I rewatched The Fellowship of the Ring again last week. The plan was to do The Two Towers this week and The Return of the King after the holidays, but things got busy, so I’ll watch both in the new year. In the meantime, I’m in that state of mind where my brain is at least 40% Lord of the Rings at all times. So why not talk about it? (With that in mind, we are talking about the movies specifically here. I did love them before I loved the books, so I admit they’ll always be the first key to my heart, Tolkien-wise.)
Like many a Tolkien fan, I watched the first season of The Rings of Power as it premiered. More on that show another day, but I’d say it ranged from fine to good, with some wonderful parts and some just-okay parts. While I’d definitely rank it above the Hobbit trilogy, watching it gave me a little of the same feeling, that slight dragging down of my fangirlness. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t excite me, especially when, around the same time, Andor was blowing my mind every week, Werewolf by Night was fantastic, and Paddy Considine was giving a stellar performance over on House of the Dragon. In moments like this, I find I can be fair weather enough to think, “Yeah, I like Tolkien, but I’m not a huge fan.”
And then I rewatch the trilogy and I’m suddenly once again that girl who saw each one at least three times in the theater. I don’t know what it is—it’s not like I forget that I’ve always loved them. But it’s like good or mediocre Tolkien projects almost dull the memory of how much I love them, even as I watch these other projects and think, “Doesn’t compare to the trilogy.” I don’t rewatch Lord of the Rings as often as I do some of my other nerd fandoms, just because the sheer length is a major time investment, and although I know how great they are, I seem to need to see that first image of the Shire and hear the music to really go, “Oh right, every moment of this is entirely my shit.”
Honestly, it’s almost overwhelming to be hit afresh with how beautiful this trilogy is. Despite taking some creative license from the books, many purists forgive them for it because they still feel like the books. Every role is simply impeccably cast, from Sir Ian McKellen’s brilliant Gandalf to Andy Serkis’s revolutionary Gollum to my beloved hobbits. The production design and gorgeous scenery drip with the majestic beauty of Middle-earth, and every costume, set, and prop feel so lovingly made. There’s humor and heartbreak, enormous action and tiny moments, and a feeling that the whole trilogy is imbued with Tolkien’s history.
Obviously, the films have too many incredible moments, both large and small, to truly have favorites, but here are a few that stood out to me this time around when I was watching The Fellowship of the Ring:
· Frodo leaping into Gandalf’s arms to greet him in the Shire
· The devastated look on Gandalf’s face at the Council of Elrond when Frodo says he’ll take the Ring to Mordor
· Boromir sparring with Merry and Pippin
· “Nobody tosses a dwarf”
· The hobbits crying after Moria
· Aragorn and Boromir’s last words together
I’m looking forward to seeing family over Christmas (though it’ll make for some long mask-wearing days,) but I also know what’s waiting for me when the holidays are over. I think The Two Towers and The Return of the King are going to make for some topnotch self-care as I nurse my post-holiday introvert hangover.
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