It’s no secret that The Lord of the Rings is one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time. This doesn’t really mean anything, though, seeing as Barbie is also critically acclaimed (we all know Oppenheimer was better, you don’t have to pretend anymore). I’m here to tell you, today, RIGHT NOW, that The Lord of the Rings DOES in fact live up to the hype. Maybe even surpasses it.
If you’ve read The Hobbit (which is apparently a children’s book according to Ms. Wyatt), you’re already familiar with the LOTR universe. It’s essentially your typical fantasy world (I’ve just offended thousands of people). Dragons, orcs, goblins, etc. There’s a lot more depth if you read The Silmarillion, which is basically a huge explanation for all the lore in the universe. Again, I probably offended thousands of people, but I digress.
While the LOTR universe is huge and definitely makes it that much cooler, it isn’t really what makes the movies so special. In fact, it’s hard to really pinpoint why they’re just so good. Whether it’s the story, the characters, the movie adaptations, there’s something just so magnificent about how perfectly everything is strung together.
For a bit of an anecdote, I watched the whole trilogy sometime last year. I was incredibly sick around Christmas time, and had nothing to do as I stayed home from school. Thinking about what I’ve never watched, the LOTR came to mind. I had read The Hobbit in the past, so I was already somewhat familiar with the universe. Since The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins, Frodo’s (the main character of the LOTR) dad, I knew a bit about the characters already. I went in not thinking too much. How good could a movie be?
Suffice to say it was amazing. There really is nothing else to say. The story follows Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit who is given an insurmountable task: destroy the One Ring. The One Ring essentially gives Sauron, the Dark Lord, his power. I could spend maybe 3 more hours talking about how it works, but it’s important to know that Sauron’s life is tied to the existence of the Ring. Sauron wants to get it back because of its power. Frodo Baggins wants to destroy it. That’s about the gist of it. It sounds so simple, but the journey they go on is one of the best I’ve ever witnessed.
Something that really hooks you in are the characters. They’re so incredibly written that it’s hard to not envision them as a real human with real thoughts and feelings. Their motivations feel real. Their decisions have gravity. You can actually sympathize with the entire cast.
Not for nothing, but J.R.R. Tolkien is also an amazing guy. He was a stalwart defender of Christianity and a progenitor of the faith. He was C.S. Lewis’ best friend and famously convinced him to enter into the faith (Lewis ended up becoming one of the best theologians of his era, famously saying that all of hell will rejoice when he dies, for he’ll finally be out of the fight). If he did something secretly terrible, I rescind this statement.
The LOTR also takes heavy inspiration from the Bible. Or so I’ve heard. I actually really don’t know how this makes sense, but apparently if you read the Silmarillion, it does. Or maybe I’m not a deep thinker. Whatever. If you’re a Christian like me, you’d like the story.
And no, it’s not demonic.
I could really go on for hours about the LOTR, but I really don’t want to spoil any of the magic for any potential viewers. Just watch or read it. Everyone needs to watch or read the LOTR once in their lives. It’s like Star Wars and Harry Potter, it’s one of those pieces of media you just have to consume.
