Yet More Thoughts on The Lord of the Rings

Yep, my latest Lord of the Rings rewatch is over, with The Return of the King under my belt once more. As the longest film in the trilogy and the one (in my opinion) that justifies that length the least, my mind can wander at times watching it, which is probably why I’d rank it as my least favorite of the three. However, that is only because, if you’re ranking three things, one of them by necessity is going to be at the bottom. That does not mean I’m not in love with the film, or that it isn’t still exquisite, because it is.

This is the one that brought it all home. Endings are a tall order, and at the time that the movie came out, something of this scale really hadn’t been done before. There was a lot that it had to live up to, both for fans of the books who were eager to see their favorite scenes brought to life and for movie-only fans who were anxious to see how the trilogy was going to resolve. And within that difficult job, I’d say Peter Jackson and co. stuck the landing, even if it can be a little confusing to count the succession of scenes that all feel like endings.

As I contemplate today, the main subject that comes to mind is, “Why Lord of the Rings?” What is it about this series that stirs my imagination and grabs my heart? And at its core, I think it’s love.

I’ve talked before about the careful production design, the beautiful score, the not-a-weak-link-among-‘em cast. Everyone involved in these films is giving it their all, gave years of their lives to shoot an entire trilogy at once (many of them traveling halfway around the world to do it,) believing in what they were creating long before the suits had a single film that they could sell. That’s because everyone, by all evidence, truly loved what they were doing here. Some were longtime book fans whose dreams were coming true, while others had never read the books before getting cast. But regardless of where they came to the production, they all got on board with the vision of the films—the scale of the story, the delicate business of creating a fantasy world that genuinely feels lived-in, and the enormous task of bringing these characters and their tale to life. In every aspect of the trilogy, you can see the love that went into it.

More than that, we see the love between the characters. Sam, Pippin, and Merry refusing to let Frodo journey off into danger without them. The growing friendship between Gimli and Legolas, defying the longstanding animosity between their races. Boromir giving his life to try and protect Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli joining Aragorn in his vow to recover their captured friends. Gandalf’s love and affection for the halflings, especially Frodo. The love between these characters leaps off the screen and grabs you, and whether the scene is comical, intense, or heartbreaking, every moment of it feels genuine.

Those character relationships are further informed by the love between the cast. Sharing this massive undertaking together put all of these actors in a very particular club, and that bonded them for life. It’s why I love watching that Zoom reunion or seeing pictures of the four actors who played the hobbits still getting together to hang out. They were all acting onscreen, of course, but the friendships they forged were real.

Here are the moments that were my special favorites from The Return of the King this time around. Most of them, I think, are pretty tried-and-true classics, but that’s all right. Part of the reason I can watch these films over and over is because different moments stand out each time, but it’s also because certain moments never fail to move me.

·        Legolas’s reactions during the “drinking competition”

·        Merry and Pippin saying goodbye before Gandalf takes Pippin to Gondor

·        “But he’s a liar!” – gaahh, poor Sam. My heart!

·        Pippin’s. SONG. Every single time, I hold my breath watching this scene.

·        “It is not this day!”, such a banger of a speech.

·        Pippin finding Merry on the battlefield and promising to look after him.

·        The four hobbits exchanging that heavy, knowing look when they sit down together back home at the Green Dragon.

Further Lord of the Rings Thoughts

The weather delayed my family’s holiday plans for a day—a bummer, yes, but I made the most of my unexpected free day by fitting in The Two Towers on Christmas Eve. And I mean, come on, it’s The Two Towers. You know what I’m going to say. Helm’s Deep! Frodo, Sam, and Gollum! Gandalf the White! My favorite of the trilogy, which is hardly a hot take, but it’s true all the same.

Last time, I discussed my brain’s weird tendency to somehow underestimate the trilogy when I haven’t watched it in a while. It’s a personal failing and I’m trying to be better. Granted, I really should know better by now. Just looking around my house, I have a myriad of Lord of the Rings-related décor, both homemade (ex: a “SQUAD GOALS” poster with a picture of the four hobbits on Weathertop, a triptych featuring Sam’s beautiful speech from The Two Towers) and bought online (ex: a Bag End bathmat, a “Speak Friend and Enter” welcome mat.) These days, most recipes I make are inspired by one of my many fandoms, because life is short and why not, but Lord of the Rings was the first fandom that sent me running to my kitchen. I started with a recipe blog and moved onto the first cookbook I ever purchased. This world, these books, and these films are a big feature in my life, is what I’m saying.

But right now, in the middle of a slow-burn rewatch (it really will be the new year before I get to The Return of the King,) my brain just lives here. I bought an amazing, comfy Shire sweater that came in the mail while I was watching The Two Towers. And on the days in between movies, when I’ve been busy with work, family, or other commitments, I’ve been tiding myself over with various bits of goodness on YouTube.

It started when I remembered the awesome interview Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd did on Colbert last year, and that led me generally to more Monaghan/Boyd interviews—I love the knowledge they rattle off about their characters in this one!—and more Stephen Colbert stuff, including revisiting the epic rap he put together for the 20^th anniversary of trilogy. As I was cooking in preparation for our family’s Christmas smorgasbord, I watched the Zoom reunion a bunch of the cast (along with Peter Jackson and a few others) did for charity in 2020, hosted by Josh Gad—I laughed at John Rhys-Davies tilting his camera to recreate a memorable moment from Helm’s Deep, and I loved Josh Gad’s stunned reaction when Liv Tyler recited some of her Elvish lines. And then of course, you’ve got the fan videos. I still adore this one for Frodo and Sam.

Let’s close on a few moments from The Two Towers that were my extra-favorites this time around:

·        Gimli’s reactions during their first meeting with Eomer

·        Faramir’s attempt to interrogate Gollum/Smeagol

·        Merry’s distress over the Ents staying out of the fight

·        Followed, shortly, by Pippin getting Treebeard to take them to Isengard

·        “A wizard should know better!”

·        “Samwise the brave”

A Few Thoughts on Lord of the Rings

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.