Eleven Hours For The One Ring

I always try hard to see films of different genres. Because each flavor offers a little bit of something different every time. Today, I went on an adventure in Middle Earth.

Most people probably heard of The Lord of the Rings. Not only because it is a well-known book by a well-known author, but also because of the commercial success of its movie franchise. The LOTR trilogy— The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003)—directed by Peter Jackson. As already mentioned, based on the books of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien. It tells the journey of the hobbit, Frodo, and his friends to save Middle Earth from the evil ring of the Dark Lord Sauron.  

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) had an almost 3-hour and 30-minute running time. It was long, alright. But satisfying. I did not expect the open ending though to be like a literal open book when I pause from reading. Cannot believe people waited for a year to see what happens next to the heroic hobbits (except if you read the book, of course). Nonetheless, I think it had a well-written screenplay for an engaging introduction.

As for the second installment, The Two Towers (2002) was a complete failure. It was excruciating to watch because of the abundant exposure of walking. I get it, they walked a lot, but it did not translate well on screen. I guess, I expected too much after the success of the first installment.

Fortunately, The Return of the King (2003) managed to bury all the negativity created by the previous film of the franchise. For starters, it actually lived up to expectations. The highest peak of the story, as well as the final conclusion, were presented satisfyingly. An obvious goof though, with its continuity-fail scene when the horses magically disappeared before the battle with the Orcs at the Black Gate of Mordor. Aside from that, what well-deserved Academy Awards it won.

Likewise, the cast of characters was equally adoring. Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) and Liv Tyler (Arwen) easily won my heart. Orlando Bloom (Legolas) was beautiful. I did not mind him flying onto his horse. Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) were outstanding as always. I, however, enjoyed Sean Astin's performance better than Elijan Wood. Not because Wood was a bad actor. I think it was only because of how the character of Frodo was written for the film. I hated how his few moments of bravery failed to overshadow his many cringe-worthy moments of weakness. It's like he was not able to redeem himself despite their journey's success. But for those who read the novel, please do enlighten me.

The LOTR trilogy proved all my judgments wrong (except that, it is, indeed, a movie about walking). Its theme of friendship, love, hope, and courage made me fall in love with high epic fantasy fictions. It was glorious. The production designs were beautiful; musical score was grand; and the cast was outstanding. Truly a franchise that is worth watching.