Tolkien's work has long elicited such words from his fans. A British scholar, medievalist and linguist, he understood the enduring power of classic heroic quests, cloaking them in fantasy settings. He wrote The Hobbit in 1937 and followed it up with the trilogy Lord of the Rings between 1954 and 1956. The second and third films, already shot, will be released at the end of this year and next.

Not for all tastes despite its 13 Oscar nominations, Rings is set in mythic pre-historic times. Frodo comes into possession of a magic ring forged by the dark lord Sauron centuries earlier but since lost. The ring has the insidious ability to sniff out the potential for corruption and capitalize on it and is thus sought by forces intent on conquering the world. Frodo, three hobbit friends, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), an elfin archer, a dwarf and two humans are entrusted with the task of forming a fellowship and destroying the ring by casting it into the volcanic fires in the Crack of Doom in Mordor.

Arrayed against them, under the influence of the non-corporeal Sauron, are the evil wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), who creates a monstrous mutant army of orcs; the spectral Ringwraiths, astride black horses that scream like tortured souls; a troll and goblins; and most frightening of all, the nine heroes' own worst impulses, which the ring magnifies.

The battle between the forces of good and evil in Rings is being compared to the current battle against terrorism. Bean, who plays one of the humans on the quest, sees a very clear relevance to what's going on in the world today. "It warns against the corruption of power and that the person who wields ultimate power can end up being dangerous to society even though they may delude themselves at first that what they are doing is the right thing," he said. "The message of Rings is one of hope and a reminder that spirituality is a more rewarding life than material worth." Rings also reflects how people can be stronger together, he added. "If we accept others' lifestyles and principles, we can become much richer by working together rather than by trying to destroy each other," he said.

The three films were all made during an intense 18 months in Jackson's home country of New Zealand. Producer Osbourne said there was a lot of initial resistance from Hollywood to going so far away. The cast and crew numbered more than 2,000, and three shooting units were used. "Being recognized with so many Oscar nominations is really gratifying," he said.

Despite New Zealand's serene panoramas and the film's impressive digital effects, the shoot was especially grueling. "At one point, we had to do nine weeks of night shooting, which was very tiring," said Monaghan, who plays a hobbit. "But you go on because the focus and drive filter down from the top." Bean said learning fighting skills and coping with the fast-changing weather were the toughest, "but making the film was like an adrenaline rush that kept us going."

Learning fighting skills, such as archery, was only one step for Bloom, who plays the elfin archer. "I had to decide how an elf acts. I got an inspiration from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. I figured that if there were fighting elves, they would have the qualities of samurai—fast reflexes and heightened senses."

Tyler, looking glamorous in head-to-toe black for her Tokyo visit, said she really enjoyed getting away from the normal moviemaking world of Hollywood. "We made our own creative bubble in New Zealand. I spent so much time discovering my character (an elfin princess) and understanding the mind of Tolkien and his literature."

And if Wood had the ring, as his character Frodo does, what would he do with it? "Give it to someone else, or destroy it. No, wait a minute. It can make you invisible. That opens up some interesting possibilities," he mused. "Yeah, you could go into Liv Tyler's dressing room," someone else suggested.