'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy - 25th Anniversary Reflection
- Connor Petrey
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 21 hours ago
Release Date: 12/19/01 [Cinemas]
Genre: Adventure. Drama. Fantasy.
MPAA: Rated PG13.
Distributor: New Line Cinema.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Celebrating 25 years since the first installment released in theaters, The Lord of the Rings has returned to theaters courtesy of Fathom Entertainment. This is a trilogy I’ve only seen once all the way through and surprisingly not one that I watched as a child, watching for the first time during the 2020 era of binge watching. Now with my undivided attention after seeing the first two installments (excluding the third due to weather), I can confidently declare this is as being the definition of a cinematic masterpiece.
Not only a film like these, but the trilogy as a whole could not be replicated today - look at The Hobbit for evidence of that. From the beautiful lands of Middle Earth to the CGI to the makeup to the action to the fantastical levels of lore - The Lord of the Rings is an anomaly where even the most casual of fantasy seekers will find something alluring. With the extended versions of the films now being in theaters, this is an incredibly daunting experience at first only for the time to fly right on by.
Peter Jackson at the time of his hiring to make The Lord of the Rings had a fairly established career for smaller more unique projects, making his leap to blockbusters unprecedented - a feat we see so often these days in the age of Marvel and DC. His mastering of the world and understanding how to fully immerse his audience with such stunning levels of detail is truthfully unbelievable.
Never have I witnessed an epic of such a scale that never oversteps, understands how to navigate numerous stories with ease and has one ultimate goal in mind. Fueled by not only the powerful environment these characters must journey through to finish their task but the characters themselves. Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn is one of the most charming swordsmen put to screen, always ready to fight and ready to put his life on the line to better a friend’s position. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, a skilled elf-bowman that easily claims all of the best stunts. John Rhys-Davies’ axe-wielding dwarf, Gimli, who isn’t afraid to take on an enemy of any size and have fun while doing it. Sean Bean’s Boromir, a warrior from Gondor, who’s desire to better his own people makes him an untrustworthy member of the fellowship. The hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan), Pippin (Billy Boyd), Sam (Sean Astin) and the ring bearer Frodo (Elijah Wood) who have their innocent charms as they join the fellowship in their exploration out of their Shire. And not to forget the best character in all of Tolkien’s work - Gandalf (both the Grey and the White) Sir Ian McKellen fully absorbs into this character and anytime he shares the screen with any other, you can’t help but put all focus on his efforts. His fate in Fellowship still brings a tear to my eye.
The film massively holds up to today’s standard displaying a fantasy realm that is busting at the seams with lore, yet is so easy to gain a general understanding of what is happening. As the Tolkien stories have held their strength through the years, so will the Jackson trilogy. Even if there are some minor flaws within, such as the use of slow motion to capture and “elevate” emotions in Fellowship of the Ring which is a hindrance but not a complete distraction from the tale being told.
Moving into The Two Towers, the film truly opens up. While the first film is a mesmerizing launch pad for where the story is set to go, this sequel takes things a huge step forward in all aspects. One of the biggest complaints of Fellowship was limited here, with bare minimum and much less noticeable slow motion. The themes become grander, the threats become even more real with the Battle of Helm’s Deep, and the connection between characters grows stronger! It’ll have you tense and hard of breath when the battle begins and the fate of so many is up in the air. On the lighter side, this film introduces Ents, which are walking and talking trees debating on going to war - for one of the most satisfying decisions. But above all else The Two Towers brings Gollum into frame and with him comes Andy Serkis’ greatest work to date (including Caesar). It’s remarkable how easy you can sway between being creeped out by them, pitying them, or laughing at their actions. Apart from Gandalf, Gollum is easily the most iconic.
Having not witnessed the finale on the big screen I can’t dive deeper than this, but if one thing’s for certain… The Lord of the Rings excels on the big screen. While the journey at home is incredibly captivating, there’s just something special about going to a place with like-minded folk that have nothing better to do on a weekend than fully absorb into a nearly 12 hour trek across Middle Earth with Frodo and Co. Separate or together, The Lord of the Rings trilogy easily makes for a fantastic viewing experience, leaving you wanting more in the next installment, but more than happy with what you receive in the now. When a chance such as this comes up from Warner Bros. and Fathom Entertainment, you’ve gotta take it because how many times in your lifetime will you get to witness the entirety of Jackson’s extended versions on the BIG screen rather than at home. Take the leap to theaters and take the unexpected journey through Middle Earth!
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