Lord of the Rings: An Epic Film of our Time

Fellowship of the Ring
I have to admit that when I was much younger I tried reading The Lord of the Rings and was frankly not impressed. I thought that Tolkien was far too descriptive and I never quite understood the story line. I struggled through the first book of the trilogy and never completed the series. I remember moving on to the stories by C.S. Lewis, like, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. I have said for years, "I just didn't need a chapter to describe the beard and eyebrows of Gandalf."


For a number of reasons I decided to wait to see the movie later when it was shown, one of those reasons was to let the more seasoned Tolkien readers interpret the movie. I believe it is about time to hear the opinions of one who is not a Tolkien disciple to give their impression, especially since I haven't read many comments that admit they are not dedicated followers. Shucks, for that matter I have already admitted that I have never read all of the books.


Prior to my thoughts on the film I must state that as I have gotten older, one of the things I have learned to appreciate in literature, either film ,or written, is allegory. While I was younger I realize that I didn't fully appreciate or understand this concept. I believe that is natural for a younger person however and is an appreciation that ferments with time and wisdom. Not to say that I am wise by any means but I certainly have had time to develop at least more wisdom since my mid teen years.


With the above said, I must say that I fully expected The Lord of the Rings to make it into my top 100 list of all time movies because of what I had already read about the movie. What I didn't expect was it to fall into my all time top 10 or even top 5 but this movie did just that. The Lord of the Rings is a brilliant movie with numerous parallels between good and evil. (Some of my all time top movies are: Star Wars, Amadeus, Apocalypse Now!, Lawrence of Arabia, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump...)


I have seen few movies that have told this story to the magnitude of this fine, fine film. Technically, everything from the casting to the story itself is fascinating and visually stunning. As far as film making goes it is as perfect as any movie ever made. What I will say is that the movie was so good that I did plan on going back and reading all of the books, and I plan to start over with the first book. I realize now that I have probably matured enough that I will enjoy them much more than I did when I was younger. I'll also say that the story looses very little on the screen. At least for me, the ability to add visually increased my ability to understand the story and this is one of those movies that is possibly better understood from watching it on screen than from reading it in print. This is a hard pill to swallow, especially from one who enjoys writing and reading as much as I do.


While I could spend a great deal of time commenting on this film technically, I find it essential to comment on other components that draw parallels between faith, particularly the Christian faith, and humankind.


While I was leaving the theater one of the comments brought up to me was that the film just seemed to end and of course there was the death of some of the primary characters that were loved and appreciated which my family and others did not understand. Reading what I have of the books and from doing some investigation I was reminding them that they needed to remember that the story does not end with this one movie. There were two more books to be told and we just needed to be patient because the movies were already made. There are numerous other components of the film that dealt with issues such as friendship, love, sacrifice, faith and many more. This is a movie that is easy to spoil but believe me those issues are dealt with beautifully in this film and in ways that should challenge the viewer to become stronger in each category.


There is one other issue dealt with in the film that I will mention. I have heard many Christians, of all people, be critical of the film because of it's portrayal of evil. "It was too scary." "Inappropriate for young children." "The story was just dark." These and other comments confounded me. My own personal view is that there are parts of the film that could be scary. The opportunity to discuss the spiritual components of evil as well as the sacrifice needed to overcome that evil is evident in this film. Being able to relate the Gospel clearly to those of all ages who do not know of the similar sacrifices that Jesus made to save mankind are evident.


I also appreciated the aspect of friendship and love that was portrayed. Lessons of real love and real friendship, to stick it out no matter how hard the difficulties, even when we are in water way over our heads and can't swim. These images can parallel a dedication to follow those we love, and ultimately Jesus Christ. To have such a passion that we would exercise, without question, "deep water faith."


The Lord of the Rings is a film that I will see again and again, and I will look forward to each new adventure I find along the way. It is that kind of movie that makes this possible.



The Two Towers

Technically, this movie is as good as the first because, again they were all filmed at the same time. The story continues with new characters and thus new story lines. We see the devotion of the characters to each other and their willingness to forsake their own lives in the attempt to save the life of not only those they love but for the sake of doing what is right, even when it appears that doing right could result in death.

The devotion to themselves, each other and their vision is a component that is an incredible reminder to each of us watching the film. This is not just a movie but in many ways a sermon that encourages one to examine their own life and thus, what they are doing with their life. Just as Gandalf is a figure that the characters of this movie will listen to and follow into battle that appears to lead to certain death, so is Christ that character for many others seeing this movie.



The Return of the King


I can find no better single word to describe the design, execution and impact of The Return of the King. Conventional wisdom dictates that movie scripts be designed and function in much the same way as a short story; another apt comparison would be the musical form of the overture.


It's well that audiences have a chance to catch their collective breath. Sequences of The Return of the King stack up as some of the most visceral entertainment ever conceived—too intense, I would imagine. The sequence in the Morgul Vale, for instance, had me literally cowering in my seat, even as Frodo himself cowered from the cry of the Witch King. I would never have anticipated that the Black Breath could be so effectively evoked through film.


As they worked on the final phase of this film, Jackson, Boyens and Walsh watched a young man be taken from this world by cancer. Was that the end of his story? Tolkien believed in a life after death, a "place called 'heaven' where the good here unfinished is completed." So do Boyens and Walsh, in a way. "The journey doesn't end here," their Gandalf says. Death is "just another path, one that we all must take. As the gray rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and turns to silver glass, then you'll see it. White shores; and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.

And a languid conclusion to a satisfying symphony.