As Lord of the Rings fans welcome the return of Hobbits, Wizards and Middle-Earth in the first film of the prequel trilogy The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, it is time to look back on the three original classics which made an incredible difference to the world of film-goers.
Prior to the enormous success of the films, it all began with the creative genius of unknown New Zealand director Peter Jackson and his loyal co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens who took on the mighty task of adapting the stories from the cherished novels of British author J.R.R Tolken. For several years, Jackson and his dedicated team worked hard to create a production of epic proportions which saw all three films being shot at the same time in random order while also merging together a cast of experienced and unknown actors to spearhead this tiring shoot. Everyone on the production team whether it be makeup/visual effects expert Richard Taylor or composer Howard Shore provided the best work of their careers as they all put in a lot of effort to ensure that audiences would be enchanted by the perfect trilogy that was bestowed upon them. Whereas other film franchises would make their sequels within a couple/few years, Jackson went even better by releasing all three films over the course of three Christmas’s. A huge gamble was to eventually pay off as the trilogy was awarded an incredible eighteen Oscar wins including a record-breaking eleven in 2004, something which hadn’t been matched by any other franchise in film history. Billions and billions of dollars of money made at the box-office wasn’t too bad either. Committed work and solid faith in the novels would pay off for everyone involved and thus the Lord of the Rings had become the greatest trilogy in film history….
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FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001) – ★★★★
“One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them. One Ring to Bring Them All and In The Darkness Bind Them.”
Almost a year before the release of Fellowship, a teaser for the Lord of the Rings trilogy was unveiled to the world and gave curious audiences a glimpse of what to expect for the next three Decembers. While Hollywood had already witnessed the remarkable phenomenon that was the Star Wars franchise, nobody would believe that a new trilogy of this proportion could be made especially being filmed altogether. When Fellowship did arrive just before Christmas 2001, it had a lot to live up to following November’s box-office triumph Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. No one could have predicted how huge the opening films of both fantasy trilogies would fare especially with Potter doing so well. Ultimately it would go on to make more money with its eight films though never quite getting the recognition it deserved. But after years of hard work (and barely any breaks), Jackson and his team were about to embark on the beginning of their cinematic journey….
In the world of Middle-Earth, a ring is created in Mordor by the dark lord Sauron who uses it to spread evil throughout the land. But upon being defeated, his ring ends up in the hands of different individuals over many years before finishing up with Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), a Hobbit from the Shire. He leaves the ring to his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) but close friend Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) discovers that the object is the same one created by Sauron. With dark minions being sent to look for it, Gandalf sends Frodo on an epic quest which sees him accompanied along the way by fellow Hobbits Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). They are soon joined by mysterious ranger Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) who gets them to the Elvish land of Rivendell where Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving) informs a group of men, elves and dwarves that the One Ring must be destroyed at Mount Doom. Frodo volunteers to carry the burden and is aided on his perilous journey by his Hobbit pals as well as Gandalf, Aragorn, elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and Boromir (Sean Bean). Together they form the Fellowship and begin their quest knowing that they face many dangers along the way as they are pursued by Sauron’s forces.
The beginning of this mesmerising trilogy captivated audiences and critics with some regarding it as the best of the three which is understandable given the way it introduced us to the wonderful world of Middle-Earth. Jackson’s handling of the trilogy was considered impossible to tackle, and not just for technical reasons. The narrative roots were incredibly long and detailed, and the storyline was deeply connected with Tolkien who dedicated a considerable part of his life developing Middle-Earth on paper. Whether it be the origins or the unique characters or the languages, everything about the Lord of the Rings was laid out in fine detail by the dedicated Tolkien, with Jackson bringing the author’s fictional world into life and making it a stunning reality. Once Fellowship begins with the opening narration from Lady Galadriel, everyone is made aware of what is going on in the story with even the most uneducated audience members taking in the necessary knowledge they need in order to understand. Those who did walk away from the opening film unsatisfied would find it hard to ridicule its technical beauty which would become one of the true highlights of the trilogy. Jackson’s decision to make the films in his home country of New Zealand was to pay off as the assured work of his cinematographer Andrew Leslie and art director Grant Major enabled him to use the unspoiled New Zealand landscape and create Middle-Earth through the imagination of Tolkien. Whether it be the dark caverns of Mordor or the slumber of The Shire or the beautiful setting for Rivendell and the gloominess of Moria, everything about this world had been detailed with great tenacity allowing audiences to absorb and marvel at the talented work. But the toughest task for anyone on the production team was given to Richard Taylor who was assigned to not only work on the visual effects but also on the makeup AND costume design which even for one film would have been considered too much to do. But fortunately Taylor was able to spend a lot of time using Tolkien’s notes to get practical with those details and make the actors look authentic in their disguises especially the work on the Hobbits, Elves and Orcs. Visually the film also triumphed as Taylor’s other team members created immaculate CGI to aid the art direction and characters which included background details and the thrilling action sequences such as the opening battle at Mordor or the Moria segment though the action was limited here compared to the more epic sequels. Rounding off the incredible production was Howard Shore’s breathtaking score which worked well with the other artistic features ranging from his calm and relaxing Shire music to the triumphant Fellowship composition before finishing things off with Enya’s soulful credits song May It Be. Not since John Williams, had there been a more stunning mixture of music put together by a composer. A man on top of his game!
But what also worked for Jackson especially with Fellowship was concentrating on the complex characters and story-arcs. By doing this, he never relied on certain ones being portrayed as stereotypes which had always been a case with other film franchises. While this may have been a factor for the likes of Merry and Pippin, their own arcs would eventually take shape in the next two films though here, Jackson was able to allow his audience the chance to embrace these characters and know how important they would be throughout the trilogy. Having nine of them take centre stage for the second half of Fellowship was crucial in setting up the the emotional focus that held things together with the death of a certain hero creating a traumatising situation for the others and ultimately leading to conflict amongst some of them. Though most of the cast were either experienced or unrecognisable to the public eye, their careers were about to take a new turn. Elijah Wood was able to bring vulnerability to his role as the heroic Hobbit whose task of carrying the One Ring threatened to play a role in his downfall. Wood was well supported by the trio of actors portraying Frodo’s pals with Sean Astin’s Sam being a humble sidekick while Dominic Monaghan’s Merry and Billy Boyd’s Pippin provided the comic relief that would disappear over the course of the films. Their destinies would prove decisive as the fate of Middle-Earth reached its climax. The main acting responsibility of the film was assigned to Ian McKellen who embodied the wise and loyal wizard Gandalf as he put care and consideration to those around him making his ‘sacrifice’ an emotional moment to remember in cinematic history. Viggo Mortensen made the grade from B-film actor to handsome leading star in his role as the reluctant hero Aragorn whose leadership skills would come into focus in the film’s final quarter and eventually ensure that his own destiny would be achieved in the sequels. A then-unknown Orlando Bloom and veteran British actor John Rhys-Davies added backbone to the Fellowship as the squabbling elf and dwarf who talked with their weapons while Sean Bean also stood out as the conflicted Boromir torn between his duty as a man of Gondor and his secret pursuit of the ring. The other supporting actors were perfectly cast ranging from Christopher Lee’s cunning Saruman and Cate Blanchett’s mysterious Galadriel to Liv Tyler’s luminous Arwen and Ian Holm’s regretful Bilbo. Not one poor performance was given here with audiences either weeping for those who died or inspired when they achieved victory.
The way many people could view Fellowship was that it was either a breathtaking opener to the trilogy which was never bettered or a well-orchestrated start to a trilogy that would eventually grow higher in standards. The latter was more apparent here with some audiences finding it hard to get through a film of epic proportions. 190 mins for the theatrical version (and 220 for the extended) was a tough enough watch for anyone who sat through it. The lack of epic fight scenes, aside from the opening battle at Mount Doom and the climatic fight with the Uruk-Hai seemed too un-engaging for younger viewers who would have to be really patient to get through an action film which relied on consistent dialogue. It was also understandable that omissions and changes would always part be of adapting a book to film, and the ones made by Jackson and his fellow writers would seem justifiable in every way though die-hard fans of the novel would tend to disagree. The absence of Tom Bombadil’s story being the most noteworthy example of the chopping and changing.
VERDICT: While it may have taken time to adjust to its story and lack the enthralling action sequences, Fellowship of the Ring provided the perfect start to this majestic trilogy with the dedicated work of Peter Jackson’s team and his talented ensemble leaving fans wanting more. They wouldn’t have too wait long as the cinematic journey headed into film #2 ….
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THE TWO TOWERS (2002) – ★★★★(1/2)
“We swears to serve the master of the precious. We will swear on… on… the precious!”
With Fellowship out of the way, the middle film of the trilogy arrived the following year in the shape of The Two Towers. Surprisingly most critics and the odd few fans found this one to be the weakest of the trio despite the general fact that most middle films in a trilogy tended to be the best e.g. The Empire Strikes Back and The Dark Knight. But from my perspective, Two Towers actually enhanced the series with its more epic approach to film-making particularly through the action-packed second half which is a pure spectacle even for those who didn’t warm to the films. While Fellowship was all about heart, Two Towers made things bigger and better with new characters, locations and a longer running time ensuring that its new-found audiences could continue building up armies of support and challenging Star Wars fans as the new biggest fan-base in film history. The ‘precious’ cinematic experience continued….
Following the break-up of the Fellowship, our heroes go their separate ways as Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) carry on with their journey towards Mount Doom. But they soon discover they are being following by the former owner of the ring Gollum (Andy Serkis) and decide to use him as a guide to show them the way into Mordor. Meanwhile Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) continue their pursuit of the Uruk-Hai who kidnapped Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). But once both hobbits are kept safe in Fangorn Forest, the resurrected Gandalf (Ian McKellen) instructs the trio to head for the kingdom of Rohan to help King Theoden (Bernard Hill) as they free him from Saruman (Christopher Lee). With the deceitful wizard preparing to unleash his army of 10, 000 from Isengard, the divided Fellowship and Rohan join forces to tackle the army head on at Helm’s Deep as the war of the ring finally begins.
After Fellowship’s universal success, it was surprising to see that Two Towers didn’t gain as much recognition apart from excellent box-office revenue. Once again, Jackson and his co-writers brought Tolkien’s vision to life with another stirring adaptation which changed its narrative structure compared to the opening film. While Fellowship was all about the united ensemble, Two Towers decided to scatter the characters giving us three stories to take in which only added to the grand scale of how an epic should be depicted. Within the opening few minutes, you knew that would be the case after the explosive fight between the supposedly dead Gandalf and the Balrog which set the film up perfectly for the thrills that were about to take place over the next three and a half hours. The decision to split the Fellowship enabled us to watch our heroes journeys unfold as Frodo and Sam found themselves in the dangerous company of the schizophrenic creature Gollum whose obsession with the ‘precious’ and his multiple-personality threatened to cause trouble for the duo as Frodo began to succumb to the ring’s corruption. That only got worse when the trio were eventually captured by the men of Gondor led by captain Faramir whose connection to one member of the Fellowship would leave him in a tough predicament over his sense of duty and honour. Even when the pair were let go, the sense of dread threatened to endanger them in the concluding film as unbeknownst to them, the tragic Gollum began plotting to take the ring for himself. But what made the divided narrative so memorable without a doubt was the Rohan/Isengard arc which saw the mighty trio of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli become involved in this hopeless battle to protect a land that threatened to be turned over by Saruman’s overwhelming forces. Introducing Rohan and its people allowed us to sympathise with their situation (especially that of King Theoden and his niece Eowyn) and make us realise that they were in as big a mess as any other in the Middle-Earth universe so far with Aragorn stepping up in his reluctant position as ranger-turned-heroic warrior. This role wasn’t as complex in Tolkien’s novels but Jackson’s decision to add more to Aragorn’s character and make him the new central hero proved a master-stroke especially with Frodo’s descent towards corruption. The welcoming return of Gandalf under a new appearance was also worth cheering about and while he disappeared for most of the film’s middle act, his triumphant return along with the Rohirrum in the exhilarating climax was a trilogy highlight and a classic big screen moment in film. This left the third act involving Merry, Pippin and the Tree Ents being placed on the sidelines as that storyline took a while to adjust. Fortunately it would all come together in celebratory fashion as the Ents got involved on the action with their spectacular attack on Isengard. Given how much story audiences had to take in for this installment, Jackson and his writing department made the risky decision of axing the Shelob story in the book’s climax from the final cut and instead moved it into Return of the King in order to make that film the epic finale it deserved to be. This was to prove another smart decision in cinematic terms as it allowed us to celebrate the cheerful ending for our heroes rather than leaving it with a dark finish.
Though The Two Towers was a lot more eventful here, the differing narratives took something out of the pace especially with the Merry/Pippin/Tree Ents sub-plot. Whilst both hobbit characters were likeable, they spent most of their time in the film standing around waiting for Treebeard to finish talking after speaking very, very slowly. The extended footage for those scenes didn’t add much spice either with the two hobbits having fun with some magical water but not having anything else to do while their friends were being confronted by large armies of Urik-hai and wolves. However it was only when the Tree Ents did attack Isengard that some excitement from that story linked together with the rest of the Fellowship’s journeys. What also made the previous film stand out was its emotional core which left its audiences distraught at times following the deaths of Gandalf and Boromir yet in this sequel the characters who departed were nowhere near as strongly connected and thus we couldn’t sympathise with their fates as much. Finally, while the decision to cut Shelob’s story and move it into Return of the King was a wise move by Jackson, there was bound to be some frustration from Tolkien fans about the choice especially with the changes that were made in Fellowship.
VERDICT: The Lord of the Rings took a turn of the tide in this darker and more plot-driven installment of the excellent franchise. Everything about it from epic fight scenes to intriguing new characters as well as the CGI-creation of Gollum was a triumph of cinematic film-making which set things up perfectly for the climatic finale. The battle for Two Towers was now over, the battle for Return of the King was about to begin….
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RETURN OF THE KING (2003) – ★★★★★
“Then let us be rid of it… once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you… but I can carry you!”
The end has come. That brief saying spoken by Lord Elrond half-way in Return of the King was a quote many Lord of the Rings fans didn’t want to hear as the grand trilogy was heading towards its finish. Having to wait a year for each film to come out was always an impatient wait for the devoted crowds who knew it would be all worth it once they were shown on the big-screen. But with Return, they saved the very best till last with Jackson pulling out all the stops to ensure that the trilogy could end in the most epic way possible. If everyone thought Two Towers was a feast of pure visual spectacle amidst its three storylines, then Return completely trumped it with its emotionally riveting conclusion making us fret over the fates of our favourite characters while also creating the most breathtaking action scenes to ever be assembled in film history. The board was all set, the pieces were about to move….
As the battle for Middle-Earth reaches its gripping end, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) edge closer to Mount Doom but find their friendship tested by the plotting Smeagol (Andy Serkis) who is planning to betray Frodo to his death as he looks to claim the One Ring for himself. Meanwhile after reuniting with Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), the rest of the Fellowship and Rohan find themselves preparing for battle again when Pippin looks into Saruman’s plantir and discovers that Sauron plans to strike an attack on the great city of Minas Tirith. He and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) ride to the city to try and convince its steward Lord Denethor (John Noble) to send word for help to King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and his army but are rebuffed by the steward’s bitter ways. The pair manage to send word anyway leading to Rohan riding out to tackle Sauron’s great army. With the fate of men resting on his shoulders, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) must realise his true identity and purpose as the eventual King and journey with Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) to seek unlikely help so that the battle against evil can be won once and for all.
From the moment the trailer for Return of the King was released, you knew the film would become a cinematic event that could never be bettered by any other franchise (in all honesty, did you really feel emotional watching the ends of Harry Potter or Twilight?). But that’s exactly what Jackson and his team laid out to everyone the moment the trilogy was first announced and with Return, they couldn’t have done it any better. As with the previous films, the slick adaptation from Tolkien’s novels onto the big-screen was a cleverly-crafted move by the director and his co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens who spent a lot of dedicated time looking through the books before knowing what to put into the film’s screenplay. The bold decision of moving the Shelob segment from Two Towers to this installment only added to the epic feel for fans especially with a running-time of over four hours (250 minutes to be precise!). A darker tone to this film only added to the tension for everyone as the stakes become high for key characters whose fates would not yet be decided until the very end. This was proven straight away in the unsettling opening epilogue which saw Smeagol (in his human form) brutally killed his cousin in order to claim the ring for himself. Paranoia, alienation and madness were dark elements which surrounded the gripping story particularly in the Frodo/Sam arc as Smeagol’s treachery reached a new low when he initially succeeded in causing Frodo to turn on his best friend leading to Sam walking away and leaving his buddy to his potential doom. But one thing that was special with that friendship in the film compared to the book was Jackson’s ability to give the characters’ relationship more weight and ultimately lead to Sam becoming the honourable character of the film with some very cheerful moments for audiences to savour including his confrontation with the spider Shelob (a terrifying and skin-crawling addition to the story) and his decision to carry the long-suffering Frodo up Mount Doom as they near towards destroying the ring. But by the end, the themes of friendship and sacrifice came through for nearly everyone with the other major player of the trilogy, Aragorn, finally earning his rightful place on the throne of Gondor and leading by example throughout by producing even more memorable heroic gestures. If your eyes weren’t wet in the “For Frodo” and “My friends, you bow to no one” scenes, then something was wrong with you. Just as compelling to watch (and probably one of the highlights of the series) was the stunning sequence of the Rohirrum charging towards the titanic army of orcs. Honour and sacrifice done to perfection on screen and yet another scene to celebrate amongst film history. It is what made the trilogy stand out as the emotional experience was enough to make you feel nostalgic as nearly every character we came to love gathered in one place for the film’s royal finale. It was a triumphant and uplifting climax even though most of these heroes had suffered some personal trauma along the way leading to significant consequences in the decision of one character in the film’s bittersweet ending.
Once again, the production value of this trilogy is what made the films stand out especially against other fantasies like Harry Potter and Twilight. Though the art direction, costumes and makeup were more of the same, it was the excellent combination of Weta Digital and Howard Shore which enhanced the final edition making its mark as the very best of the trio. Though Helm’s Deep was an incredible achievement, the battle at Minas Tirith was simply out-of-this-world with the dedicated choreographed action being made to perfection. From the creation of over 300, 000 Orc warriors to the charging Rohriuum and of course, the stampeding Olyphants that wreck havoc, everything about these films were crafted with precision and no other film had come close to delivering the epic war scenes since. Shore added a bit deja-vu to his sublime score with the popular Fellowship and Rohan compositions always welcoming to hear. But the addition of the triumphant Gondor music is what many audiences rememberd especially from the exhilarating White Tree sequence which benefits from its use of the booming trumpet and eerie violins. Annie Lennox’s soothing rendition of Into the West finished things off as a haunting, farewell piece to the hard work made by Shore. His sublime musical score throughout the trilogy had enabled him to become one of the best composers in film history. And who could forget the effortless achievement of the cast, most of them who prior to the trilogy, had been unheard of until these films made them become household names. Elijah Wood captured the frail and paranoid traits that Frodo would eventually encounter throughout the films as his corruption towards the ring left him near breaking-point. He was counterfeited well by Andy Serkis’s genius portrayal of the sneaky Smeagol whose own dark influence threatened to endanger the current ring-bearer. However it was Sean Astin (coming a long way from his Goonies days) who ended up taking the title of best in show with his stirring performance as the loyal hobbit who produces several moments of courage to help his friend achieve his destiny. Viggo Mortensen compelled as the soon-to-be king who overcame his ranger status and showed leadership skills that ensured the fate of Middle-Earth would come his way. Once again, Ian McKellen was faultless as the wise Gandalf who never put a foot wrong throughout and was easily one of Jackson’s best castings. As with Two Towers, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies continued to have fun as the banter-filling elf and dwarf whose competitiveness over how many kills they made was instigated into one comical moment involving Legolas killing an Olyphant. But even friendly subtly in that partnership was shown when the pair face up to the prospect of death in the climatic Mordor showdown. On the other hand, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan moved away from their original funny sidekick roles and instead took things seriously as the two unlikely heroes who would make crucial impacts in the finale via different routes. It was Boyd who excelled more as his Pippin faced up to bigger challenges when placed in the awkward predicament of becoming a guard for Lord Denethor (John Noble in a terrifying role as a man embittered by everything going on, showing no remorse towards the son he wish had died in place of Boromir) and ended up delivering a moving tune filled with tragic remorse as it played along to Faramir’s suicidal confrontation with the Orcs at Osgiliath with Denethor sitting there eating his food in unsettling fashion. Mirando Otto came into her own as the feisty Rohirrum princess who finally made it into the action and provided one of the most celebrated moments of the trilogy when battling the Witch King. The likes of Hugo Weaving as the fearful Elrond fearing for his daughter’s life, Cate Blanchett as the assuring Galadriel, Bernard Hill as the noble King Theoden and the underrated David Wenham as the brave Faramir all put in valiant efforts for a cast that didn’t get dragged down by a disappointing performance whatsoever.
Though it felt wrong to find anything to ridicule about Return of the King, even the most honest fan like myself would struggle to ignore that it did contain a couple of flaws. While the book did mention the Army of the Dead and their assistance with winning the Minas Tirith battle, their arrival on screen felt more of a cop-out than a satisfying climax after all the ferocious fighting we witnessed for the last hour or so by the human defenses. The Aragorn/Arwen/Eowyn triangle also lacked in serious romantic depth with Arwen spending most of the film wandering around confused and supposedly at death’s door whereas Eowyn used her impressive fighting skills to great effect. Fortunately that story arc finished with a satisfactory ending for all involved. And whilst I never had a problem with the multiple endings, there was bound to be a few restless audiences who vented frustration about the very long running time which only shows why some people had never taken to this prestige series.
VERDICT: The greatest film trilogy in history reached its satisfying conclusion with an unprecedented final installment that earned its rightful place as my all-time favourite film and had since allowed me to pursue my passion for cinema in the last decade. Whether it be breathtaking battles or wonderful characters or rich production work, everything about this trilogy had been made to perfection and heralded a new era of landmark film-making. Three films to rule them all!
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