The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which fully deserves to be called the motion picture trilogy of our time, are works that convey modern filmmaking never as it has been portrayed before. They are films that are as valued as treasure, and without a doubt, one of the most important movie franchises of all time; a movie franchise that deserves to be compared to such other famous film series' like Star Wars and the Godfather's. More importantly, it also portrays the best way at which we can capture on film J.R.R. Tolkien's imagination (to totally capture Tolkien's imagination would be impossible in any logical opinion).
The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring: ****
The Fellowship of the Ring is no doubt the best fantasy motion picture since 1939's the Wizard of Oz, and is actually even probably better. Even at three hours in length (the extended version is three and a half hours), it's very entertaining and evenly paced. Not only that, but the production value is incredible. Filmed beautifully in New Zealand, the Fellowship of the Ring kicks off the Lord of the Rings film trilogy to a great start. Of all the trilogy, this one captures Middle Earth the best, simply because it's so effortless, eloquant and dedicated to in telling the story so well, and because the art direction and production are so genuinely incredible. There's something about this motion picture that feels special, so special as to that it's unexplainable. I highly recommend you watch the extended version, adding an approximately 35 minutes of extra footage, which really is worth watching and expands upon the theatrical version.
The Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers: *** ½
The Two Towers is almost as much an achievement as the Fellowship of the Ring was, but is suffers from being the middle installment in the trilogy. Unlike the Empire Strikes Back or the Godfather Part II (also the middle installments in trilogies), it feels all too much as a follow up to the the previous Fellowship while a build up to the Return of the King. However, it goes even further deeper into it's characters then the previous installment, maintains excellent pace for a three-hour film, the production value remains outstanding, the acting is above and beyond satisfactory, the scenery is beautiful, and, in addition, the climatic Battle of Helm's Deep is one of the best battle scenes captured on film. The extended edition adds an approximately 42 minutes of extra footage, and again, I recommend that you watch the extended edition.
The Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King: ****
The Return of the King concludes the trilogy. It easily rivals Ben-Hur in terms of production value and sets, rightfully winning 11 Oscars for the 2003 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. One of the most pleasing things about the Return of the King is that it actually concludes the story, rather then ending in a cliffhanger as the previous two films equally suffer. To top it all off, it's one of the most visually stunning movies in decades, save Finding Nemo. It's so masterfully completed, there are so many CGI effects that are all put to great use (I never knew that film could pack in so much special effects because it was actually neccessary), the battle scenes are supreme, and the amazing story is brought to a such definitive conclusion. The extended edition adds an approximately extra 52 minutes minutes of extra footage; yet again you should highly consider watching the extended version.
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