Hey folks, Harry here. Here's Dorothy Parker's review. Dorothy is a late twenties female artist that has had a tough 4th Quarter of 2001. She's lost her job and has had tons of hell getting a new one. She tends to love strange odd films in this world, movies off the beaten path, animation from a different corner of the universe. In a way the perfect evening for her is cuddled up with Steve Buscemi's character in GHOST WORLD listening to Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys while her cat FartFace stands on its hindlegs with a stetson lip-synching along. She wasn't anticipating this film much at all. Here's what she thought....
This is the most beautiful fantasy film I have ever seen.
I'm a card carrying cynic, so maybe the above statement carries more weight coming from me. If not, try this on for size: Anyone who criticises this movie is a petty, nit-picky, soulless cretin who wouldn't be satisfied if they were given an ice cream sundae and and B.J. while they sat in the theatre. FOTR should be the litmus test for any reveiwer debating about quitting the business. Didn't like it? Here's your gold watch and there's the door.
I feel silly writing this, because I know that Harry is probably being inundated with gushing reviews, but he asked me to do it and I'll throw in my two cents with the rest. I'm not a true fan girl. I was tired of Star Wars months before Episode One was out and I tried to stay away from LOTR tidbits, because I didn't want to be burned out on it before I even saw an official trailer. Don't get me wrong--I'm not claiming I'm not a film geek! I saw Oh Brother Where Art Thou nine times in the theatre and yet I still want those three hours spent on viewing Episode One back to do something constructive with. What I'm saying is, I see and obsess on as many movies as anyone on this site, but I won't be fighting anyone for an action figure, and I won't be pronouncing George Lucas God.
How could he be? Peter Jackson is.
Why? Because a live action fantasy movie is almost impossible with today's visually sophisticated audience. It seems like there is always something that takes you out of the other world you are to be immersed in. If the audience is always aware that they are looking a CGI, they feel they are watching a cartoon. Peter Jackson has taken up the live action fantasy challenge, and coupled it with the even more daunting task of creating a work based on a classic work of literature--sort of a holy book whose followers will use to grade him with. And he makes it look easy. After all, we'll get the next two films only a Christmas each apart! (God bless us, every one!)
Peter Jackson opened up a riff in time and space and took a film crew to Middle Earth. LOTR looks like the best of every illustration in a Tolkien book, calendar or poster, realized it in 3D life-like form and then got the photo crew at National Geographic to frame it and shoot it. The Shire looks like an Andrew Wyeth painting, and the rest is just as mind-bogglingly beautiful. The edge of Gandalf's cape decribes fantastic figure eights as he gallops on his horse, and Gollum climbs with a locomotion that is half hunchback and half tree frog--a delight to the monster fan's eye.
The screen play adaptation is lovingly true to the book. It incorporates the prequel info from the Hobbit engagingly, and maintains the book's pacing; it doesn't pander to the short attention span crowd. If you're worried that it was made more Hollywood and riddled with market-tested cliches, don't be. That didn't happen here. It strikes a fine balance between all the elements that made the books popular: the warmth and humor of the Hobbit, the action and dark elements of the LOTR trilogy, and it focuses in strongly on Tolkien's themes of friendship, loyalty, bravery, and the danger of power to corrupt.
I could keep on with a laundry list of everything that was done right, but why? Everyone knows what they need to know. The movie is beautiful, excellent..perfect even. You'll like it, probably love it.
I find myself wondering why I fell hard for this movie so much. I have a wide streak for black comedies--ask anyone who had to be near me during Blood Feast II at BNAT. But the usual me aside, with the insane shit going on in the world right now and personaly loosing work, I think I want the fantasy of film more and more--but not in the usual way. I don't want sunshine blown up my ass with the typical Happy Ending. I want to visit another world, but one that still feels genuine. Bad things really do happen and there is a limit to personal strength, but the quest continues.
Thank you Mr. Tolkien and thank you Mr. Jackson.
