Whilst each of these reviews were done as the films were released, I consider the films as a complete story, so have opted to present all three old reviews in one post…
| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) | |
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Rating: 8.9/10 (2,004,643 votes) Director: Peter Jackson Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom Runtime: 178 min Rated: PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama Released: 19 Dec 2001 |
| Plot: A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. | |
Finally, the film which everyone has been talking about for the past few years has hit the big screen. The first part of the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy of books, the Fellowship of the Ring is a sequel to The Hobbit, a children’s tale about little folk and wizards in a quest to steal some gold from a dragon.
The Lord of The Rings has made it to the big screen once before in animated form. Impressive though the cartoon version was (use of live action mixed with animation created a very dark picture), it was incomplete. The story stopped after the Two Towers, and was also condensed into 2 hours. A definitive version of the books has been banded around for years. Finally, it came to rest in Peter Jackson’s hands.
Jackson, best known for low budget gore-fests Bad Taste and Braindead, fought executive decisions, and managed to get permission to film the books as three separate parts. However, in a unique method, all 3 films have been filmed at the same time. Once filming was complete, the effects for part one was added (the effects for the other parts will be added over the next two years).
With a fantastic cast (Wood is the perfect Frodo, and Ian McKellen is amazing as Gandalf), spirited soundtrack, astonishing special effects, tight plotting, and spectacular direction, this film is THE BEST FANTASY FILM OR ALL TIME. Indeed, it may even be the best film of all time. A few alterations to the book (absence of Tom Bombadil, and a few tweaks on other characters to make the story more cinematic) do not upset the balance, in fact they enhance the flow.
The effects are the true stars. Meshing perfectly with live footage, the digital tampering (including turning 5’10” Elijah Wood into 3′ Frodo) is spot on. The sets and backdrops are beautiful. The Mines of Moria sequence is perfectly realised.
The only possible gripe about the film is that due to the nature of the book (a trilogy), this part is incomplete. You are left at the end waiting for something to happen. However, this is the only way to stay true to the source material, and at least there is only a year before the next part comes out, The Two Towers.
At 3 hours running length, you would think it is too long. However, it isn’t too long, and you find that the 3 hours fly by (unlike in, say, Titanic, where it crawled for the first 1 1/2 hours!) An unmissable event in cinema history. Peter Jackson has redefined cinema, just as a certain George Lucas did back in 1977.
| The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) | |
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Rating: 8.8/10 (1,782,905 votes) Director: Peter Jackson Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen Runtime: 179 min Rated: PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama Released: 18 Dec 2002 |
| Plot: While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard. | |
The story continues, picking up from the exact point at which the first instalment left off (so you better watch it first to refresh your mind). Sam and Frodo are making their way through the mountains towards Mordor, and in particular, Mount Doom. The Ring weighs heavier on Frodo, and the power it exerts over the bearer grows stronger. Meanwhile, Aaragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, believing that Merry and Pippin are dead, encounter a figure from the past, and then go on to rally the Rohan people in a final stand against the Urak Hai. Merry and Pippin, meanwhile, have made a rather strange, and ancient, friend, and are busy waging their own battle.
As with Fellowship, some changes have been made to the story in order to make it more cinematic. As a lover of the books (read 9 times and counting…and also read the History of Middle Earth series), you would expect this to disappoint me. In fact, it pleased me more. The books, if adapted directly, would not make great cinema, and after all this is supposed to be the best trilogy of films ever made. The changes still keep in the spirit of the book, but enhance the overall power of the source.
So, story aside, is this as good as the first film? The answer is a resounding YES!!! Initially stunning on first viewing, it is on the repeated viewings that the splendour of the film truly hits you. Much like Empire did for Star Wars, this will grow over time to become the best in the series (unless ROTK can beat it next year). What is so right about this film? Well, a lot really.
The most important aspect of this film was going to be the technical aspects. How to recreate the huge battle at Helm’s Deep….quite spectacularly is the simple answer! How to portray the wretched creature known as Gollum….now this is a true marvel. So amazing is the CGI on the character (despite a few times when the eyes seem a bit false), that you begin to feel for him, believe in him, and pity him. Something that Lucas failed to do with a certain Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars! Jackson has made CGI look real, not the usual plastic cartoon mess that other films have given us.
The acting is a bit OTT from time to time, but without turning the film into a pantomime. Sir Ian gives yet another fantastic performance, and the growing friendship between Gimli and Legolas is well portrayed (albeit a bit rushed at first…. I sense missing scenes to be released on DVD). Topped off with a dramatic soundtrack, this is pure entertainment.
At 3 hours running time, it may be a bit too long for some people, but trust me when I say that my only gripe is that the film is not long enough! The 3 hours fly by, but the lacking scenes (some obvious to fans of the books) need to be put back in (something the extended edition did, making the film even better as a result).
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | |
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Rating: 9.0/10 (1,978,133 votes) Director: Peter Jackson Writer: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen Runtime: 201 min Rated: PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama Released: 17 Dec 2003 |
| Plot: Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring. | |
So, we finally reach the end section of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Has Peter Jackson kept up the amazing work he made with the first two films, or does the ending feel a bit too flat?
Well, before filming began, Jackson had already mentioned the changes he would have to make to the story to make it work as a film. In the first film we had Tom Bombadil removed. Arwen’s role was expanded out for the whole trilogy. Elves appeared at Helm’s Deep. Yet, despite this tampering with such a fantastic work of literature, the fans were happy. There were changes, but somehow, they worked, and kept the feel of the books. Now, in the final part we already know the scouring of the Shire section was removed. Does this affect the overall story? Heck, no! Return Of The King is the finest of the three films, and possibly one of the greatest films ever made!
That seems a bold statement, but it is rare indeed that a film with such a long running time can keep your eyes focussed from the opening scene to the closing moments, without the occasional glance at the watch, your shoes, the strange hairstyle of the guy in front, etc. The only moment I quickly glanced away was when a bloke sat behind me squealed like a girl at the Shelob scene (very amusing!)
If you thought Helm’s Deep was an epic battle, then Pelennor Fields is going to blow your mind. It makes Helm’s Deep look like a pub fight in Glasgow! In fact, every scene in and around the grand city of Minas Tirith are simply breath-taking to behold. The CGI seems to have improved leaps and bounds once more between films.
This is a truly gorgeous film, with characters that have become so real to us all (Gollum included), that to know that this will be the last time you see them can’t help but make next year seem all the more empty. The pace of the film is rapid, and occasionally dark. Humour is placed at key points to lighten the mood, but without seeming forced. The story sticks pretty closely to the book (or books if you bear in mind that the Shelob section was actually in the second book).
This is the final layer of icing to a very sumptuous cake, and is recommended as a perfect dessert to round off the year. Treat yourself to the end of a glorious Trilogy that puts all other trilogies to shame!
