Film review: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Well, it had to happen, right - The Lord of the Rings reviewed. Everybody on the entire friggin' planet's done it, and I, being the utterly unoriginal person that I am, am going to do it, too.
Only better.
Ish.
I've written a review for all three films, which I will post simultaniously.
When I first heard about this film being made, I hadn't even read the books yet, that's how long ago it actually was. A couple of years later I started studying English language and culture, and I couldn't show my face around the faculty if I hadn't read this classic novel. So I bought it. And read it. And marvelled in its greatness. I remember finishing the first book (of three) on the exact day I went to see the Fellowship - good timing, that.
I didn't know what to expect - I'd read the book, as stated above, and I'd seen the commercials and the making-ofs and the MTV-specials, but still, I simply didn't know what to expect. Suffice to say that I was blown away by a three-hour film that's so damn good that it felt like 15 minutes. I don't think I breathed at all. And this from the man who gave us Bad Taste!
Just so you know in advance, the film takes plenty of liberties with the story; no Old Forest, Bombadil, Barrow Wights or Glorfindel. No Wargs in the wilderness - and you have to wait until the third film to see Narsil re-forged, which happens a lot earlier in the books. Changes were made, some small, some large, all understandable - we're talking about a 1200 page book here. It's unavoidable, and it worked out perfectly.
The atmosphere of the film was, for me in any case, just right - it had the same 'feeling' (for lack of a better word) as the book; the same sense of grandeur; of grandiosity; of utter, utter vastness. The film gets this atmosphere from the scenery, the camera-work and some beautifully adept computer enhancement.
Some technical things:
The casting was near-perfect. Elijah Wood is Frodo and Sir Ian McKellen has apparently always been Gandalf. Each actor brings something special to their character. Veteran actors work alongside relative unknowns, motivating the young actors to step up their game.
awe-inspiring - you really felt like you were in another, ancient world. The landscape became a character unto itself. These location sets are imaginative, detailed and weathered, adding to their believability, while the studio sets match them in meticulousness. Then there are the costumes, which are at once familiar and strange, drawing on both the medieval and the fantastic.
Deep down, this cinematic masterpiece is not about action, beards and big monsters - it's about the corruption of absolute power, the importance and value of friendship, the inevitability of growing up, the strength of hope. In short, it's magic; the magic is all there when Gandalf shuts his eyes the moment Frodo stands up in the council and says 'I will take the ring'. It is there at Moria's Gate, and at the fall of Boromir. It is a powerful film that doesn't fit the rhythm of the standard Hollywood action movie. It is a film that breeds, that takes time to unfold, it's a tale branching in every direction simultaneously. A fitting start to what became one of the most impressive accomplishments in the history of movies.
A 90 out of 100.
Only better.
Ish.
I've written a review for all three films, which I will post simultaniously.
I didn't know what to expect - I'd read the book, as stated above, and I'd seen the commercials and the making-ofs and the MTV-specials, but still, I simply didn't know what to expect. Suffice to say that I was blown away by a three-hour film that's so damn good that it felt like 15 minutes. I don't think I breathed at all. And this from the man who gave us Bad Taste!
Just so you know in advance, the film takes plenty of liberties with the story; no Old Forest, Bombadil, Barrow Wights or Glorfindel. No Wargs in the wilderness - and you have to wait until the third film to see Narsil re-forged, which happens a lot earlier in the books. Changes were made, some small, some large, all understandable - we're talking about a 1200 page book here. It's unavoidable, and it worked out perfectly.
The atmosphere of the film was, for me in any case, just right - it had the same 'feeling' (for lack of a better word) as the book; the same sense of grandeur; of grandiosity; of utter, utter vastness. The film gets this atmosphere from the scenery, the camera-work and some beautifully adept computer enhancement.
Some technical things:
The casting was near-perfect. Elijah Wood is Frodo and Sir Ian McKellen has apparently always been Gandalf. Each actor brings something special to their character. Veteran actors work alongside relative unknowns, motivating the young actors to step up their game.
| The performances are uniformly good, with each actor getting their moment to stand out and to support their fellow actors. It was truly an ensemble. The story, sets, costumes and special effects are so rich, you'll have to see the film several times to absorb everything. Add to that the unspoiled New Zealand locales, and what you have a variety of environments to represent the different settings on the characters' journey. These New Zealand locations were |  |
Deep down, this cinematic masterpiece is not about action, beards and big monsters - it's about the corruption of absolute power, the importance and value of friendship, the inevitability of growing up, the strength of hope. In short, it's magic; the magic is all there when Gandalf shuts his eyes the moment Frodo stands up in the council and says 'I will take the ring'. It is there at Moria's Gate, and at the fall of Boromir. It is a powerful film that doesn't fit the rhythm of the standard Hollywood action movie. It is a film that breeds, that takes time to unfold, it's a tale branching in every direction simultaneously. A fitting start to what became one of the most impressive accomplishments in the history of movies.
A 90 out of 100.
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