeds, thanks to a) Aragorn's leadership, b) Gandalf's returning in the nick of time with the Riders of Rohan, and c) the surprising arrival of an army of Elves led by Celeborn, who have realized that the alliance of Elves and Men that defeated Sauron centuries before must stand again. (This is surprising to fans of the books, because this was a _big_ change from the text.)
7) Merry and Pippin get Treebeard to rally the Ents by showing him how much destruction Saruman has caused the countryside. The Ents march on Saruman's stronghold, the Tower is Isengard, and tear the place apart. Between the Ents and the rout at Helm's Deep, Saruman's forces are utterly finished. (This leaves Sauron's forces, which have been massing in Mordor, and are preparing an attack on the city of Minas Tirith.)
8) Frodo, Sam and Gollum journey around the periphery of Mordor, searching for a way to get in undetected. They encounter a small army from Minas Tirith, led by Boromir's brother Faramir, under attack by Orcs. Unlike Boromir, Faramir understands that he must let Frodo journey on to Mordor. But the unstable and treachrous Gollum has decided to prepare a trap for Frodo that will enable him to get his precious Ring back.
9) So the second film ends with Frodo and Sam being led to their doom by Gollum, and an impending Big Fucking Battle at the city of Minas Tirith.
As for why the films are so successful, I have no idea. I loved the books, so it's great to see them as a full-blown movie, but I just don't know if legions of Tolkien fans are enough to make a movie so successful; there are legions of fans of _Dune_, and there were legions of Tolkien fans in 1977 when Bakshi did his version. It may be due to two facts; fantasy movies are now the big mainstream entertainments, so people are more used to their conventions, and the films are exceptionally good, with strong scripts, terrific acting, and large-scale action sequences that David Lean might envy.
By the way, Dennis, if you want to see some of the sharpest SF being written today, I'd push Neil Stephenson and Bruce Sterling on you in a heartbeat. You'll love _Snow Crash_ and _The Diamond Age_.