Tag: Peter Jackson

“The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the Enemy is moving towards Mordor in the hands of a Hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom.”

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second film of the trilogy, picks up immediately where the first one left off. But with the groundwork of the plot and setting laid, it’s able to accomplish a lot more than its predecessor. The first film exuded a sense of wonder and magic as we discovered the world, got a taste of the power of Sauron and the orcs, and saw the heroics of its heroes. In this film, we see the full power of Sauron’s army and see the heroes begin to pull together an army of their own to counter it. The first film was magic and wonder, but this is pure, badass epic action, culminating in what may be the best battle sequence in any movie ever.

Continue reading “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” →

“In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all.”

In the 50s and 60s, epics were fairly common and frequently looked forward to. Movies like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, and Seven Samurai are regarded as some of the finest films of their decades. But then began a long dry spell for epics through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Some films came close, such as Dances with Wolves; but there wasn’t a good straight-up epic movie for a long time. Then Peter Jackson (King Kong, The Hobbit) got the green light for an epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with an epic budget (estimated at $93 million for the first movie alone). When the first of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, was a smash hit, it was clear: epic movies were back.

Continue reading “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” →