The Lord of the Rings is a set of three movies released in 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively. The trilogy is based on the famous book series by JRR Tolkein, which was published between 1954-1955. There are just so many aspects about this trilogy that make it the best. Here are some highlights why.
Adapted from books? No problem!
Some of the criticism that the movies faced was that they weren’t as loyal to the books as they could have been, but that is an easy argument to deflect. Each of the three movies is at least three hours long – even longer if you watch the director’s cut. Yes, there were changes to make the story more watchable instead of readable, but that must be expected.
The Lord of The Rings creates a plot spread across a vast fantasy world. It is filled to the brim with its own history and set of important and semi-important characters. At a point, sub-plots become their own plots. In this complicated web of story, it was inevitable that some of it was cut down. Furthermore, an audience which reads books versus an audience which watches movies isn’t a Venn diagram which often overlaps. In my opinion, The Lord of the Rings finds a great balance between movie-goers and book-readers.
Direction, Cinematography and Visual Aspects
Undoubtedly, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the more visually stunning movie series of all time. Peter Jackson has created something cinematically pleasing. The aesthetic in the film – from the scenes in New Zealand to the sheer brilliance in the set design is magnificent to watch on the big screen. Jackson’s direction combined with the fluidity in the cinematography create a fantastic experience. The swooping shots, the exploration of paths, tracking the dozens of characters in easy cuts make these movies what they are.
What’s really admirable about this trilogy is its limited use of CGI. The practical effects in the movies combat the aggressive and obsessive usage of CGI, making it a more believable story to watch. To create the size differences in the various species as well, the movies very cleverly used distance and camera angles. The action scenes – battles, wars and duels – are so beautifully choreographed, they give Game of Thrones a challenge.
Screenplay and Characterisation
With adaptation from books, it tends to be difficult to keep the essence of the character and the style of the story in check. With The Lord of the Rings, however, there is nowhere it went wrong. While yes, details were avoided and relationships among characters seemed a little rough-edged, the actual character development through the three movies, so beautifully interweaved with the whole plot was a delight to watch.
A huge advantage was the sheer number of characters, and therefore the number of characteristics. There was comic relief and seriousness, bravery and cowardice, strong will and weakness, lust and freedom, feminism and sexism – you name it, The Lord of the Rings provided the whole range. The actors really fit the roles they played, which made their performances moving and enthralling.
Sounds and Music
The Lord of the Rings easily has one of the greatest scores in cinematic history. It was repeatedly nominated over the course of three years, and won several of these awards. Howard Shore conducted and composed much of the music and consequently won an Oscar for Best Music in 2001. Besides the music, the sounds, sound editing and background ambience were also nominated. So The Lord of the Rings isn’t just a visual treat – it’s a whole experience.
Cultural Impact
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in book and movie form, has been floating around for decades, and it has been incredibly famous. The fandom gains new members every day. New theories still arise. Fanfiction is still written. Fanart is continuously made. With the latest Hobbit trilogy releases, the old franchise gained popularity once more. For young boys and girls, the story provides morals and characters to learn from. For adults, nostalgia. There is nothing so beautiful as the impact and influence it has had over these generations, and generations still to come.
And of course, there are memes.
In conclusion…
Is The Lord of the Rings the best movie trilogy? Well, for several aforementioned reasons, yes. It is. But the most important reasons?
It’s a creative story which resonates with everyone.
Its audience is not limited by age, gender or class.
And the absolute best part? All three movies are the same level of awesome.
Also Read – The Trilogy of Greatness