The film is done to such a level that you begin to believe that this Middle Earth, filled with Hobbits and Dragons, could be real. The whole fantasy/action genre allows the mind to go wild and starts to imagine impossible, far fetched things and also brings the film to life inside the audiences head as anything can happen and the rules of reality can be bent, and it all adds to the enjoyment in the film.
Fans of the book will be happy to see some of their favourite moments come to life: The Ent attack on Isengard, is a treat to see, also the whinged riders return on truly more terrifying steeds than in the Fellowship, but in my opinion there is no finer scene than the battle for Helms Deep as 10,000 Orcs ascend upon a castle in the hopes of wiping out all humans. The entire scene lasts up to 40 minutes in length and includes tremendous fighting scenes and the battle for man kind. Truly magnificent!
And one other ‘small’ detail is the CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) creation of the new lovable animated character since Shrek. He has a raspy voice that is a cross between a child with a sore throat and a satanic cat, he’s a schizophrenic, bug eyed creature with the worst possible comb over imaginable, named Gollum.
The effects that are used on Gollum are so stunning that they make the audience believe that Gollum is a living breathing character and is as strong a part of the film as Elijah Wood and just as strong an actor. The character also provides a lot of comic relief, which gave the film an unusual amount of humour which does not usually peek out its head in action/fantasy films.
For me he is one of the best characters in Lord of the Rings!
In my opinion this is one of the best films I have ever seen in my long 16 year life, both in fantasy and action. It is a fabulous story with an excellent character list and a certain magic woven into it, it is simply one of the greatest films possible ever made. And it uses a jaw-dropping amount of detail and accuracy which give it a certain wow-factor which brings Middle Earth to life. No doubt next year I’ll be saying the exact same for The Return of the King but I await it with much anticipation and excitement.
By John Mason
