The Lord of The Rings

So I have finally decided to review my favorite movie of all time – The Lord of the Rings. In my opinion, no other movie remotely compares to this. Yes, that is a big statement, but very true. I am no way able to write about every little thing that makes this film my favorite, but I will try and touch on the main points.

I had read J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” back in 1999. I had never had much interest in the story before that. I had seen the Ralph Bakshi film and subsequent animated installments and was never overly impressed. But I felt compelled to read the book that had been awarded the Book of the Century award before it became a movie. Once I began to read these books, I couldn’t put them down. The hobbit was great, but it was The Lord of the Rings that I became totally immersed. I would skip a day at work just to sit on the couch and read. Lord of the Rings amazed me in its scope and complexity, but it also convinced me that it could never be made into a movie. Many people in Hollywood agreed. Supposedly George Lucas wanted to make these films back in the days before Starwars. Meessa Thinks thatsa not a goody good ideasa! So when I heard that Peter Jackson, who I only knew from The Frighteners and Meet the Feebles, was directing I was quite perplexed. The guy who made a Muppet porno is going to direct Lord of the Rings???? I figured the only one who could pull this movie off would be someone like Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, or James Cameron. And then I saw that first internet preview……….

In my opinion, Lord of the Rings is one movie. One big mother of a movie (almost 12 hours if your are talking about the extended cuts – and I am). Each movie is a distinct act of the overall story, and I don’t consider the Two Towers or Return of the King as sequels. This is reinforced by the fact that all three movies were filmed at the same time. But for ease of this review, I will review each of the 3 “Books” separately.

Book 1: The Fellowship of the Ring

So, there are differences from the book, and if you are one of those who harp on the changes that were made, well….you are trying way too hard to be a geek. It is truly impossible to completely translate the entire content of the Lord of the Rings into a coherent screenplay. Especially with Fellowship of the Ring, since it was one of the least coherent books and didn’t seem to follow any standard story arc to start off with. The changes that were made in the film are completely sensible and don’t harm the overall story in any way. Sure, we don’t have Tom Bombadil, but he would have totally shifted the concept of the ring. Tom was able to carry the ring without any consequence. And sure, Arwen’s role has been greatly expanded with some input from the appendices, but I think her additions made for a much more enjoyable movie.

Peter Jackson and Co. were able to produce an extremely strong script, and his directing is totally top notch. But in the end, the movie will ultimately live and die with the cast. Millions of people have read these books and have an idea of what these characters look and act like. The actors had to be cast perfectly……and they were. The characters were played seriously, bringing humanity to the story and legitimized the fantasy genre which has come across as somewhat silly in the past (Willow, Legend, etc). I won’t comment on the individual cast members, with one exception…Ian McKellen completely becomes Gandalf the Grey.

The special effects were very well done and only seemed to be used when required (Hint Hint George Lucas!). A few shots looked a bit CG-ish, but overall they were fantastic.

This is an epic film that only scratches the surface of what is to come. You feel the camaraderie of the Fellowship, but know that it is doomed, and that Frodo has the weight of the world on his shoulders. We all know the story, but I found myself thinking, how could they possibly get through what is to come.

Fellowship finishes with the death of Boromir (originally in the beginning of the Two Towers book, but definitely fits better at the end of this film), and the breaking of the Fellowship. There is an overshadowing sense of dread as Frodo and Sam look onto Mordor, but this is nicely balanced by the hope of Aragorn as he races off with Gimli and Legolas to find Merry and Pippin.

Book 2: The Two Towers

Of the three parts of the Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers is arguably the most difficult story to translate into film. The book is split into two very distinct stories – Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli pursuing the orcs into Rohan and the battle of Helm’s deep, and Frodo’s journey with Sam and Gollum into Mordor. Peter Jackson has effectively taken both of these parts and intertwined the stories into a logical progression that can be easily followed – not an easy task.

The movie begins with an amazing sequence replaying the fall of Ganalf in Moria; however we now get to watch Gandalf and the Balrog plunge into the Foundations of Stone. Some people complained the Two Towers didn’t have a beginning and went straight into this scene with no intro. A message to those people: If you need a beginning - watch The Fellowship of the Ring!

This movie adds some new characters, most notably Gollum. With the combination of Andy Serkis' “acting” and the work of WETA Digital, in my opinion, Gollum is the single greatest achievement in visual effects since ILM created the Dinosaurs Jurassic Park. Gollum is completely interactive with his real-life co-stars and I never once thought of him as animated. Despite the amazing animation of many Starwars characters, I was always aware that they were CG.

The older characters continue to grow and Frodo becomes more and more burdened by the ring. There is also some amazing dialog in this film. For example, when Gandalf returns and is told that he was mistaken for Saruman, he replies: “I am Saruman, rather what Saruman should have been”.

This movie has some big moments. The Warg attack (which brings a whole new element to cavalry battles) and the battle at Helm’s Deep were interesting and never lost my attention. The were paced very well and never became generic as many epic battles have become these days.

And then it came…the most amazing moment I have ever seen in cinema. Gandalf the White riding over the hill at Helms Deep with 5000 Riders of Rohan. This is truly an incredible moment. The imagery and music are insanely powerful and it serves as a major uplifting moment in the middle of a dark story. It gives a sense that victory against the powers of evil is a possibility.

The Two Towers is the middle portion of a 12 hour film. Where the ending of the Fellowship of the Ring had you looking forward to what was ahead in the character’s journeys, by the end of The Two Towers you realize that the end is near.

Book 3: The Return of the King

“Every path you have trod, through wilderness, through war, has led to this road….the end has come”

How did they do this? After watching The Fellowship of the Ring, I thought…”I wonder if they will even attempt the Battle of the Pelennor Fields”. Well they certainly did! I spoke earlier of generic epic battles of recent years – but this is just insane: Thousands of orcs using giant warfare instruments against a massive city carved out of the side of a mountain, while thousands of horsemen face off against an army of Giant Eliphants (Oliphaunts). And if it doesn’t get more bizerk than that – Flying Nazgul led by the Witch King wreaking havoc all over the place. Damn!

This movie had a lot to do and did it all wonderfully. The film is HUGE, but still, you have quiet moments interspersed which make the movie all the better. Like Pippin’s discussion with Gandalf about their impending death, or Sam’s speech about the life he would live if he survived.

And speaking about Sam... Clearly my personal favorite of these films is Gandalf, but the in this film, the real star is Samwise Gamgee. Sean Astin has perfectly portrayed the heart of Sam. Tolkien once wrote “His will was set, and only death would break it”, and that is so true of Sam in this movie.

Many people complained about the “multiple endings” of the movie, but for a movie of such size and depth – it certainly can’t finish after the ring is destroyed. There is a lot to wrap up, and Peter Jackson does it very well. Of most interest is Frodo’s character. Throughout these films the power of the ring has had such a massive negative impact on Frodo. His character transformed from the once naive and happy hobbit to a sickened and tormented individual just clinging on to life. Even after the ring is destroyed and years have passed, Frodo still feels the pain of the ring. Until the moment at the Grey Havens, where he steps onto the ship and turns back to the fellowship with a smile that shows he is finally at peace.

The Lord of the Rings is a film unlike any other, and it is hard to believe that another series of films will ever come close to how amazing these are. Peter Jackson brought Tolkien’s world to life in meticulous detail and it resulted in one of the greatest film achievements of all time.

"Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Midde-earth. Go in peace! I will not say; do not weep; for not all tears are an evil" - Gandalf

10 out of 10.