(previously: Signs)

Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

So it's October already - where the hell did this year go? I now doubt that I will have time to revisit, or at least to re-write about all the films I wanted to. So without further ado, I decided to go for one of, if not THE major cinematic achievement of the past decade. Which is not to say it will necessarily top my '00s Top Ten, but just an objective assessment of what an epic undertaking "The Lord of the Rings" was for Peter Jackson, his co-writers, his cast and his crew, and how amazing it is that they managed to knock it out of the park in just about every way.

This trilogy has everything: some of the most exciting action sequences ever shot, countless deeply moving moments, tons of funny and charming bits, lotsa food for thought, and more movie magic than you could ever hope for.

Rewatching it for the umpteenth time, my first impression was that it hasn't lost any of its power, to the contrary: right from the early scenes in the Shire at the very beginning, I started getting really emotional. Watching Frodo, Samwise and all the other hobbits be so careless and happy is kinda heartbreaking when you know what hell they're about to be thrown into...

The other key thing, which I caught on to early on, but that only grows truer every time I watch it again, is how "The Lord of the Rings" is, maybe more than anything, the most amazing friendship story ever told. Sure, there's all this shit going on with Sauron, Saruman, the Nazgûl, the Orcs, the Uruk-hai and whatnot, but they basically add up to being a whole goddamn lot of evil that our heroes must fight. And what's most interesting is how, even in the face of all this horror and cruelty, our hobbit, human, elf, dwarf and wizard friends remain so brave, loyal and kind towards each other.

Sam: "I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales. I wonder if people will ever say, 'Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring.' And they'll say 'Yes, that's one of my favorite stories. Frodo was really courageous, wasn't he, Dad?' 'Yes, my boy, the most famousest of hobbits. And that's saying a lot.'"

Frodo: "You've left out one of the chief characters - Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam."

Sam: "Now Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun; I was being serious."

Frodo: "So was I."

The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the King

10/11/2009