r e v i e w s

Now that the movies are really all out there, we can make (almost) a full appraisal. And before going into any details, here is mine: this single movie of ~11 hrs (once the extended ROTK comes out, and since PJ did film this *as* one movie, split into 3, just as JRRT's book was entire, just happened to be split into 3 for ease of publishing) -- this single movie will stand for a very long while as the *defining* film epic of the world. JRRT set out to create a mythology of England, as he felt there wasn't something to rival the Norse myths, or the Kalevala of Finland -- and he *did* it. this is why it is well-known that LOTR is the *most widely read* book in the English language (in fact, i think altogether in the world), after the Bible (and hell, if you throw in the stats of the Silmarillion, which is itself so biblical in style, maybe even *more* popular than the Bible..).

and just as JRRT succeeded, PJ succeeded in *his* quest to do a faithful rendering of these books to the movie screen. there may be older epic movies that had a lot of impact on the culture (they seem to compare always to the Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind, or Kurosawa movies, none of which i've seen yet, a bit sadly), but really the only modern (last 20-30 yrs) comparison i think is rightly the original Star Wars trilogy (i'm not including the last two because of one word: Jar-Jar. and further because i haven't even *seen* yet Cloned Attackers from Hell or whatever that last one was called).

now i own the Star Wars trilogy and i've watched it over a couple of times to compare, and there's really no doubt that it's a masterfully done story also: inspiring, fun, exciting, technically superb and visually stunning -- yet, to compare the philosophical depth of even the two works is like comparing the height of a two-story family home to that of the planned FREEDOM(TM) Tower of NYC. yes, there is courage and bravery and love between friends all there in Star Wars -- but it just seems kind of child-like when watched now (and of course this is one of Lucas' strengths also, to write from this perspective) compared to the LOTR movies (though of course Lucas was informed and inspired by all fantasy/sf work that had come before him, including LOTR to some degree, which has inevitably affected *everything* that came after it). and there aren't the allusions to issues of capital punishment, environmental destruction, anti-war themes etc., the meditations on death and the meaning of life that are distinctly and clearly played out in JRRT's story, or PJ's adaptation.

this is the film that will stand for a very long time to inspire kids, have a lot of pop culture impact, and turn many more people into Tolkienists eventually (i'm sure the # of Sindarin and Quenya speakers has exponentially increased in the last couple of years..!)

phew.

having said this, a few specific comments: all the changes, and all the nitpicking i can do on the movies doesn't really matter much compared to the above. in fact, when i watch the commentaries on the extended DVD's (and there are 4 per movie!), i understand better what PJ was trying to do with a scene, or why he modified some bit. (and i feel like i also know his style quite well, so i was kind of prepared for it by this last movie.)

overall, ROTK just *blew me away*. i haven't been able to talk much after i walked out of the theater for all of the movies -- this last one was the strongest. i felt the impact for a looong time after, just kind of absorbing it, letting it seep in.

also, about the ending -- since i had known that the last scene would be at the Grey Havens, the multiple endings didn't surprise me. also, since i was weeping through many scenes in the second half, including almost all those at the end, and since i'd been waiting for this final ending really since 1998 when i first heard they were filming these movies, none of it seemed "flat" or overlong or anticlimactic to me (hell, think of all JRRT has in there after the ring is destroyed, all that is in the movies, but there's even more in the books). the only bit of advice i give if people ask my opinion is for them to expect it not to end until the scene after the Grey Havens, just so they are prepared.

also -- i don't think we can fully critique it scene by scene until the extended version comes out. whatever PJ says, these are what i consider definitive for the ages, and they are to me the 'full work'. and the other 2 have had so much more added that it really does add much more flavor.

and i'm glad that in no way does someone *need* to be a fan of the books to like these movies, which is PJ's mastery in the translation -- i heard a film critic on Fresh Air yest who put ROTK at #2 on his year's best list, but prefaced this by saying how he could never get through any of the books. they are just not to everyone's taste or style, which i fully understand (same with the movies -- taste in art is a a very personal and subjective thing, to a degree) -- but yet, the movies *will* impact the culture for a long time.

finally, i'll say that as i told a friend -- i doubt i would've been able to be such a big fan if Viggo M. hadn't come out so strongly against the war last year. and this is in addition to Sean Astin's + Cate Blanchett's strong comments about the env'l themes (extended dvd interviews), and Ian McKellen being such an open gay rights advocate.

i really feel like these guys all felt JRRT's spirit through this whole thing -- they knew the essential things he felt and was trying to communicate in the books, and they portrayed them wonderfully. it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for anyone who worked on this movie, i feel, and whatever else they go through, they will cherish it to the end. this is what i've heard from so many of the interviews.

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