Reel Critics

Jim Erwin

Finally there’s a movie that lives up to the hype. “Lord of the

Rings,” is a smart, fun, action-packed story and is full of wonderful

surprises. If the fantasy genre interests you, this movie is a must see.

I’ll confess that I never read these books. I’m not one of the

Tolkeinites that walks around at cocktail parties calling people, “Bilbo”

and “Frodo.”

Friends of mine who are rabid Tolkein fans have unanimously told me

they also love the movie. Director/Screenwriter Peter Jackson has done

the impossible. He’s succeeded in creating a film version of the

quintessential fantasy tale about magic, elves, hobbits and the ring of

power, without alienating the world’s largest geek cult. You don’t have

to have read the books or know the story to enjoy this movie. You just

have to love complex stories, lush scenery and great acting.

Prior to seeing “Lord of the Rings” I heard some talk that the battle

scenes may be a little too gory for young children. This movie didn’t

contain a lot of horror or gore that I noticed. I think the bigger issue

is how many children can sit quietly and watch a three-hour movie with an

adult story. This is a long movie. The story has a lot of characters, a

lot of details, and it doesn’t feel a need to spoon-feed the audience.

Characters speak in Elvish with subtitles, and use Tolkein’s real Elvish

language. This movie breaks a lot of Hollywood cookie-cutter-movie rules

to try to stay true to Tolkein’s story. That in-and-of-itself is a great

thing.

Jackson’s casting is great. “Lord of the Rings” is full of charismatic

actors who bring charm to Tolkein’s fantasy world. The hobbits all have

hairy feet and Irish accents, which makes the idea of them being heroic

very believable. The opening scenes of the hobbits in the Shire are a

hoot, you can tell the cast were having a lot of fun. Elijah Wood makes

Frodo seem innocent of his circumstances, yet painfully aware of the

consequences if he fails. Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, the hobbits

Merry and Pippin, are shameless scene stealers who bring comic relief in

unexpected moments. My only question is casting Christopher Lee as the

wizard Saruman. Lee tends to be a bit wooden and over the top. As movie

wizards go, Nicol Williamson as Merlin in “Excalibur,” is still the

coolest.

This is a great movie that’s well worth $8.50. The story is exciting

and the script feels like it was written with a lot of care. The entire

cast, down to the smallest walk-on hobbits, deliver performances that

reflect excitement for the material. “Lord of the Rings” is a movie that

was made by people who knew they were undertaking an epic task and wanted

to deliver a great movie. They succeeded. I’m planning to see it again

and I can hardly wait for the next two chapters, due in Christmas 2002

and 2003.

* JIM ERWIN, 39, is a technical writer and computer trainer.