There and not quite back again...

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 4 October 2006 05:05 (A review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)

The Return of the King is the third and last part of Peter Jackson's trilogy based on JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy masterpiece, the Lord of the Rings.

Saruman the traitor has just been defeated, both in Isengard and Helm's Deep, and so Gandalf and Pippin ride towards Gondor and its capital Minas Tirith, to offer the Riders of Rohan's help to Denethor. But after the death of his beloved son Boromir, which he blames Faramir for, the stewart of the White City has lost all hope of surviving the war against the armies of Sauron, and is now teetering on the brink of insanity. Out of pride, he refuses to call for help. Taking advantage of his smaller size to pass undetected, Pippin lights the beacons all the same, signalling the Rohirrim, led by King Théoden, to start their march East. Among them are Merry and Éowyn, eager to fight alongside her kin in the battle on which depends the fate of all mankind, and Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn, still in doubt about his destiny and heirloom as king of Gondor.

Meanwhile, Gollum is leading Frodo and Sam further into the dark land of Mordor, up treacherous, vertiginous stairs and through tunnels filled with dangers, Frodo's mind slowly giving in to the power of the Ring he has to destroy.

I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on my job today, I keep staring at the void, my head filled to the brim with images of the film. What a blast! The actors, and the Hobbits in particular, are amazing, the sets, costumes and visual effects are stunning, the music is riveting! Want to know more? Well, I wouldn't want to spoil it, so just go watch it!

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Epic!

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 4 October 2006 05:05 (A review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

The Two Towers is the second part of Peter Jackson's trilogy based on JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy masterpiece, the Lord of the Rings.

The Fellowship of the Ring has just been broken and our heroes are now all heading in different directions, all following their own paths. Merry and Pippin have just been captured by a horde of Saruman's foul Huruk-Haï who, following the sorcerer's orders, are taking them to his tower of Isengard, and Aragorn the Heir of Gondor, Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf are running to their rescue across the plains of Rohan, land of the Rohirim horsemasters. Taking the advantage of a clash between the orcs and a band of Rohirim, the hobbits manage to escape into Fangorn, the old forest, home of the legendary Ents. There they'll meet an old acquaintance.

Meanwhile Frodo, the Ring-bearer, and his friend Sam are on their way to Mordor. It won't be long until they become lost, nor before they realize they're not alone. Gollum, the filthy creature who once possessed the One Ring, has been following them all along. They capture him, but soon Frodon takes pity and decides to release him in exchange for Gollum's word that he'll guide them to Mordor.

Once again, Peter Jackson managed to bring to screen the enchanting spirit of JRR Tolkien's complex novels. I personally liked Gollum's character a lot, as well as admired the creature's beautiful computer graphics animation. And the Battle of Helm's Deep, the terrible final conflagration between Théoden's people and Saruman's army of ten thousand orcs, is just as formidable. I'll have to read these books again!

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Not disappointing in any way!

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 4 October 2006 05:05 (A review of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first part of Peter Jackson's trilogy based on the Lord of the Rings, THE classic epic novel by JRR Tolkien, considered father of the fantasy genre.

The film tells the story of Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit, or half-sized human with hairy feet, who lives in the Shire, in Middle-Earth. Frodo's uncle Bilbo, on his one-hundred-and-eleventh birthday, leaves everything to his nephew, among which a ring that has the power to make its bearer invisible. The ring turns out to be The One Ring of Power, forged by the evil Lord Sauron. The mythological and historical background is well summarized at the beginning of the film, and we learn that Sauron was defeated long ago and the ring somewhat lost and found several times before falling into Bilbo's hands. However at the same time, in the land of Mordor, Sauron is stirring again and wants his Ring, source of the power he needs to dominate all the people of Middle-Earth. And so he sends forth nine Nazgûl, to find the Ring. Frodo has but one solution: he has to destroy the ring by casting it into the very fire in which it was forged, in Mount Doom. He sets off with some companions, on a perilous quest to the heart of Mordor.

It must have been hard to squeeze over one thousand pages into three three-hour-long films, but I think Peter Jackson managed to cut at the right places, and since I have read the books, I was able to fill in. Even though it might sometimes be a little bit confusing to people who are new to the story, the fast fighting scenes, the terrifying Nazgûl and evil orcs that contrast with the stunning, breathtaking beauty of the scenery and the great special effects, all this backed up by a wonderful cast, make the Fellowship of the Ring definitely worth seeing by anyone. Personally, I most enjoyed the visual rendering of Sauron's blurry dark world Frodo falls into when he puts on the ring.

These must have been among the most awaited films in history, and even though no film will ever be as majestic and magical as a masterpiece of such scope, I think Peter Jackson really managed to capture its enchanting, wonderful spirit and to pay a superb homage to JJR Tolkien's genius. It made me want to read the books again, and I hope it will make everyone want to read them as well.

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