Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the film that kicked off one of the most successful and beloved trilogies in movie history. Peter Jackson and company managed to successfully bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy novels to life on the big screen, introducing the world of Middle Earth to a whole new audience.
The film gave one of the most memorable movie teams since the Avengers. The titular Fellowship of the Ring is made up of brave, strong and honorable characters, who join together on a dangerous quest to destroy the One Ring. While almost everyone contributes to this cause, some of the Fellowship’s members are a lot more useful than others. Here they all are, ranked from worst to best.
Pippin
It’s hard not to see Pippin as the most useless member of the Fellowship. While every other character contributes at least a little something to the group’s efforts, Pippin is a constant liability throughout The Fellowship of the Ring. He seems more likely to lead the group into horrible danger than to help them out.
Pippin just isn’t cut out for this sort of life-endangering adventure. He’s constantly complaining and asking about “second breakfast” while the others are trying to figure out how they’re going to survive. Certainly, he and everyone else would have been better off if he’d just stayed in the Shire.
Merry
Like his good friend Pippin, Merry is not exactly an asset for the Fellowship. These two bumbling characters are really only involved by accident; it’s a wonder the others let them tag along past Rivendell. As with Pippin, Merry isn’t the kind of individual who is going to add much to a quest like this.
Merry gets the slight edge on Pippin because he at least seems to be trying to be of use. He trains to fight, he listens to the more knowledgeable people in the group and –unlike Pippin– he knows when to shut up.
Boromir
On the face of it, the human characters in the Fellowship seem to be a bit of a liability. They seem weaker and more fragile than the others, as well as being part of a race who failed to destroy the Ring in the first place. Boromir exemplifies all those reasons to distrust men, though he also demonstrates the qualities that make them valuable warriors.
Boromir is a skilled and disciplined fighter, the kind the team needs. However, he was also easily tempted by the Ring, almost causing him to betray the group. His redemption comes quickly, but, sadly, he is the only member of the Fellowship who would not survive the journey.
Gimli
Though smaller in stature than the other warrior races in the Fellowship, Gimli is nonetheless a valuable fighter to have on their side. He is as brave as any other member of the group and never backs down from a battle, no matter what the odds are. He’s also pretty handy with that axe.
While Gimli started out as a bit of a grumpy character (and potentially racist towards elves), he was quick to put aside any differences and get the job done. If only he’d been a little more agile, he might have been a real contender for the MVP.
Frodo
There’s no doubt that Frodo is the most important member of the Fellowship. As the one who carries the Ring, the entire mission rests on his little shoulders. It’s a heavy responsibility, but he takes it on with a real sense of courage (albeit with more than a dash of reluctance too).
The only problem with Frodo is that he is a pretty hapless ringbearer. More than any other member of the group, he is constantly getting stabbed, bitten or captured, putting the whole mission in jeopardy. There’s also the fact that he is way too quick to put the Ring on and proves very susceptible to its powers.
Sam
While Pippin, Merry and Frodo let the group down at times, Sam is an ever-reliable team member who saves the day more than once. Though he comes from the same mundane life in the Shire as his fellows, Sam proves to be much more skilled at this sort of thing.
Though capable with a sword, he’s far from the best warrior in the group. However, what he lacks in swordsmanship, he makes up for in his conviction. He is the one who pushes Frodo to go forward and keeps him from surrendering to the Ring. Without him, the cause would have been lost.
Legolas
The only elf in the Fellowship, Legolas proves to be one of the most skilled warriors in the group. In just about every battle scene, he is performing some amazing feat of archery or swordplay. Despite the fact that he’s usually overrun by enemies, he always seems calm, cool and collected.
Legolas is the perfect man to have in battle, but he isn’t one to lead an army. He seems perfectly content to take orders from others and simply do his job. Still, substituting those leadership qualities for having deadly accuracy with a bow and arrow seems like a good trade-off.
Gandalf
It always pays to have a wizard on your side.
Gandalf seems to be the much-needed brains of the Fellowship. There are some skilled and deadly warriors in the group, but you get the sense that they would all be aimlessly wandering around Middle Earth if not for good old Gandalf the Grey. He is the one who shows them the way, often using his magic to get them out of sticky situations.
His usefulness only increases once he becomes Gandalf the White. Of course, we still have to wonder if he could have used that magic (and eagles) to make the journey a little easier.
Aragorn
Every team needs a leader and Aragorn certainly takes that role for the Fellowship. What makes him so effective in the role is the fact that it is not something he sought out, but rather something that was put upon him naturally. The others –even the more reluctant ones– just looked to him as the one to get them through this.
He is not as wise as Gandalf or as skilled a warrior as Legolas, but Aragorn has enough of both qualities, plus a dozen others that inspire his comrades and push them forward (no matter how many set-backs they face). It’s no surprise he would become king.
