The Lord of the Rings

When discussing trilogies, those who review movies usually have a favorite out of the three. "The Godfather Part II" or "Return of the Jedi" are considered the favorites out of the three movies from those trilogies. Very rarely does one come across a set of movies that tells a story literally from beginning to end (with the occasional but not interruptive back story) and makes the trilogy as a whole their favorite "movie." The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy (all three are rated PG-13) actually does that and is why I consider it a new entry in the field of classic movies.

"The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)," "The Two Towers (2002)," and "The Return of the King (2003)" are the three movies based on the series of books written by T.R.R. Toilken. The three movies are about a Hobbit (Frodo Baggins) who inherits the Ring of Power from his uncle Bilbo and has to take the Ring to be destroyed in the Mountain of fire. Through his journey, he is accompanied by other Hobbits (Sam, Pippen, and Merry) as well as a dwarf (Gimli), an elf (Legolas), a wizard (Gandalf), and a man (Aaragon).

Frodo has to fight many battles to make it to the Mountain of fire: the death of his fellow travelers, Orcs and Uruk-Hai, and getting lost on his way to the Mountain of Doom. Along the way, he and Sam meet Smeagol, a 500 year-old Hobbit who is obsessed with the Ring and provides an interesting look into what multiple personalities would look like in Middle Earth. Epic battles, an ethereal return, a love story and heartbreak, and creations of new soldiers to retrieve the Ring for Sauron (the initial keeper and creator of the Ring) keep you going until the Ring is destroyed.

Even though this is a "trilogy," the movies actually flow together seamlessly without gaps or missing information. This is due to the movies being filmed simultaneously over an eighteen month period. Director Peter Jackson took advantage of the beautiful scenery and vegetation of New Zealand to create this epic trilogy. Beautiful castles, villages (that were built into the landscape), mountains, forests, and lakes were part of the visual beauty that emanated from the screen. Even some of the hand built sets (for example the home of Lady Galadriel in Lothlorien) were enough to make this one of my favorite classic movies.

What I also liked about The Lord of the Rings trilogy was the varied use of unknown and well accomplished actors for the cast. The Hobbits were played by Elijah Wood (a former child actor), Sean Astin (son of Patty Duke), Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan. Some cult favorites include Brad Dourif (from Childs Play fame) and Liv Tyler (daughter of Aerosmith's Steve Tyler). Rounding out the cast are the accomplished Ian McKellen (Golden Globe and SAG Award winner, just to name a few of his many awards), Viggo Mortensen (also a SAG Award winner), Christopher Lee (MTV Movie Award winner) and Cate Blanchett (Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award winner). Other unknown (at the time)and talented actors include Orlando Bloom, Miranda Otto, and David Wenham.

Most classic movies were created during the days of new talkies, the introduction of Technicolor, MGM Studio productions, and 1970s mega films; but not very many have been produced in the last two decades to be considered classic. The Lord of the Rings trilogy contains everything that a classic movie should have: a beautiful set and scenery, groundbreaking and innovative director, extraordinary score, an eclectic and diverse cast and a screenplay and script based on one of the most popular books in literary history.

You can purchase The Lord of the Rings trilogy at the following locations:

Amazon.com - Platinum Extended Series

BestBuy.com - National Geographic Beyond the Movie - The Lord of the Rings

TolkienTown.com - LOTR movies, collectibles, and more

BarnesandNoble.com - LOTR Movies