by Peter Jackson, 2001.
Starring: Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellan, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood.
Rating: 7.5/10, 6.5/10.
Winter of 2001 saw the release of two highly anticipated adaptations of epic fantasy novels: Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Both hope to become successful film franchises, both were hugely popular in the box office, both were widely praised and criticised. It seems people either loved or hated them. I thought both were good for what they were, but that what they were wasn’t all that special.
The first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy obviously took a lot of effort to make. The special effects, sets, and costumes are amazing at all times. It’s clear that a lot of time and money was involved in making it. And in general it’s a good, faithful adaptation of the novel (not that film adaptations are required to be faithful to the book, but in this case I think there might have been something of a stink if it hadn’t). It’s just that...well, everyone seems to be saying that this is the greatest cinematic event ever, and I’m just kinda like, "Huh?"
I was going to explain my problems with Lord Of The Rings, but then I realised that I always add a link to Roger Ebert’s reviews of movies, and since he feels the same way and explains it much better than I ever could, I’ll just point you to the link at the bottom of the page.
One thing Roger Ebert doesn’t mention (and with good reason, I’m guessing) is how odd it is to see ultra-dreamy Elijah Wood as a hobbit. Especially since he looks a bit on the younger side already, it’s a little disconcerting to be so attracted to someone so short. Aaaah. Weird. Anyway...
Oh, and one more thing: I’d just like to talk about the director of this film for a bit. I’ve seen three of Peter Jackson’s films (possibly all of them?). The earliest was Heavenly Creatures, which is so absolutely fantabulous that anyone who hasn’t seen it is a pathetic loser who needs to find some sort of meaning to their lives. The second was The Frighteners, or, as I like to call it, "that absolutely revoltingly horrible movie about the ghosts with Michael J. Fox". And now this. What an odd man Peter Jackson is.