The Lord of the Rings

• J. R. R. Tolkien

SF elements

1. The Fellowship of the Ring. 2001
2. The Two Towers. 2002
3. The Return of the King. 2003

2001 / cinema

LotR I: The Fellowship of the Ring

Review

Just to make my position clear: it's been over 25 years since I last read the book, and I've read it only twice, so I don't have every last detail committed to memory, and I am not fluent in Elvish. I did see the cartoon version of the film somewhat more recently, but have thankfully managed to expunge most of that from my mind -- only the image of the hair meandering around on the hobbits' feet remains. But given that experience, and given the remembered rich texture of the book, I did approach this film with some trepidation.

I needn't have worried. This is great stuff. Despite the film's great length, obviously a lot has had to be cut out (I will probably be excommunicated for saying I didn't miss Tom Bombadil one bit!), but all the highlights that I remember from the book are there -- the Birthday Party, the flight from the Black Riders, the Mines of Moria and the Balrog, Lothlorien, and more.

As for the special effects, well, I'm impressed. The various buildings, towers, mines, and pits are marvellous, the hordes of scuttling orcs are excellent, and there are great vertiginous roller-coaster ride views down towers, down mines, down enormous isolated staircases over vast pits (I can see the game coming from that scene!).

I needn't have worried. This is great stuff. Despite the film's great length, obviously a lot has had to be cut out (I will probably be excommunicated for saying I didn't miss Tom Bombadil one bit!), but all the highlights that I remember from the book are there -- the Birthday Party, the flight from the Black Riders, the Mines of Moria and the Balrog, Lothlorien, and more.

The most impressive special effect of all is the correct size of the halflings, despite using ordinary-sized actors for the parts. At one point Bilbo [Ian Holm] hugs Gandalf [Ian McKellen], and McKellen looks easily twice as tall as Holm -- which I know isn't true in real life! I don't usually watch "Making of..." specials, but I will have to watch this one. Just how do they do it, and make it look so real, so smooth? I found it a little disconcerting at first, but it soon becomes quite natural, and gives a real feel to the diversity of the different races.

But most importantly, the feel of the book is there. The various countrysides, from the cosy Shire, through forests, plains, and mountains, are well evoked. The preponderance of old ruins emphasise how this land has a history, as do the bits of subtitled Elvish dialog. And all the characters feel real, and right. In particular, Sam Gamgee as comic relief could have been dreadful, but comes across as real person.

So, as far as I am concerned, the film brilliantly captures the look and feel of the book.

Rating: 2

reviewed 30 December 2001

2002 / cinema

LotR II: The Two Towers

Review

Great stuff, but not quite as good as FotR, I felt.

I'm pleased to see there is no concession for late starters, no "previously, on Lord of the Rings...". It just jumps straight in to the story. There's good complexity of plot, with the swapping around amongst the three main viewpoints (Frodo and Sam off to Mordor, Merry and Pippin with the Ents, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in Rohan) done smoothly.

Gollum is done well -- like my comment about Sam in the first episode, he could have been silly, but instead is effective, both in character and in SFX. I'm disappointed with the Ents, however -- they look rather more like giant animated celery than trees (not that I'm sure how you can make a tree walk convincingly...). The SFX on the whole are superb, though -- hordes of orcs, giant towers and forts, enormous battles and floods. There are fewer scenes that feel like video games in waiting, but a few times the long lingering shots of the stunning scenery do feel a bit like a New Zealand Tourist advert.

I assume the slightly bizarre hints at a "love triangle" between Aragorn, Arwen and Éowyn are there simply to give the two women something to do in this episode. The women of Rohan might know how to use the sword, according to Éowyn, but they are nevertheless all packed off to the caves during the battle of Helm's Deep. (But that's Tolkien's problem, not the film's.)

The film ends in a slightly different place from the second book, on an upbeat note. However, there is still sufficient tension -- the battle may have been won, but the war is by no means over -- to carry on through into the third, eagerly awaited, episode.

Rating: 2.5

reviewed 2 January 2003

2003 / cinema

LotR III: The Return of the King

Review

An excellent conclusion to the trilogy. Great set-piece battles intertwine with Frodo and Sam's desperate struggle to get to the Crack of Doom.

The orc attack on Minas Tirith, with the Riders of Rohan galloping up in defence, has an impressive CGI cast of thousands. I felt the cavalry charge into the orcs was done well -- one could really feel the devastating impact such a charge would have on a line. Meanwhile Aragorn, with his reforged sword [I'm not positive that's a particularly good technique for reforging a splintered sword, mind] has recruited the legions of the dead, and storms in from another direction. All this while Frodo and Sam struggle across ever bleaker and steeper terrain, towards Mordor.

I heard a discussion of LoTR recently where one pundit was bemoaning the lack of strong, or indeed any, female characters, and another suggested "Shelob!" Shelob here is sufficiently large and scary, and I found myself saying "I don't believe in giant spiders. I don't believe in giant spiders." and doing area/volume calculations to reassure myself. Talking of female parts, Éowyn polishes off the Nazgul pretty decently. Arwen merely looks pale, or smiles a bit.

Not a complete cop-out ending, either. There's no scourging of the Shire, but there's the waning of the time of the Elves, and there's a real feeling of Frodo being permanently damaged by the events, and he sails off into the sunset with the last of the Elves. But Sam gets his "happy ever after" ending.

A brilliant screen adaptation. Peter Jackson should be proud of his achievement.

Rating: 2.5

reviewed 30 December 2003