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Harry Potter started it all by setting new standards for shameless publicity. Building on the boy-wizards success another movie has come to claim his broom. Why though, should you pay for the privilege of standing in a long queue, next to delirious, drooling fans dressed in Green leotards just to see it?
Whether you are a fan of Tolkien's books or not, you cannot have missed the relentless media assault concerning the release of the first Lord of the Rings movie. Many have described the movie as a Harry Potter for adults, though most Tolkien fans will wince at the comparison.
Believe it or not there are quite a few, very significant, reasons why you should go and see the movie.
Read on by following the link below and to the right to find out...
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TOLKIEN
You can read an extensive Tolkien biography here.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3rd January 1892. After the First World War he obtained a post on the New English Dictionary, and began to write the mythological and legendary cycle which he originally called "The Book of Lost Tales" but which eventually became known as The Silmarillion. Encouraged by his children he developed his next story as a bed time story for them. That story was later, in 1937, published as "The Hobbit". You can read various quotes from the hobbit here.
Stanley Unwin, Tolkiens publisher, then asked for a 'sequel'. At first, Tolkien applied himself only unwillingly to this task, but soon he was inspired, and what meant to be another book for children grew into The Lord of the Rings , truly a sequel to the Silmarillion than to the Hobbit. This huge story took twelve years to complete, and it was not published until Tolkien was approaching retirement. When it did reach print, its extraordinary popularity took him by surprise. Various compilations of LOTR quotes are also available.
Tolkien died, after a very brief illness, in Oxford on 2nd September 1973. At the time of his death his obituary was also published in the New York Times.
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LIV TYLER
If you would watch any movie in which lovely Liv Tyler appears, even for a cameo; if you survived the whole of "One night at McCool's" just so as not to miss her scenes; if you would even buy her fathers records just to please her... Then this movie is definitely for you. Just the sight of a tear streaming from her beautiful eyes down her soft cheeks and forming a tiny pool on her full lips... sorry got lost for a moment there. Trust me it's worth it for all Liv Tyler fans.
Special Effects
If you enjoy impressive visual and audio effects in a movie than this one is for you.
A lot of Computer Generated Imaging has been used for various effects. The Hobbits, whose heights are between 2-4 feet, are played by normal actors and through CGI and other effects the normal actors appear to be about half the size of a normal man. Some of Tolkien's most fascanating creatures are completely constructed in CGI. Gollum, Treebeard, the other Ents and Shelob are all computer generated with voice acting. For the large battle-scenes the movie used a proprietary software package called MASSIVE. The results are remarkable and stunning.
The Atmosphere
The success of the Lord of the Rings saga is the ability of its writer to create an extremely immersive environment. While reading the books you immediately feel as a member of the books world. If the movie has picked up on that, you should leave the theatre feeling exiled and counting the days until you can return to see your home world once again.
The Hype
If the vast amounts of money pumped into promotion have any purpose it is to convince those not very familiar with the books, that the movie is worth their while.
With so many resources at their disposal, I am sure they have succeeded, at least in making you curious about the movie.
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Online Texts
Whether you are a beginner in the LOTR universe or an old Middle-Earth inhabitant, the following links will provide you with valuable resources about your favorite hobby(t).
There are various online Tolkien texts available. You can begin by reading verses from Lord of the Rings. How about following that up with some of the poetry of J.R.R.Tolkien.
For those of you who want to find out how Tolkiens books were initially received here is a 1938 NY Times review of The Hobbit and a 1954 NY Times review of The Fellowship of the Ring.
An interview of the man himself , to the NY Times in 1967 is also available online.
First Chapters
If you do not have the books and would like a chance to sample their magic try listening to J.R.R. Tolkien himself reading extracts from The Hobbit and from The Fellowship of the Ring.
Parodies
As we have come to expect, the online community has provided various Lord of the Rings parodies. Please do not try what Windows 98 meets the Lord of the Rings suggests without supervision. You can also catch up on what is happening in the parallel universe of The Fraud of the Rings.
Symptoms of overexposure to the saga had begun appearing from as early as the late 60's when Bored of the Rings was first published. It has been so successful that many, more recent publications, have also become best-sellers.
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Whatever you think, love it or hate it, LOTR is here to stay and with two more movies already filming, it is a trilogy after all, you can run but you can't hide.
Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers
Expected to be released December 14th, 2002, the movies' story will more or less follow the storyline established in the book.
Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King
Expected to be released December 14th, 2003 the movie will once again be based on the Tolkien book.
To download various LOTR movie clips, trailers, screensavers etc. press the download tab above.
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