Lord of the Rings Alums Help Me Get Through 2004's Post-LOTR Blues

The biggest media event in 2004 for me was LOST - and I didn't even experience it in 2004, since my VCR failed to tape the first couple of episodes and I knew I wouldn't want to watch the series out of order. It took LOST to fill the void left by Lord of the Rings, but 2004 had a pretty good crop of movies, most of which I didn't catch in the theater. These were my ten favorites.

13 Going on 30 - Probably my favorite movie of the year. I found it much funnier and sweeter than I expected, an endearing story of childhood sweethearts and the mistakes made along the road to adulthood. I loved getting to see Andy Serkis playing a regular old human, and quite a charming one at that, and Sean Marquette and Mark Ruffalo are extremely lovable as the younger and older versions of Matty, the love interest of Jennifer Garner's Jenna. But Garner was the one who really impressed me as the teenage girl in adult shoes trying to figure out just where she went wrong in the 17 years she never experienced.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - One of the strangest movies of the year, it too boasts a Lord of the Rings alum. Elijah Wood's role as an unethical memory wiper is a far cry from the virtuous Frodo. The movie stars Jim Carrey in one of his most dramatic, least frenetic roles to date, while Kate Winslet is his extremely eccentric love interest. I much prefer his character to hers, but they play off one another well in this pleasantly bizarre movie about the importance of one's memories to one's identity. I'm glad I waited for this one to come out on DVD, since I ended up watching it two times in a row. It made a lot more sense the second time...

Finding Neverland - I find Winslet a lot less grating in this film, which also stars Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore. Depp is Scottish playwright J. M. Barrie, who seems a little out of touch with reality and is happiest when reclaiming his childhood with the family led by the widowed Sylvia (Winslet). Depp's low-key performance is most endearing, as is that of Highmore, who plays one of Sylvia's sons, the lad who supposedly served as the model for Peter Pan. A lovely score and cinematography and creative incorporation of Barrie's fantasy world added to my enjoyment of this unusual biopic.

Garden State - There were three main reasons I rented this one. An acquaintance of mine had heartily recommended it, and I'd heard that its soundtrack included one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs and that the cast included Ian Holm, yet another Lord of the Rings alum. I'm glad they led me to this movie, which is part romance between the quirky characters played by writer-director Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, part a reflection on dealing with grief, part coming-of-age story, part buddy comedy. It all adds up to a pretty impressive directorial debut.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - I couldn't leave this one out. Third in the Harry Potter film series, it departs more from the books than the first two films but is still in many ways a wonderful adaptation, from the soaring score to the sweeping cinematography. Important characters such as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are introduced, and while it's a rather painful transition from Richard Harris to Michael Gambon, Emma Thompson is hilarious as the wacky Divination professor. Meanwhile, the visual spectacle of the Hippogriff and the Patronuses are fantastic, and the Dementors are terrifying.

Mean Girls - Lindsay Lohan stars in this story of an innocent newcomer to high school who befriends a pair of oddballs, who encourage her to infiltrate the class's top clique and do some spying. Of course, she ends up getting sucked in and must ultimately decide whether popularity is worth the changes it has wrought to her personality. Based on Queen Bees and Wannabes, a treatise on teen behavior, the movie is a little over-the-top but still fun and occasionally thought-provoking.

Napoleon Dynamite - I saw this one in the theater with my brother, his friend and the exchange student staying with us. We enjoyed it, but we couldn't really think of anything to say about it as we hung around waiting to get picked up afterward. It's an odd, amusing movie about the triumph of the underdog. Jon Heder's Napoleon is awkward and towering, always sounding like he's mad at the world but expressing his frustration with a surprisingly clean vocabulary. Tina Majorino plays the most normal character in the bunch, a shy girl who actually finds Napoleon appealing. The cult hit is full of great catch-phrases that have spawned everything from magnets to t-shirts. I'm a little surprised there hasn't been a sequel, but then one movie's worth of Napoleon may be enough...

Spider-Man 2 - Probably the best of the series, though each installment has its charms. Alfred Molina and James Franco give great performances as men turned sour by tragedy, and Spidey's big heroic train scene is one of my favorite moments in a superhero movie.

The Terminal - This one didn't get a lot of attention and generally seems to have been regarded as a bit of a flop for director Steven Spielberg and star Tom Hanks. However, I loved this fairy tale-like story of a gentle man from a fictional war-torn country in eastern Europe who spends weeks living in an airport, infuriating the airport director (Stanley Tucci) but inspiring everyone else. Very sweet and very funny.

Two Brothers - This was the movie that introduced me to Freddie Highmore, my favorite child actor since Haley Joel Osment. It also stars Guy Pearce. Each of them has a significant relationship with one half of a pair of tigers, the brothers of the title. The boy and the man don't meet until late in the movie, but their scenes together are quite moving. Most notable, though, is the gorgeous cinematography that so perfectly captures the majesty of these creatures.

I've still got some catching up to do on 2004's crop of movies, but so far, what I've seen is a pretty good batch.

Flushed Away is Splendidly Silly

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to savor Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. I loved it and was thrilled when I learned that Aardman Animations was working on another movie, this time about a refined mouse who is flushed down into London's sewer system by an uninvited houseguest. Today, I finally saw Flushed Away, and while it's not my favorite of Aardman's film projects - that distinction must go to the phenomenal Chicken Run - it certainly is deserving of accolades.

While I'm used to the somewhat choppy appearance of lovable inventor Wallace, Flushed Away is a work of computer animation rather than claymation, and as such it has a much smoother look to it. Moreover, though I adore Wallace, generally I prefer the non-human Aardman characters to the human ones. They just look better, so I really don't miss the people in this movie. The frogs and toads, with their long, spindly legs and squat bodies, are rather strange-looking, but the mice, of which there are many, look fantastic, and I think the singing, shrieking slugs (none of which, the credits promise, were "a-salted" during the making of this film) are pretty cute.

The main character is Roddy St. James (Hugh Jackman), a well-to-do mouse who lives alone in a golden cage in Kensington. When coarse sewer rat Sid (Shane Richie) shows up during his owners' absence, Roddy's attempt to get rid of him goes horribly awry and he winds up taking a wild ride into London's underbelly, where he soon meets up with feisty barge mouse Rita (Kate Winslet), who is being pursued by the Machiavellian Toad (Ian McKellan) and his two flunkies, wisecracking Spike (Andy Serkis) and gentle Whitey (Bill Nighy). All Roddy wants is to get back home, but meanwhile he gets wind of a plot that could destroy the vibrant rodent civilization that has sprung up along the banks of the green river. Can the vile Toad and his sneaky French cousin, Le Frog (Jean Reno), be stopped?

With such an A-list voice cast, the characters spring to fantastic life. McKellan is deliciously over-the-top, Winslet is almost unrecognizably low-class, Jackman is suave and Richie obnoxious. My favorite cast member is Nighy, with his slow, rumbling speech that conveys the henchman's contemplative but slightly dim-witted nature. And every time those slugs shrieked in unison, I squealed in delight.

The action in the hour-and-a-half-long movie is fast-paced, with plenty of humor to spare. I especially like the nods at other films, such as the fact that when Roddy is going through the dollhouse wardrobe, one of the outfits is Wallace's green sweater-vest, white shirt and red tie or that as he is making his rickety way to the sewer, a little orange fish inquires, "Have you seen my dad?"

This is a very silly movie, with more laughs than the marvelous but dry Curse of the Were-Rabbit. If madcap British comedy is your thing and you don't mind the unsanitary setting, Flushed Away is fantastically fun.

13 Going on 30 Isn't Big, But It Is a Big Success

I have been renting a lot of very good movies lately. Am I just in a really good mood, such that even From Justin to Kelly would look amazing to me were I watching it for the first time? Have I developed an especially keen eye for movies? Is it just that a lot of good ones have landed on the shelves within the last couple years? I don’t know what the answer is. I do know that as soon as I watched 13 Going on 30, I declared it one of the sweetest movies I’d ever seen, and I was more than happy to have a reprise viewing the next day with my brother. I liked it enough to draw favorable comparisons with several other excellent movies, whose titles I will mention later. It carried me away so fully that when my mom suggested I really ought to give the film a lower rating than Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which we’d also rented, I balked. I expected I probably would find it mildly entertaining, with plenty of amusing moments, most of which hopefully would not earn the PG-13 rating. I did not expect to see a film of such incredible sweetness, and I’ve been savoring it all week.

The film begins in the 80s, where Jenna (Christa Allen) is quickly introduced as an awkward girl on the cusp of her teen years desperate to be embraced by the Six Chicks, a stereotypical group of blonde, pencil-thin, snotty clones. While Matty (Sean Marquette), her next-door neighbor and best friend, endeavors to make her birthday a truly special and memorable experience, Jenna is much more interested in having the Six Chicks – led by a first-class brat named Lucy (Alexandra Kyle) – and dreamy jock Chris (Alex Black) at her party. Already loaded with teen angst, she pores over Poise, her favorite magazine, longing to be "30 and flirty and thriving.” When a party gone predictably askew meets thoughtful Matty’s wishing dust, Jenna is off for the adventure of a lifetime and an incredible lesson in regret and appreciation for the things that are truly important.

When I first saw previews for this film, I thought, “Aha, a rip-off on Big.” Only difference is that it’s a girl this time. But in truth, while both films feature adults splendidly portraying children suddenly thrust into adult bodies and responsibilities, this film has far more in common ultimately with the long line of movies about unpopular people suddenly getting everything they always dreamed of, only to discover that what they had in the first place was far more fulfilling. Big was a coming-of-age story of sorts, or coming to realize that it is best to relish one’s current age rather than rushing on toward a supposedly grander time. 13 Going on 30 is much more about relationships and wrong turns.

Unlike Josh, Tom Hanks’ character in Big, Jenna is catapulted 17 years into the future, where she has more than half a life worth of history of which she has no knowledge. She’s living in a ritzy apartment, dating a hockey star (Samuel Ball) who's more than a little hot on himself, schmoozing with the husband (Ian Barford) of a co-worker, working as an editor at the magazine she loves so much. She’s a gorgeous woman on the outside, but from everything she gathers, she has been vile on the inside for quite some time. Lucy (Judy Greer) is now her “best friend,” if such a term can fairly be applied to anyone so self-absorbed and callous, and Matty (Mark Ruffalo) hasn’t spoken to her in years, once she made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. Like the clueless caterpillars in Hope for the Flowers, she’s been willing to destroy anyone and everyone in her rise to the top, and most of her associates cower when she comes near, while her parents have long since ceased to expect her to take an interest in their affairs.

Jenna is shocked to discover the person she has become. Thrilled as she is by her chic frame, ultra-cool friend and dream job, she is lost and frightened in an unfamiliar world. She can’t even turn to her parents for help, as they are off on a cruise. Her only possible crutch is Matty, and she finds herself relying on him increasingly. Though he is perplexed by her sudden reappearance in his life, he is all too happy to spend a few precious days with his long lost friend before his upcoming marriage relocates him to Chicago with a woman whose affections seem increasingly unsatisfactory. Ultimately he is the heart of the film, the window through which Jenna realizes just how badly she went wrong, or will go wrong if she goes back to being 13 and continues on the path where she was heading.

There are several striking performances in this film. The standout, of course, is Jennifer Garner, who is so utterly vivacious and infectious as the geeky teen trapped in a gorgeous woman’s body that we forgive her all her faults committed while she still looked the part of an adolescent. Allen is far less affecting; she’s a little heavy-handed with her teen drama, and all I can think throughout the bulk of the film’s first scenes in, “You moron! What is the matter with you?” I’m blessed, I guess, to never have experienced the intense desire for popularity. I never much cared about fitting in with any crowd, glitzy or not. It’s angering for me to see all these girls in films treating their parents and their real friends like dirt while chasing after some unsubstantiated goal. Garner’s Jenna is sweet, expressive and sincere, and we wonder how such a wonderful person could evolve into such a jerk and fervently hope that this fate can be avoided when she inevitably returns to her rightful place in the world.

Matt stands out in both his incarnations. Though we don’t see a whole lot of him, it’s Marquette who really moves me, reminding me of both the loyal (and pudgy) Samwise Gamgee and sensitive, artsy Adam Rove from Joan of Arcadia. I later discovered there’s another reason for the latter; he’s the little brother of Christopher Marquette, who plays (or, rather, played) Joan’s eccentric boyfriend. You couldn’t ask for a better best friend, and while he acts casual, it’s clear that he adores Jenna and nothing would make him happier than to have her look at him the way she looks at Chris. Ruffalo takes on the adult role that occupies most of the film, and he too is beyond sweet. Now that they’re adults and Jenna begins to discover the chill of the world she’s chosen for herself, she clings to the warmth of the friend she never properly appreciated. My favorite quote from The Princess Diaries – “You saw me when I was invisible” – would be an extraordinarily appropriate thing for her to say to her once-rejected pal. Yet even as Jenna’s presence awakens in Matt feelings he has not experienced in years, like Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility, he is too honorable to break off an engagement, even if the cost is his happiness.

Kyle’s physical similarity to Greer is remarkable. Both are most effective in portraying the despicable Lucy. Could her name be short for Lucifer? When we realize that this is what Jenna could have become, the impact is alarming. Though Matt’s fiance Wendy (Lynn Collins) seems like a nice enough person, her sweet facade barely conceals the fact that she feels incredibly threatened by Jenna’s reemergence. While she’s hardly as obnoxious as Mel, Niles’ witchy wife for a season or so of Frasier, I can’t help but make the comparison, and it makes me wonder how, even thinking that Jenna is forever out of reach, Matt could marry someone so entirely different, so devoid of the passion and compatibility distinguishing his most treasured relationship. Her iciness shines through on a few occasions, such as when she corrects Matt’s use of the word “anchorwoman” with “anchorperson” and, with a condescending laugh, responds to Jenna’s remark that she doesn’t know what she would have done without Matt with, “I’m sure you’ll be just fine!”

Of course, not all the women Jenna encounters in her new life are so unpleasant. After she’s begun to settle into her new life, though with limited success, she seeks solace in the arms of her mother (Kathy Baker), whose maternal instincts remain sharp as ever. All is forgiven when Jenna returns home; we’re even treated to scenes of Jenna crawling into bed next to her and eating smiley-face pancakes she has prepared. She finds a new friend in Becky (Renee Olstead), a 13-year-old who lives in the building. They can discuss teen things together, and she is far more comfortable with this good-natured, average girl than with Lucy. In the workplace, she has an ally in her assistant Arlene (Marcia DeBonis), who is cowed and harassed-looking at the beginning but loosens up and becomes increasingly joyous as she discovers that overnight, Jenna has changed fundamentally into a decent person. The gentle comic moments involving her enhance the workplace scenes considerably.

Oh, and I can’t forget Andy Serkis. One thing that drew me to this movie was the opportunity to see Serkis in a regular acting role, as an ordinary person, wearing a suit instead of a loincloth and carrying a briefcase instead of a fish. As Richard, Jenna’s boss, he is delightful, a flamboyant, frazzled, fatherly presence who calls to mind Fezziwig from A Christmas Carol. When he’s not busy having a nervous breakdown, he’s a very fun person to have around. Though his humor is dry, his heart is warm, and his voice is so deep it’s easy to put the raspy Gollum out of mind – that is, until you see the exact same expression of elation on his face that the former hobbit wore whenever he got near the Ring.

I like this movie. A lot. I like just about everything about it, and I really don’t care if there are several other movies in which the main character comes to his or her senses, discovering a misplaced sense of priorities and reawakening appreciation for true friends and simple pleasures. I rented 13 Going on 30 looking for a laugh. I found a lot more. Perhaps true love and fulfillment are still possible in this cynical day and age, and perhaps we needn’t pursue them so relentlessly. We need only remain true to our better natures and to those who truly care about us, and the rest will fall into place.

Serkis Shares Precious Secrets of Bringing Gollum to Life

Gollum has always been one of my favorite literary characters. When I read The Hobbit for the first time in first grade – having already been read the book several times by my dad – I struggled through Riddles in the Dark for days; at this point, I still read everything aloud, and I was determined to get Gollum’s voice right. I love the way he talks. The only Tolkien character whose speech patterns can begin to compete is Samwise Gamgee, whose rustic colloquialisms I adore. Trailing at a distant third is the rumbling Treebeard. It was Gollum’s wheezing, jarring means of expressing himself that most drew me to him, but beyond the voice I found myself sympathizing with this lonesome, emaciated creature who traded riddles with Bilbo and later became devoted to the hated hobbit’s nephew Frodo.

I once proclaimed my fondness for Gollum during a viewing of Rankin and Bass’ animated version of The Hobbit, and my mom, apparently concerned by my lack of good character judgment, yelled at me, provoking me into one of my famous stomp-up-the-stairs-and-slam-the-door temper tantrums. But reading the books, you really do get the idea that Tolkien intended his audience to sympathize with Gollum. We see shreds of good in him and want as much as Frodo to believe that he can be redeemed. While Sam’s frustrating inability to see Gollum as anything but a monster leads to one of the book’s most heartbreaking scenes – sadly left out of Jackson’s films and replaced with two defining moments that leave the audience seething with anger and betrayal instead of crying out with the anguish of regret – the mercy, deserved or not, bestowed upon Gollum by Bilbo and Frodo allow the quest to succeed even when the Ringbearer cannot.

When The Two Towers hit theaters, Gollum’s complexity and uniqueness made him the most popular character in the film. Although he was a CGI creation, he was a fully realized character, a tortured soul who’d spent centuries encrusting himself in bitterness and was suddenly beginning to recall feelings of love and joy apart from the obsessive hold of the Ring. And while it took a team of artists to construct his frame and animate his movements, his humanity stemmed largely from the brilliant work of Andy Serkis. As with me, Serkis’ experience of Gollum began with a voice. Jackson called him in to read for Gollum’s voice and was so impressed by Serkis’ convulsive movements that he decided to incorporate them into the character. What started as little more than a voiceover for an animated character led to one of the most difficult acting jobs in the entire film. Serkis had to perform each scene multiple times, both with the other actors so they could react to his movements and on his own so he could be picked up by the motion-capture equipment that would translate his motions to the animated Gollum, all without the aid of any kind of costume beyond his skin-tight motion-capture suit. He also laid down vocal tracks for the film in a recording studio, which required an unconventional microphone setup due to his reliance on the hacking, hunched-over posture in creating his Gollum voice; the initial inspiration for how he would perform Gollum actually came after watching his cat cough up a hairball.

The process of creating this amazing character was so complicated and ground-breaking that Serkis felt compelled to write a book about it. Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic chronicles his character’s evolution as well as how his life and Gollum’s became entwined during the filming process. Its fifteen chapters, spread out over 120 pages, are filled with sketches, models, and photographs, as well as commentary by dozens of people involved in one way or another with Gollum’s creation, but the bulk of the book is Serkis’ own narration of the events in his own life since his involvement with Lord of the Rings and his explanation of the processes used to bring Gollum to life. We learn of the sense of isolation while he was in New Zealand that helped him identify with his character but also left him feeling depressed at times. We are introduced to his family: his partner Lorraine, whom he later married, and infant daughter Ruby, as well as his son Sonny, who came along after Serkis had begun filming. We discover the constant changes the character underwent and how Serkis’ personal revelations contributed to Gollum’s depth. And we absorb his frustration that although he did just as much acting as anyone else in the movie, journalists consistently thought of him as “just a voice.” In truth, Jackson had initially expected Serkis’ work to last about three weeks, but it ended up spanning more than three years.

Serkis’ narrative style is readily accessible, and he manages to convey a sense of the work involved in the technical aspects of constructing Gollum without alienating unscientific readers. The commentaries throughout the book go into more detail, and while I still don’t comprehend all that went into Gollum’s creation, I have a very real sense of the passion and dedication each crew member had for the project. While the stills from the films are very nice, the most interesting illustrations detail Gollum’s gradual transformation from bug-eyed alien to the Gollum that finally made it into the last two films. The process was so lengthy and ongoing that the first brief glimpse of Gollum in Fellowship of the Ring reveals a character that looks little like the star of The Two Towers, and while Gollum looks physically the same in Return of the King as The Two Towers, Serkis took a completely different psychological approach to the duality of Smeagol and Gollum in the third film.

I received this book as a Christmas gift from my brother, but with Gollum’s eyes peering out at me from the cover every time I went to work at Waldenbooks, I suspect I would have succumbed to the slippery fellow’s charm before too long if the book hadn’t been under the tree Christmas morning. At only ten dollars, it’s far less expensive than most of the movie tie-in books and just as engaging. Anyone who loves Gollum, or the films, or even film technology in general should find it a “precious” addition to their bookshelves.

Return of the King One Film to Rule them All

Opening Remarks

All good things must come to an end. So it is with Peter Jackson's exhilarating adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and it is indeed a bittersweet parting. While we still have the extended edition to look forward to, the two-year journey - twice the length of the quest itself - has ended. I can only imagine the emotions of those who immersed themselves in this, the finest of worlds, for several years.

But as King Theoden says as he prepares to lead his troops into battle against insurmountable odds, "If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance!" In this, Jackson and his team have succeeded, meeting and, though it hardly seems possible, exceeding my astronomical expectations.

Picking Up the Slack

My biggest concern for The Return of the King was how they were going to squeeze in nearly half of The Two Towers. I needn't have worried. Though it necessitated some deviation from the book in terms of chronology, scriptwriters Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Phillippa Boyens interwove the crucial scenes of the epic’s final third with admirable skill. As a result of the shift, the most drastic character developments - particularly of the hobbits - are averted to the final film. Although I have spent time speculating on which scenes may be included in the extended cut, at no point did the theatrical version seem to me to be incomplete. In fact, it was the only one of the three films against which I could make no major complaint. Such was the insight of the scriptwriters and the talent of the cast that the changes upheld the integrity of the characters and heightened their emotional impact upon the audience.

The White Wizard

One of the trilogy's most complex and brilliantly acted characters, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) operates on a different plane than the rest of the Fellowship. Although he cannot bring about the destruction of Sauron, he remains the greatest power of good in the trilogy. Each of the films brings with it a new manifestation of this ancient being. In Fellowship, age and the troubles of the world seem to be taking their toll on him. He is bent, frazzled, weary. Awash with uncertainty, he becomes a rather curmudgeonly old man. Towers sees him renewed, elevated to the status of white wizard, blinding in his splendor. It is Gandalf, but he is detached, enveloped in a glowing mystique. He seems more supernatural ally than friend and mentor.

In Return, his personality begins to emerge once more. He is more human, deeply concerned about the fate of Middle Earth and of his friends in particular. Yet the weariness that encased him in Fellowship is absent here. He conjures no great magic in this darkest hour to counteract the forces of evil but stands as a stabilizing force, a calm amidst the storm.

This is the only film in which Gandalf's whereabouts are never in question. We know that his departure from Aragorn takes him directly to Minas Tirith. But he selects for himself an unlikely companion: Peregrin Took, with whom he has lost his patience on numerous occasions. It might even be argued that Pippin was responsible for Gandalf’s fall in Moria, as it was he who alerted the orcs and likely they, in turn, who awakened the balrog. Now, after so many false steps, Pippin has the chance to prove himself to Gandalf, and their developing relationship is one of the most tender aspects of the film.

The Future King

Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the monarch to whom the film's title alludes, must now step up and accept his destiny as King of Gondor, meanwhile convincing Theoden to honor the old alliance between Gondor and Rohan and come to Minas Tirith’s aid as it faces attack. So formidable is this foe that Aragorn risks calling upon the legions of dishonored undead to repay their debt by helping to defeat Sauron’s army. His authority established, he leads the troops into one last climactic battle, knowing that no military victory can succeed if Frodo fails in his quest but hoping to keep Sauron's Eye off of Frodo long enough for the task to be completed. His heart is burdened, meanwhile, with the knowledge that Arwen has chosen to seal herself to his fate and will soon die if the Ring is not destroyed.

A Fading Lord

As war rages and his idyllic realm darkens around him, the stoic leader of Rivendell (Hugo Weaving) must come to grips not only with the departure of his people from Middle Earth but with his daughter Arwen's (Liv Tyler) decision to forgo her Elven inheritance in favor of a mortal life with Aragorn. Call me unromantic, but I always found Arwen's choice terribly frustrating. I couldn't imagine turning my back on my people and on immortality for the sake of romance, even with one so noble as Aragorn. But until the films, I never stopped long to ponder the heartache she must have caused Elrond. Weaving brings the subtlest of nuances to this noble Elf Lord, allowing just the tiniest trace of emotion to carve his statuesque features. Yet in those moments, we can see how deep his love for his daughter runs. Of all the elves in Middle Earth, it is he who most moves me.

The Odd Couple

Speaking of elves, He Whose Likeness Must Be Attached To Tweens' Lockers nearly fades into obscurity here. Legolas (Orlando Bloom) elicits a sigh when his eager face and golden tresses grace the screen, but we see little of him beyond the battle scenes. Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) fares a little better, being the gruffer and more talkative of the two, but the pair are easily the least visible remaining members of the Fellowship in this film. The friendship Legolas and Gimli have developed is at the heart of most of their scenes here; in one exchange, when Gimli states his wonderment at the idea of dying fighting alongside an elf, Legolas replies with the query, "How about fighting alongside a friend?" For the most part, though, the elf is silent; I would be willing to bet Bloom had more lines in Pirates of the Caribbean than the whole of Lord of the Rings. However, Legolas provides a good sense of the solemnity and ethereal beauty of the elves, contrasting Gimli's earthiness. He also struts his stuff as a mighty warrior, particularly in one most unTolkienish but captivating stunt; his and Gimli's running tally of felled enemies is an amusing if slightly distracting affirmation of their unusual friendship.

The Steward and his Son

I always liked Faramir (David Wenham), so I was distressed when Towers presented him in such a largely unsympathetic light. Prior to seeing Return, I saw the extended cut of Towers and was pleased to see the Faramir I knew emerge from the added scenes. In Return, Faramir seems sinister no more. Rather, he is an ordinary man living in the shadow of Boromir (Sean Bean), the fallen older brother favored by his father Denethor (John Noble), steward of Gondor. He is desperate to win the love and respect of Denethor, who fears the rumors of Aragorn's return and refuses to acknowledge the inability of his forces to defeat the approaching enemy on their own. Blinded by his determination to break the ranks of also-random, Faramir follows his crazed father's orders to find his efforts a failure once more. One aspect of the novel that is left out of the film is the relationship between Faramir and Eowyn, yet another reason to feel sorry for Faramir; when Eowyn cannot have the man she loves, she settles for Faramir, letting him know yet again that he is second best. Faramir's lifelong misfortune seems to stem from the steward, who comes across as quite a vile character: dour, paranoid, and perfectly willing to tell Faramir to his face that he wishes it had been his younger son who died.

Warrior Princess

Women do not figure largely in Lord of the Rings, but when they appear they certainly make an impact. Frustrated by her inability to play a direct role in the defense of her people, Eowyn (Miranda Otto) has her opportunity to become the soldier her uncle will not allow her to be. Theoden (Bernard Hill) only wishes for his niece's happiness but does not understand that she will never be satisfied with staying behind when there is a battle to be fought. Crushed by the realization that Aragorn's heart lies elsewhere, she pours her energy into readying Merry for battle, only to discover that he, too, is deemed unfit to ride. At once, Merry becomes a metaphor for herself and a fellow outcast. Inspired by his valor, she sneaks the two of them into the ride for Minas Tirith, where both will have the opportunity to prove their worthiness. While her comradeship with Merry is touching, it is around the relationship with her uncle that her shining moment truly revolves.

Nasty Hobbitses

In Fellowship, Gandalf would probably be considered the standout character. In Towers, it is Gollum (Andy Serkis), the centuries-old wretch who "loves and hates the Ring as he loves and hates himself." In the second installment, he is constantly at war with himself; the vindictive Gollum begins to weaken as the gentler Smeagol is awakened by Frodo's empathy. We watch as Frodo painstakingly earns his trust, only to have it shattered when Faramir tricks him into luring Gollum out of the Forbidden Pool to be brutally interrogated. If Gollum was on the road to eventual redemption prior to this, he takes a U-turn in Return. He becomes cruel and conniving, intending to lead the hobbits to the lair of a ravenous spider. Sam, however, proves a stumbling block to his plans, and we see how malevolent Gollum can truly be in one of the trilogy's most wrenching scenes. Yet it is still difficult not to feel pity for this creature, a computer-generated character brought to life with astonishing realism by Serkis and dozens of animators and technicians. We witness his transformation from Smeagol to Gollum and understand the power the Ring holds over him. His life is a tragedy, but it ends in an ironic moment of triumph and the revelation that without Gollum, the quest probably could not have succeeded after all.

Concerning Hobbits

Although the film's title would indicate that Aragorn is the key figure here and that the focus should be upon the epic battle scenes accentuated in the previews, at its heart Tolkien's tale is about peace and the preservation of a simple life. Thus it is that the hobbits are truly the heroes of the trilogy, which Aragorn acknowledges in a most dramatic and inspiring manner. After all, the first step in Tolkien's journey that would eventually lead to the writing of his epic were the words "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

The Bearer of the Ring

Return is a dark time for Frodo (Elijah Wood), who spends the majority of the film under the Ring's growing weight. As a result, he is generally not a pleasant person; indeed, poisoned by Gollum's lies, he turns on the one person without whose devotion he never would have gotten this far. Wood does a fine job of conveying this deterioration, sprinkled with lucid moments filled with guilt and exhaustion. Frodo, too, is a bit of a tragic character, as his experience as Ring bearer leaves him too changed to enjoy the Shire he toiled to save. And yet the result is less sacrifice than reward, a final peaceful voyage fit for one who has endured so much.

Pint-sized Valor

Throughout the trilogy, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) operates largely as a foil to Pippin. Although both are young and mischievous, Merry is slightly more mature and realizes much earlier the gravity of their situation. As his constant companion, he strives to keep Pippin in line but cannot always protect him from his Tookish impetuousness. Early in the film, another of Pippin's foolish whims lands him a fix from which Merry realizes, to his dismay, he cannot extract him. Up to this point, Merry and Pippin have always been together; their separation is touching and traumatic, and Merry's concern for his friend is tangible as Pippin is whisked away to where he cannot follow.

Yet this is also Merry's chance to emerge as the valiant soldier he wishes to become. We catch a glimpse of this spirit in his impassioned speeches to Treebeard and Pippin in Towers, and in Return he takes it one step further by gearing up to fight in Theoden's army. Finding an ally in Eowyn, he has his moment of victory; together they take on a foe against whom it was thought there could be no successful attack. When at last he and Pippin are reunited, it is Pippin who must care for him in the aftermath of battle.

A Fool's Hope

Ah, yes, Pippin (Billy Boyd), that rogue with the brogue who upstaged Sam in Fellowship. In all of literature, I have never found a character with whom I am more in love than Samwise Gamgee. Yet Pippin has always followed close behind. Thanks to the films, I'm afraid I must have divided affections, for it seems that Pippin has caught up. I suppose I can live with that, since Sam is already spoken for...

Although all of the hobbits are innocent prior to their departure from the Shire, Pippin is the embodiment of naivety. Oblivious to the magnitude of danger facing them and possessing an uncanny magnetism toward mischief, he accidentally endangers his companions time and again. Yet he hasn't a malicious bone in his body. Sweet and good-natured, a laugh and a half, and deeply dedicated to his friends, he can hardly help that trouble is always nipping at his heels. Throughout the bulk of the first two movies, he is virtually unaffected by the unfolding chaos around him; although he does display some courage and good sense after his capture by orcs, his adventures don't seem to make him any more careful or careworn.

At the beginning of Return, he is still the happy young hobbit fooling around with Merry and enjoying a bit too much of the South Farthing's best tobacco. But when his curiosity gets the better of him once again, it leads to a terrifying scene in which he comes into direct contact with the Dark Lord himself. Shell-shocked but rapidly recovering, he does not understand what the consequences of his actions will be until the last minute. In the dreadful moment when he realizes he and Merry are about to be separated, possibly never to meet again, he becomes a frightened child, finally torn from his lifelong friend and only link to the Shire. Without Merry, the prospect of home fades into the distance, along with Pippin's innocence.

Yet just as Merry has a chance to show what he's really made of once he's on his own, a more somber Pippin balances out his prior indiscretions under Gandalf's watchful eye. During this unlikely partnership with the wizard so often confounded by Pippin's foolishness, he earns the respect of Gandalf, who twists the term "fool" to the hobbit's benefit in one of their best scenes together. By the end of the film, Gandalf’s affection for Pippin is as apparent as his affection for Frodo has always been. As I said, I've always loved Pippin, but the scriptwriters and Boyd truly let him shine in the films, particularly this third one. And I don't suppose that exquisite accent hurt, either...

Samwise the Brave

So now we come to him, the fiercely loyal hobbit who, to my mind, has always been the true hero of the trilogy. After Fellowship, I was worried that Sam (Sean Astin) would not be given his due, but Return makes up for his inauspicious debut in the trilogy. The beginning of the film finds him with the difficult task of keeping Frodo from succumbing to the Ring's malevolence as they draw closer to Mordor. Making this especially hard is the fact that Gollum, whom Sam still does not trust, continues to lead them onward, and it seems Frodo's loyalties lie more fully at this point with Gollum than with Sam. The heartbreaking reality of this reversal becomes clear when Gollum tricks Frodo into believing that Sam has stolen their provisions and will soon steal the Ring itself. The anguish of Frodo's rejection is nearly too much for Sam, and the audience, to bear.

But he presses on, devoted to Frodo despite the betrayal, summoning all of his courage to come to the Ring bearer's aid. Frodo's strength is nearly spent at this point, his soul so burdened that he cannot even remember what the Shire looks like. It's up to Sam to do what his master cannot, even to the point of bearing the Ring himself when he mistakes Frodo for dead. After leaving the film, my brother and I both agreed that the one scene we would most like to see in the extended edition is Sam's temptation by the Ring once he decides to carry it. Nonetheless, it feels like the right decision to have left it out of the theatrical version, shortening Sam's solo scenes - re-watching the Rankin and Bass version of Return, even I began to get slightly tired of all of Sam's talking to himself - and heightening the tension by not letting the audience know where the Ring is.

Although Lord of the Rings begins as a heroic endeavor on which the selfless Frodo must embark, it is Sam who comes closest to fulfilling his part in the intricate epic. Only a humble hobbit, accustomed to tending gardens and pining after Rosie Cotton, he musters up the resolve to see the quest completed, no matter what the cost. He snatches Frodo from the jaws of death time and time again and lets his strength compensate for Frodo's weakness in the final leg of their journey. Yet for all his grand deeds, he remains the simple fellow who followed Frodo from Hobbiton, and the task falls to him to preserve the Shire's way of life and keep the story of the quest alive. It seems telling that of all the major characters in the trilogy, he is the only one with a name one would encounter in the world today. And ultimately it is plain old Sam who concludes the masterpiece with the most appropriate of afterthoughts, ready to ease the segue into the Fourth Age.

In the Background

I find it ironic that an epic which contains so many allusions to the evils of technology should require such technology in order for it to be translated to the big screen. The film is gorgeously rendered, thanks in part, of course, to the natural beauty of New Zealand, a place I am now most eager to visit. But a blend of many technologies helped the film to achieve its incredible feel of realism and majesty. From the lighting of the signal fires along the mountaintops towards Rohan to the ominous march of the oliphaunts to the arrival of the fleet of undead, the cinematography and special effects worked side by side to create an impeccable whole.

Howard Shore's score enhances the film immeasurably, somehow capturing the feel of each group of characters and occasion. When the familiar strains of In Dreams swell one final time as our friends part company at the most beautiful and bittersweet of endings, the emotional impact is staggering. The soundtrack itself is well worth purchasing.

Many Partings

Return's three and a quarter hours are filled with many emotional partings before the film brings us to the grandest departure of all, a conclusion truly fit for such a magnificent trilogy. Although very few films have caused me to shed tears, this one did on several occasions. But as Gandalf advises his friends as they see him off for the final time, "I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil." The mere memory of some of those scenes mists my eyes all over again. I have heard many complaints that the ending was too lengthy, but I would not omit one moment from the climax to conclusion. We have, after all, invested nine hours in these characters, more if you count the extended editions. Can't we at least stick around long enough to give them a decent farewell?

Final Thoughts

No book will ever hold a greater place in my heart than Lord of the Rings, and as far as I'm concerned, no film or series of films will ever conquer Jackson's adaptation. He brought to life a world I have always loved but never experienced so fully until now, and I salute him and everyone involved. Now, if he could only manage another foray into Middle Earth with The Hobbit. He's taken me there; I want to go back again.

In this Middle Ground, Gollum is Gold

Well, December has come and gone, and with it the second round of frenzy over Peter Jackson’s blockbuster version of Lord of the Rings. (This time, sadly, there was no Burger King campaign to accompany it – I still have to get the Gandalf goblet from last year and more of the toys than I’d like to admit. If they do it for the third movie, I will draw inspiration from my uncle, be proactive, and harass those clerks every single day until I have all of the figures in my possession!) The Two Towers has the misfortune of being the middle volume – no beginning and no end, and an awful lot going on. It is a film I would not recommend to someone who has neither seen the first movie nor read the books, as it is potentially confusing enough for the initiated. Nonetheless, it stands alongside the first movie as a masterpiece, with a few quibbles here and there.

Towers begins with a flashback to Fellowship, this time following Gandalf (Ian McKellen) along his descent after the balrog. The scene provides an impressive opening and effective bridge, reminding us of a significant moment in the first film and foreshadowing a significant moment in the second. Gandalf was unquestionably the most popular character in Fellowship, and the advertisements made no attempt to hide the fact that he would be back. While the return of the beloved character was not so obvious as it was in the Star Trek series (i.e. The Search for Spock), there was little doubt that Gandalf would make an appearance in Towers. Nonetheless, when he displays himself before the awestruck Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), it is a spectacular moment indeed, eclipsed only by his dramatic exorcism of King Theoden (Bernard Hill) of Rohan, who is under the control of Saruman (Christopher Lee). Gandalf here is a changed wizard, much more supernatural and ethereal than the kindly, sometimes curmudgeonly old gentleman of Fellowship. McKellen’s acting is again superb, but he spends much less time onscreen in this movie and probably will not get an Oscar nod as a result.

For that matter, because the Fellowship is divided, no one spends nearly as much time onscreen as they did in the first movie, except perhaps Legolas and Gimli. Their unlikely friendship develops further in Towers, with Legolas playing the part of earnest warrior and Gimli serving up generous helpings of comic relief. Legolas manages to pull off some pretty impressive, if sometimes un-Tolkienish, stunts during the climactic battle of Helm’s Deep, and he has some touching moments in relation to his fellow Fellowship members. And, of course, there is the small matter of his status as “too-gorgeous-for-words”... Gimli is gruff and lovable, providing a more experienced source of comic relief in this movie than the innocent mischief of Pippin (Billy Boyd) in the first. Especially enjoyable is the discussion he has with Eowyn on dwarf women and his plea, after telling Aragorn to toss him into the fray of battle, of “don’t tell the elf.”

It’s a good thing Gimli provides the comic relief he does, because Pippin’s role in this movie is so slight as to be practically nonexistent. He can’t have more than about a couple dozen lines in the whole movie, which is a darn shame because the adorable Scottish rogue hooked me so completely after Fellowship. Merry’s (Dominic Monaghan) role is similarly scant, though he does get to deliver a couple of mini-speeches. The Merry and Pippin part of the story is definitely the one that gets the least air time; it comes mainly in two- or three-minute segments, few and far between, in which the young hobbits spent most of their time looking awestruck or terrified. I would have liked to see more of their conversations with Treebeard (John Rhys-Davies), but I also agree that it was the easiest part to cut. What we see of Treebeard is enjoyable; he is looming and deliberate, and he and his fellow ents pull off one of the most impressive scenes in the film when they launch an enraged attack upon Isengard, home of their former ally Saruman.

I complained that Pippin upstaged Sam (Sean Astin) in Fellowship. That certainly is not true here. Sam shares the spotlight with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Gollum(Andy Serkis) in what I think are the most compelling scenes in the film. Doggedly loyal to Frodo, he continues to protect him at every turn. The flip side of this is an intense mistrust of Gollum, who the two encounter early in the film. While Frodo is able to empathize with the creature, Sam, who has not felt the ring’s weight, sees Gollum only as a contemptible threat. Thus, he comes across as being rather unsympathetic in many of his scenes; at many points, he even seems jealous of Gollum. But he also manages to save Frodo on more than one occasion as the ring grows ever stronger, and he delivers a stirring speech towards the end that is most heartening. In the last scene, when the two ponder whether anyone will ever write tales about their adventures and Frodo acknowledges that he “wouldn’t have gotten far without [Sam],” it is one of the most moving moments thus far in the series.

Frodo, of course, is very important, and we see the ring begin to take control over him. The change is visible when the ring takes effect; his gentle features contort into a sneer, and at one point he turns his dagger Sting upon Sam in his madness. At the same time, the growing weight of the ring allows him to empathize with Gollum, of whom he once said “it’s a pity Bilbo didn’t kill him when he had the chance.” In Gollum he sees a glimpse of his possible future, and he is desperate to believe that Gollum can be redeemed. The two form a bond, and Frodo is the only character to call Gollum by his true name, Smeagol, a gesture which Smeagol appreciates.

Gollum / Smeagol is probably my favorite character in this film. I always had a soft spot for Gollum, and the film portrayal of him is nothing short of perfection. Although Gollum’s body was created with CGI, Serkis acted out all of the scenes with Frodo and Sam in addition to doing the voice work. The character comes across as a split personality: meek, eager-to-please Smeagol and vicious, domineering Gollum. They have different voices and different facial expressions, and their conversations with one another are masterfully executed. The audience is able to see Gollum in a sympathetic light and hope that Frodo will be able to bring about his redemption. With all of the wonderful aspects that Towers has to offer, Gollum is, to my mind, the highlight of the film, and Serkis deserves an Oscar nod for his portrayal.

Aragorn probably has a little too much of the spotlight here, but that’s forgivable. He is the valiant warrior as well as the only romantic interest, at least thus far. In this film, there is still more focus on his relationship with Arwen (Liv Tyler), as she must decide whether to sail West with her people or forsake her immortality for Aragorn’s sake. Tangled up in this is Elrond (Hugo Weaving), her solemnly regal father, who shares a heartbreakingly tender scene with her, and Eowyn (Miranda Otto), niece of King Theoden, whose unrequited love for Aragorn grows as the film advances. Eowyn is the voice of feminism in the film, a woman of Rohan discontent to hide herself away instead of fighting the enemy. She longs to face the foes head-on like her valiant brother Eomer (Karl Urban). The warrior spirit she shows in this film prepares us for an important role she will play in the final film.

King Theoden is a truly eerie presence in the beginning of the film, and his recovery at the hands of Gandalf is breathtaking. As a monarch, he is determined to lead his people to safety and fight the forces that threaten them; as a man, he is devastated at the loss of his only son and emotionally overcome. His evil, Jafar-like adviser, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), is deliciously sinister, eliciting shivers from the moment he appears. His slimy voice, pale skin, and nonexistent eyebrows add to the picture, making him far creepier than Gollum; when he tries to seduce Eowyn, there is a great urge to slap him in the face. Yet as despicable as Wormtongue is, he may have some small store of compassion holed up inside him; when he hears Saruman’s plan to wipe out the entire population of Edoras, a silent tear trickles down his cheek.

Probably my biggest disappointment with the film was the treatment of Faramir (David Wenham). I always liked Faramir, and felt rather sorry for him. He always seemed to me a sort of everyman, a really decent guy living in the shadow of his more passionate brother Boromir and the more heroic warrior Aragorn. A “nice guys finish last” sort of fellow. I felt cheated when he showed up in Towers. He is scarcely likable at all. He comes across as sinister, brutish, and, as Gollum would say, “tricksy.” He also manages to effectively destroy in a few moments the trust Frodo built with Gollum. Not cool.

The landscapes and cinematic sweeps are again most impressive, though rarely beautiful as they often were in Fellowship. There is very little beauty in this movie; all of the landscapes are harsh and the situations are grim. Likewise, there is much less levity. Towers, on the whole, is quite a downer. But there are moments of triumph and light, from Gandalf’s blaring splendor to Sam’s gentle stoicism. The haunting score that so enhanced Fellowship again comes into play, and as the sweeping theme music of the fellowship creeps into such inspirational moments as Sam’s words of comfort to Frodo, don’t be surprised if you find your heart soaring along with the strings.

Overall, Towers is an outstanding second volume, the most difficult to pull off. It is confusing, as the fellowship is dispersed and there is so much happening at once. It is distressing, and it has no definitive beginning or end. But this is as it should be. We are set up for the final volume, and if the first two are any indication, as I am sure they are, Return of the King promises to be a most glorious finish indeed.