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A man named Peter Jackson was about to unveil his adaptation of a true classic story that had appeared in every "greatest book" listing created: The Lord Of The Rings. The 3 books were to each receive a cinematic offering, with each film being released over the Christmas period for the 3 consecutive years from 2000 to 2003. Being the first trilogy to be filmed back-to-back - the Back To The Future trilogy only had parts 2 and 3 filmed at the same time, and The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions had not begun yet - Jackson had an awesome task ahead, not only to New Line Cinema who were funding the project, but also to the hardened fans who were as passionate about Tolkien's work as were the Star Wars fans. Of course we all know now that the 3 films - The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King - will go down in history, not only in their silver screen form but as their small screen ( DVD ) incarnations as well, but, remember at the time, Jackson had only the likes of Braindead, Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles to his directing CV. His only recognised "mainstream" efforts were Michael J. Fox's The Frightners and Kate Winslet's Heavenly Creatures; 2 films that did not lend themselves well to Tolkien's sprawling epic of a land and a time long since forgotten. However, to use an old analogy, "the boy done good." Bloody good infact ! Like Spielberg after Jaws and Lucas after Star Wars, he can write his own ticket and has made the frankly eye-brow raising choice of King Kong, but then again, everyone wasn't sure about The Rings trilogy. |
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Looking back over the 3 films now, viewing them as a whole, you can see what a monumental achievement they are. Box-office records broken world-wide, on both their big and small screen releases (infact, their popularity is such that extended cuts are being looked upon as THE versions to have, allowing more of the Tolkien /Jackson vision to be absorbed by an ever-hungry audience). Reviews of each one more glowing than the last. Sequels; franchises; follow-up's; they all suffer from a "weak film" syndrome. Not so with this trilogy it seems. Each one built upon the shoulders of the previous outing with characters becoming more attached to the audience's emotions and set-pieces becoming more jaw-dropingly intense and stunning than the last. Saraman's fight against Gandalf (The Fellowship Of The Ring) is left behind in the wake of Helm's Deep (The Two Towers) which in turn is a school yard scuffle compared to Minas Tirith's epic stand-off between good and evil in The Return Of The King. And to his credit, each battle, even though they increase in scale and scope, still shows the intimate struggles that take place amongst them, with Jackson's ever-present "flying camera work" picking out certain individuals, enforcing the audience's concern for them as they watch these characters that they have been following over the last 3 years, face mortal peril. Stubborn dwarf, Gimili, originally against all elves, especially Legolas, becomes warmer to us as the journey's progress, separate and continue their way towards the final battle for Middle-Earth. Aragon, who's reluctance to take his place in history and fulfil his destiny, struggles with the weight of his internal demons and the burden that will become his alone throughout the 3 films. So, when he finally accepts that he must become what he should be to save mankind, you know how hard it is for him to do. This is no easy decision for him, but he accepts it and if you don't feel like punching the air or ripping off a salute in his direction when he brandishes THE sword, then you have either been not watching the films, or, have managed to withstand the pull of the trilogy as successful as Frodo was against the ring. |
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It's strange to think that the entire journey is now at an end. In the space that it takes George Lucas to deliver an installment of the Star Wars saga, Jackson has closed the book on a story that will, like the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han, go down into the history books along with the hearts and memories of generations both young and old. The frequency of release of each story probably goes someway in explaining how deeply the films have affected audiences - still fresh in people's minds helps the connections between the viewer and the viewed - but everyone who has seen them knows that there's so much more to it that than that. Allowing characterisation not to be swamped by special effects or action sequences, has given The Lord Of The Rings a truly engrossing element that is so rare in modern blockbusters - people upon the screen that you can believe in, care for and root for. Of course, kick-ass action, jaw-dropping sets, unbelievable CGI and an unprecedented level of commitment and passion from a small army of men and women to bring one of the highest regardest works of fiction to the screen, doesn't go amiss either.
The true test will be time itself for the trilogy, but if mine, and many others opinions are anything to go by, who can't wait to see all 3 back-to-back, then The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of the Ring; The Two Towers and The Return Of The King is a piece of history in the making, and is worthy of our time, our love and our devotion. Hail to the King |
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Copyright © Steve Murphy 2003 |
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