I am now getting to the stage in my life where films that meant something to me growing up reach a particular milestone. Home Alone and Jurassic Park reaching 30 was such a milestone and the first Lord of the Rings film came out 25 years ago this December. I have watched them many times over the years but it has always been the extended editions with the exception of the original viewings at the cinema. Something I have never done in my repeat viewings is watch them in one go but that is what I did. Over 12 hours I get to see these films at the cinema for the first time since 2001, 2002 and 2003. Each film started with a little video from Peter Jackson talking about the films. To be honest, as nice as they were to have, they weren’t the greatest. It was clear that they weren’t scripted as he seemed to ramble a bit with the exception of the last one where Jackson talks about the people who have passed away and he alludes that the reason why Jackson hasn’t made a feature film in over a decade is because his cinematographer Andrew Leslie passed away in 2015 and he is trying to come up with the courage of working with a different cinematographer because the relationship between director and cinematographer is so close.
So the set up of this film is that Frodo is set on his journey and you feel sorry for Frodo because of the things that are going to happen to him and there is always a part of me that wants him to stay in the Shire. There is a youthfulness about Elijah Wood that make him seem innocent and appreciate his friends all the more because of what is about to happen. I don't think that Wood is the best actor in the world but for the most part he brings Frodo to live with a mix of charm, innocence and a willingness to help someone out without fully knowing what is involved.
One of the things about watching these films is that they get to a point on the DVD before the screen goes black and it says something like ‘Insert Disc 2’ so when Elrond says ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ and the screen doesn't go black then I have to momentarily remind myself I am watching this at the cinema. The thing that surprised me about these films is how they don't feel like there is any padding. Things are happening in a slow and measured way that feels like everything and everyone involved is important. Despite clocking in at nearly three and half hours for the extended edition, because I enjoyed being in this world and being with these characters it didn't feel like that long of a film.
There are a couple of things that stand out to me. Firstly and this is more with the creation of the Hobbit films and having watched them before this trilogy is that Legolas doesn't have a proper introduction. He just appears at Rivendell but we are told at the end of ‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ to seek out a ranger called Strider. Also some of the effects haven’t aged as well. There are some shots where it is clear that they have got a child with a Frodo wig on or Bilbo wig on. Even 25 years later and the production values are fantastic. I would want to spend more time in Rivendell because of how stunning it is and also it would be a nice place to relax and unwind. The Shire also looks like a wonderful place to visit and if only New Zealand weren't on the other side of the world I would have visited it by now.
The ‘death’ of Gandalf was truly shocking when I watched this in 2001. Even 25 years later it is still a striking moment and one that is played brilliantly by Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood. I remember thinking in 2001 that it was a shame that his character had been killed off and it would have been nice to have him around for a little longer (obviously not read the books at this point).
I really like Fellowship. It takes its time in setting things up and despite the high number of characters, every single one feels like they get a decent amount to do. That is one of the biggest issues with the Hobbit films is that there are too many characters with no development and you could get rid of half of them and it would make no difference with the story. Here every single character has some importance to Frodo’s journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment