In a home in Salt Lake City there lived a journalist. A journalist who really, really loves “The Lord of the Rings” and recently made the discovery that this trilogy might be the greatest set of movies ever made.
Sorry, I’m 20 years late.
Before I get into fangirling, I would normally start with establishing some context about why life in 2020 has been hard. But I don’t think I need to do that, right?
In short, it feels like the world is ending and that’s scary. Scarier than the Balrog.
But amidst the chaos of real life, there’s a place so fantastical and full of wonder that it almost feels safe: Middle Earth.
The fictional world is no longer just for hobbits and dwarves – it’s for the humans of 2020 to escape and find solace.
My brother and I set out for the challenge of watching all three “Lord of the Rings” movies (extended editions because we’re not weenies) and the bonus material for each. That might sound simple, but it totaled to 30.7 hours of content.
God bless Peter Jackson.
I’ve seen the films a number of times, but there was something different about this viewing. Besides the fact that it was more comforting than usual, I learned something. A lot of things, actually, there’s 19.5 hours of bonus material.
Behind the epic battles, eternal love stories, and Aragorn’s insanely good looks and charm, “The Lord of the Rings” is about unity – something 2020 could use a whole lot of right now.
Whether it’s in the script or behind the scenes, an army made these films and this story possible. “The Lord of the Rings” seeps in hope and triumph.
I know I’m not the first person to realize/talk about why these movies are perfect. But whether you’re a long-time fan or a never-seen-before newbie, I promise “The Lord of the Rings” is exactly what you need right now.
The scene is set in The Shire, where hobbits garden, mingle, and eat more than seems possible for their short, hairy bodies. One of these unknown, seemingly unimportant hobbits is Frodo, who is suddenly called to destroy the One Ring in the flames of Mount Doom. We know the rest, right?
But the only reason Frodo doesn’t die two hours into the first movie is because of the people who (sometimes literally) carry him through his journey.
The Fellowship is the heart of “The Lord of the Rings.”
Although the group of nine eventually split up and the films tell three different storylines, each is driven by teamwork. Whether it’s Merry and Pippin coercing the Ents into battle, Gimli and Legolas surfing on the bodies of orcs, or Sam’s undying devotion to Master Frodo, characters are never left to fight alone.
This truth was also spoken during the several years it took to make the trilogy. Although it was the director, Peter Jackson’s, quest, it could not have been successful without the help of thousands of crew members.
From excruciating long nights to missing precious moments in their personal lives, crew members worked tirelessly for one reason: they loved what they did and didn’t want to stop until it was done.
Needless to say, the Fellowship both on and off-screen did not have a simple journey. And right now, in June of 2020, we’re not having one either – no one is.
So whether you watch it for the need of hope, the stunning landscapes of New Zealand or the incredibly charming cast, “The Lord of the Rings” is comforting, inspirational and hopeful.
The trilogy is a reminder that no matter how hard life becomes, how many times we’re knocked down, or how many times we lose – things will always get better when we have our Fellowship beside us.
To quote Samwise Gamgee, “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end…How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow…There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”
Story by: Amanda Walton
life@suunews.net
Photo courtesy of LOTR Wiki
