This is a story very close to most, I'd imagine. Of course, only a select few will ever touch the humankind in the way people like Tolkien do, to ever leave such a mark, but I believe this depiction has themes that touch and have touched most, if not all of us.
I will mention first and foremost, that I am a big fan of Tolkien's work and the worlds he has built. I've always been the type of person to get immersed in the characters, stories and the lore of the worlds I read, not their authors. As such, I don't have much exposure into Tolkien himself.
So, I can not say whether this portrayal is authentic to the subject, but I find it irrelevant in this context. Whether things happened this way, whether these stories are true, doesn't change the experience one has when experiencing it.
As with most things, I tend to put things in perspective. Historic productions, unless explicitly produced as documentaries, will always have a great deal of fiction in the mix, if only to fill in the blanks. I don't regard this any different just because it's a more modern period and a much more recent person being portrayed.
There are a few different things here that I could relate to personally; The struggle as a younger man to find one's place in the world, the constant battle between the things you love and what you have to do. The sacrifices that inevitably come with it.
The kind of friendship portrayed here -- a fellowship, as the movie makes a point of saying -- is one most can probably relate to. Not to the same extent, of course, and not everyone, but most would probably recognize that feeling of bond and brotherhood.
This makes the latter parts of the movie all the more heartbreaking. I won't go into spoilers or anything, but as we close the end of this tale, it starts hitting fairly hard.
The pacing of the movie feels a little off at certain points. Generally I like my movies slower rather than fast-paced, and this movie is no exception, so the problem doesn't lay there. The pacing problems come with the wildly different time periods the movie has to jump between. As a whole, the movie is a perfect compromise in terms of speed, but has way too much to show and tell in one go. I think it could have benefited the movie greatly if it was at least an hour longer. But alas, we are talking about a movie, and as a movie I think it hits the correct spot as a whole.
This is a beautiful story with inspiring arcs. The scenery and props work wonders to immerse you in and it's all directed and shot very beautifully. The actors do a tremendous job across the board. But there's a very heavy undertone looming under the shiny surface, and some absolutely heartbreaking moments that left me, a grown man, crying. Not to say that grown men are less susceptible to cry, it's simply a rhetoric way to emphasis that for those of us that do relate to many themes involved, this movie can conjure the famous lump in the throat.
Of course, there are a lot more to it -- love and courtship, inspiring characters that help guide one's way to a legend and of course, the war. I don't want to get too much into it, since the things stated prior are the things I wanted to say.
I want you to experience it for yourself, if you haven't.
Now, as to the hot topic of being true to the source... I can not say whether that is truly a major problem with the movie. But I will, inspired by this movie, be seeking out some materials to read about Tolkien's life.
And I think I will re-read the adventures written by the protagonist of this story, from the very beginning.
I will mention first and foremost, that I am a big fan of Tolkien's work and the worlds he has built. I've always been the type of person to get immersed in the characters, stories and the lore of the worlds I read, not their authors. As such, I don't have much exposure into Tolkien himself.
So, I can not say whether this portrayal is authentic to the subject, but I find it irrelevant in this context. Whether things happened this way, whether these stories are true, doesn't change the experience one has when experiencing it.
As with most things, I tend to put things in perspective. Historic productions, unless explicitly produced as documentaries, will always have a great deal of fiction in the mix, if only to fill in the blanks. I don't regard this any different just because it's a more modern period and a much more recent person being portrayed.
There are a few different things here that I could relate to personally; The struggle as a younger man to find one's place in the world, the constant battle between the things you love and what you have to do. The sacrifices that inevitably come with it.
The kind of friendship portrayed here -- a fellowship, as the movie makes a point of saying -- is one most can probably relate to. Not to the same extent, of course, and not everyone, but most would probably recognize that feeling of bond and brotherhood.
This makes the latter parts of the movie all the more heartbreaking. I won't go into spoilers or anything, but as we close the end of this tale, it starts hitting fairly hard.
The pacing of the movie feels a little off at certain points. Generally I like my movies slower rather than fast-paced, and this movie is no exception, so the problem doesn't lay there. The pacing problems come with the wildly different time periods the movie has to jump between. As a whole, the movie is a perfect compromise in terms of speed, but has way too much to show and tell in one go. I think it could have benefited the movie greatly if it was at least an hour longer. But alas, we are talking about a movie, and as a movie I think it hits the correct spot as a whole.
This is a beautiful story with inspiring arcs. The scenery and props work wonders to immerse you in and it's all directed and shot very beautifully. The actors do a tremendous job across the board. But there's a very heavy undertone looming under the shiny surface, and some absolutely heartbreaking moments that left me, a grown man, crying. Not to say that grown men are less susceptible to cry, it's simply a rhetoric way to emphasis that for those of us that do relate to many themes involved, this movie can conjure the famous lump in the throat.
Of course, there are a lot more to it -- love and courtship, inspiring characters that help guide one's way to a legend and of course, the war. I don't want to get too much into it, since the things stated prior are the things I wanted to say.
I want you to experience it for yourself, if you haven't.
Now, as to the hot topic of being true to the source... I can not say whether that is truly a major problem with the movie. But I will, inspired by this movie, be seeking out some materials to read about Tolkien's life.
And I think I will re-read the adventures written by the protagonist of this story, from the very beginning.
