The ‘journey’ is finally over. I spent an afternoon back into Middle Earth and came back with an immense feeling of relief and satisfaction… I can’t wait to go back… there and back again
After the let down of the Matrix, it was comforting to see that such an epic project came out unspoiled. In spite of the missing scenes and changes to the characters, the Lord of the Rings remains a strong story, with heroes and monsters, braves and cowards, dark corners and flamboyant cities.
Like the first two chapters, the conclusion has its share of wining Bilbo (I still want to get up and shake him half of the time), slow and whispering Arwen (does she really have to whisper all the time ?), impossible stunts from Legolas and inside jokes from Gimly coming straight from a table of Dungeon and Dragons…. but who cares ? The irritating defaults of the movie are vastly overwhelmed by the mix of the rest of the movie. The music and the scenery play parts that are just as important as the actors themselves.
And for a change, here is a movie using computer graphics and special effects at the service of a story and not as a display of the latest shading techniques coming from a studio (Hulk anyone ?). The movie is this effective because the time right – the technology is here. How else would it be possible to express emotions through a dying eye wraped into flames ? or a spiraling battle of Eagles and Dragons ? or heavy rocks rolling across an army like in a bowling alley ?
Since I read it about 15 years ago, I used to think about the Lord of the Rings as the standard of what is possible to show on a screen. I used to think they are getting closer… Lord of the Rings is possible. Now that the movie is here, anything is possible. Any story, no matter how ambitious and fantastic, is now possible. All it takes is commitment from movie studios and dedication from people who believe it can be done.