Lord Of The Rings Family review and Guest David Leopold Kelly

This review is for a film which last year celebrated its twentieth anniversary. I rewatched this film with my family a couple of days before Christmas last year to celebrate its birthday! The film is called The lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring and it is the first film in a trilogy. This review is just for the first one although the fact that we know all three films does impact on our views. It is going to be a family review with a special guest star from David Leopold Kelly who recorded his answers to the questions separately to the family discussion.  It was interesting hearing his thoughts about the film and how some are very similar and some different to the rest of us. So thank you David. This review is done in a different format to my previous reviews as I conducted it as a interview.

I also want to say that this review was written last year but some things got in the way and I decided to wait until round about the time that the sequel Lord of The Rings The Two Towers turns twenty years old. I will be doing a family review of The Two Towers sometime during Christmas to celebrate its anniversary.

Introduction

Me: Hello, this is exciting, isn’t it? (Cue annoying hysterical laughter from Verity) This is our first full interview review for a film. The Kirk family and guest star David Leopold Kelly. Thank you, my dearest family members! Are we ready to begin? I believe that this is a family favourite.

Verity: (talking to dad in a joking way who was fiddling with his phone) What the hell are you doing?

Dad: sorry I didn’t realise I was needed.

Me: (laughs awkwardly) 

(This is just another day in the life of the Kirk family.)

Me: Question 1 What are your first memories of The Lord Of The Rings, You can talk about the books but we’re mainly focusing on the films for this interview?

Dad: I’ll start. I first came across the Lord of the rings in the year of 1968 while it was being talked about in school. I bought a copy and I read a few pages.  I tossed the book away when I got to the reference of “Bilbos Eleventy First Birthday”. I thought this is a childish book I’m not going to read it. Then several years later I read them two or three times over the years and enjoyed them very much. I was looking forward to the Lord of the Rings film version when it came out. It more than fulfilled every expectation I had had of it. I was entranced my it.

Me: Thank you, that is a good response. Who wants to go next?

Mum: well, you’re looking at me so I’ll go. I don’t have much memory of reading the book other than it was very long and I think I quite enjoyed it but not as much as i expected given all the fuss and hype. i remember reading it while i was on holiday from university so i must have been in my late teens. i thought it went on and on a lot. i thought it did get a bit bogged down in some of the genealogical stuff that Tolkien seemed to like to go into. in terms of the films i remember vividly going to the cinema to see the first one because verity had banged on and on and on about how brilliant it was, when she went to see it with Richard (dad). and she was absolutely insistent that i had to go and see it. i must admit from a short distance in, it was one of those instances where you just realise how brilliant something was and it was one of those things where when you set off you think “gosh this film is like three hours long or something” and by the time you’re halfway through you’re regretting that you’ve only got about another hour and a half left. you want it to carry on as long as possible. i would describe it as truly immersive cinema.  

Verity:    I remember I tried to read a bit of the hobbit in primary school but I found it boring. I didn’t know that there were sequels to it. I was 9 years old and earlier that year probably about a month before the first harry potter film came out. I was so hyped on Harry potter and excited that it was coming out that Dad saying

 “Oh, let’s go see this film”

 that I didn’t know anything about other than it was another fantasy book.  I was sort of a bit like oh ok, it’s always nice to go to the cinema.

 But I remember it starting and feeling very immersed in it and sort of a big being nine years old not quite understanding the plot structures. I remember whispering to dad

“Is he going to die?”

“What’s going to happen to him?”

Also, the bits with Gandalf and Saruman, I was like he can’t die he’s a goodie and the bit with Boromir. I remember being really shocked that he died. I remember the bit with the fireworks and thinking it was visually amazing and I felt that it was a much more adult world than Harry potter ever did.  I couldn’t believe that there were going to be two more films when it got to the end. I was like that’s obviously not the end and dad being like oh no there’s going to be two more films. It was so much bigger as a film than I was expecting.

Me: thank you, Verity.

Verity: you’re welcome, Rowan.

Me :My experiences was somewhat different as I had never heard of the Lord of the Rings. I was six years old when everyone was going to see it and I wanted to stay home and watch Toy Story. (Cue family laughter!) A year later when I was seven, I remember Verity got the VHS for Christmas and she insisted that I sit down and watch it. I was a bit like

“oh nooooo”.

Then it started watching and I got bored about forty minutes in after the party. Then a couple of days passed and Verity was rewatching it by herself. I came in and she got to the bit:

“Get off the road! Quick!” and I started watching it with her too and I was hooked from that moment on.

David:  I remember going to the cinema to see it and I remember all my friends and my cousins saw it at the same time at around the perfect age when we were kids. I remember just being like this is so magical and amazing, but it was also really dark. My memories are like running around fields in makeshift capes with wooden sticks pretending that we were on a quest. It became a ritual game when we went on a country walk to grab a stick and my friends and cousins would all choose a member of the fellowship to be. If you got to woods that looked a bit like what you see in the film, you would have a fight so a very strong childhood memory. As I’ve got older its very nostalgic and you still realise how well made the film is. The shots are amazing! I’ve never read the books it was purely a very strong visual thing. It was also like a group Christmas film.

Me: Question 2 part 1 Who is your favourite character and why?

Dad: My Favourite character is Gandalf because he’s more intelligent  and know more about what is going on than everyone else. He’s wise and gives good advice but at the same time he’s a tough guy. He’s brave enough to facedown the dreaded balrog.

Mum: I struggle as to who would be a favourite character because I think the whole point of the fellowship of the ring is that they are fellowship and that they each bring something to the quest that they go on. But in my opinion if I have to identify a particular hero for the story, it would be Samwise gamgee and I think the qualities that Sam brings to it all, which are shown even at the very beginning of being very loyal and extremely kind and thoughtful. They are what make him very appealing.

Verity: I would agree, I like Sam too. For the reasons mum says and the fact that Sam doesn’t have a particularly big opinion of himself, and he just wants to do his job which is to take care of Frodo which is quite a sweet aim. Also, food is really important to him which I identify with.

Me: Well, this is interesting… (cue more family laughter, as they already know my answer)

Verity: We’re all going to be really surprised with what you say, aren’t we?

Mum: we’re all going to bowled over.

Me: My favourite character is Samwise Gamgee! You guessed it badum ! I fell in love with him as a little girl in fact he was my second crush after Woody from Toy Story. Just bringing it back to Toy story. I just loved Sam I loved his kindness. I loved everything about him. I remember how much Mum encouraged me for liking  him in fact you often said “you have such great taste, Rowan.” (cue more hysterical laughter from Verity.)

David: This is tricky. I loved Aragorn because I wanted to be him as he was just so cool and badass. But he was also kind and like a father figure and humble. He just had all the great qualities of a man. I love it when you are introduced to him and the guy is like “He’s known as Strider” he’s almost scary when you first meet him. He looks after everyone. I think he’s great! I also really like Gandalf as he’s very funny and has so many quotable lines. The bit when they’re in the mines of Moria. I love the scene when Frodo says “I wish this had never happened” and Gandalf gives that amazing line

“and 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 us.”

Question 2 part 2.  Which character do you identify with most? As sometimes your favourite character is not always the one you identify with most.

Mum: because the fellowship of the ring are all varied, I feel you identify with all of them in different ways except perhaps Legolas. I don’t have long blonde hair and I’m certainly not athletic. I would like to think that I am like Sam for his kindness, but I do think that in my darkest moments I’m probably more like Boromir, trying to do the right thing and sadly misguided. Getting it very wrong.

Me: That’s a very good and wise statement.

Dad: Well, I identify most with my favourite character Gandalf because I’m wonderful! (Cue laughter) no I like the idea of someone who can see more of what’s going on and has an element of magic about him but still lives in the same world as the rest of the fellowship. He is still a good person as is what they call Lawfully Good.

Verity: well, the hobbits are often quite overwhelmed I think I identify with that. Mums answer was good. I’m not like Legolas. I’m small and hairy like the hobbits and the dwarfs. I think I would be a hobbit fairly hairy, small, and like lying down and eating. Maybe any one of the hobbits at different times. If I’ve done something stupid probably Pippin, if I’m feeling a bit miserable then Frodo. If I’m feeling like I’ve done a good job, then Sam or Merry.

Me: Good answer.

Verity: Thank you so much.

Me: I feel overall no matter how much I like Sam I don’t think I am as good as him. I don’t think anyone could be as good as Sam to be honest. I do feel I am more like Frodo in terms of the fact that I worry, and I have anxiety and depression which is slowly getting better but I just feel I fit in more with his kind of struggle. Although I do identify with Pippin and his love of food.

Verity: yes, although they’re all meant to love food.

Mum: but he’s the one who vocalises it the most.

David: Probably one of the hobbits because I feel like I would be a country bumpkin and just have a pint. Not Frodo but maybe like Sam. I want to be there for my mate, or Merry and Pippin because they are cheekier. I actually feel like if I was in the fellowship, I would be Merry or Pippin.

Me: Question 3 What would be your favourite moment from the fellowship of the ring?

Dad: I have difficulty choosing which one, but they seem to fall into the same kind of category which are action moments. I am always enthralled by the bit where the Nazgul are about to cross the river to capture Frodo and, Arwen on her horse waving a great big sword around and says, “If You want him, come and claim him!” It’s just an incredibly dramatic favourite. And then the river comes down and sweeps the Nazgul away. My other favourite is Gandalf confronting the Balrog and the good old “You shall not pass!” stomping with his staff.

Mum: Yes, It’s difficult to pick things as there’s so many memorable scenes. I do like the bit where they are all running to try and get on the buckleberry ferry and I like the bit where Frodo makes his leap, and they all head off together. I find the scenes in the mines of Moria very thrilling as I suffer from a fear of heights. So, the jumping across the casom while it is crumbling is another favourite. Visually another favourite is the bit where they are in the mines of Moria just as the Balrog appears.  And you have the huge columns and it’s like being inside Durham Cathedral. And the effect of the camera panning back, and you see how small they are. You see the tiny figures of the nine running while you’ve got the furnace of the balrog coming behind them. I find it visually stunning.

Verity: I think the whole sequence of the mines of Moria from when they first go in there til the end is really affective in terms of how it builds. The various beats of it and how it just keeps getting worse eg the cave troll, then it gets worse because then they get surrounded by the orcs, Then it gets worse with the balrog. You end up losing Gandalf and if you haven’t read the books, you do not expect that to happen. Another favourite is the bits earlier in the Shire with Frodo quite moving as you see that he’s very happy and that there’s this very simple life there that he can never come back to. The panning shot where Gandalf arrives and the big swell of the song that’s called concerning hobbits. The little children running down to see Gandalf. It feels quite happy but also rewatching it knowing whats going to happen there’s an added sadness to it as well.

Dad: There’s another incredibly sad moment in the Council of Elrond where the council degenerates into shouting and arguing and Frodo says, “I will take the ring to Mordor!” It’s the expression on Gandalf’s face after he hears Frodo. As Gandalf knows what’s going to happen.

Verity: Also, then adding to what Dad says, Then Frodo says I don’t know the way and there’s something really plaintive about that as it feels ….

Me: Childlike?

Verity: yeah, it’s very childlike and it’s a bit where I feel that most people can identify with Frodo. Trying to do the right thing without quite knowing what’s going to end up happening.

Me:  My favourite part I think again I’m in agreement with the mines of Moria. I love the feeling where it feels so big but it also feel claustrophobic in a sense and the darkness. The shots of the crumbling casom like mum says feel very adrenaline fuelled. I also really like the music after the Balrog. The beautiful high chorus operatic choir. Although  my other favourite memories are

“What about Breakfast?”

(Cue family laughter) which I now have a mug of consisting of the hobbit diet that I have posted below.

Verity: another moment I find very effective, is the bit where Sam goes after Frodo.

Me: How did you know that was what I was going to say?

Verity: Oh sorry, you go on.

Me: I just love how he’s just like “Frodo, no! Frodo” and “ I made a promise Mr Frodo! A promise! Don’t you leave him Samwise Gamgee and I don’t mean to, I don’t mean to.”

Mum: And then everybody cries.   

Verity: Yes, that part feels very moving.

David: It’s hard to choose this but every time I watch the film the Ringwraiths are just so terrifying and the chase where they jump from the pier as it looks so amazing. I also love the Weathertop scene. But I think my favourite part is the long sequence of the Mines of Moria.  When the great bit “Fool of a took!” and they give away their position. The fight with the cave troll is fucking amazing. And the balrog! I feel like that’s the strongest part of the film and it has always been my favourite.

Question 4 If you were asked to be part of the fellowship of the ring, What would be your skill?

Dad: Navigation.

Verity: you’re good with a map.

Dad: yep, wouldn’t need Gollum to get you past that area.

Mum: well, that’s assuming it’s has been mapped beforehand.

Dad: (sarcastically) I can navigate by the stars and sun. I mean heavens to Betsy!

Mum: I don’t know who Betsy is.

Verity: Nobody knows who Betsy is.

Mum: I don’t think I’m very well suited to this outdoor rugged life. I think I might be good as a camp cook seeing as I was a quartermaster with the girl guides. I do know a bit about cooking outdoors.  Other than that, I was wondering how easy it is to knit a mithril vest for everybody (sniggering from Dad) I could use my knitting skills to protect everyone.

Verity: I’ve got some great sassy comments, I can use to keep everyone plodding along. I could get everyone to do a yoga class every morning to warm up and feel a little bit zen.

Me: You could provide acting classes in case anyone gets captured by the Orks and manages to act their way out of certain situations.

Verity: that’s really good Rowan.

Me: I’m going to provide swimming lessons. (family laughter). What do you think, I think it’s very relevant?

Mum: I thought you would be going to learn how to make lembras bread.

Me: that’s actually really good.

David: Probably keeping morale up as best I could. I think I would have a guitar or a small string instrument I would sing songs and strum. Or maybe I’d cook like

“Eggs and some nice crispy bacon!” or lembras bread.

Question 5 Do you think the film has any flaws?

Dad: No ones that I get particularly concerned about. In a way its structure with it leaving things hanging in the air at the end. Although it is difficult in a trilogy to avoid that. I can’t actually think of any flaws.

Mum: Not particularly as far as I’m concerned. I think it works. I think the performances are excellent and the scripts good, the settings are amazing and so is the music. It is a very long film, but it is difficult to know what to cut out without affecting the pace and structure.

Verity: When I think about friends who don’t like it its normally because they think it’s too long and the worlds slightly ridiculous. I think it’s a film for somebody who likes action or fantasy films in particular.

Mum: I find it interesting you say that Verity because I am not a sci fi or fantasy fan, but I think the reason why the film is so long is to do with the worldbuilding.    

Dad: It’s too white?

Verity: Yeah, if you made it again today.

Me: well, that’s another question.

Me: I can’t think of any real flaws. Although lots of people say why didn’t they just take the eagles? Which is actually explained in the book. The reason why they don’t take the eagles is because the eagles have not picked a side yet.

Mum: yeah, but that doesn’t really say much for them does it?

Verity: also, surely eagles are massive.

Me: yeah, They’re not a taxi service.

Verity: You’re right, they’re not a taxi service and surely two hobbits are more easily concealed walking into Mordor rather than flying. As they’ll see a socking great eagle coming from miles away.

David: Maybe Frodo, I really don’t like Elijah Wood as an actor. He does work for the part, but I think at times his accent it goes a bit all over the places. It’s like is it American? is it English? I don’t find him as annoying in the first film.  But sometimes I think particularly later on that Frodo is so annoying. I really there’s a pace drop after Gandalf dies and they meet Galadriel but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing as you need that to process Gandalf’s death and it does pick up towards the end.

Question 6 If the film were to be made today, do you think there would be any changes made?

Me: um I don’t know I mean Elijah Wood says that there would be changes made as he thinks if it was made today there would be too much studio interference.

Verity: that makes sense.

Mum: I think that if it was made today there might be more diversity.

Verity: I mean it is a world populated by white people which isn’t particularly representative.

Mum: The argument is that you could have given that it’s a fantasy I don’t think it would matter that people were of a different ethnicity. Although what would that actually add to the story. You could have a black hobbit in the Shire but then you would just have to assume that there are black hobbits as well as white hobbits in the Shire.

Verity: you could do it completely colour blind.

Dad: Although it is meant to be set in kind of medieval Europe.

Me: I partially agree although I do think that a lot of Tolkien purists would throw a fit.

Dad: I suppose you would have to add LGBTQ.

Verity: Well, lots of people actually see Frodo and Sam relationship as potentially queer. There’s lots of readings as there are a bunch of men together on a mission.

Me: According to the honest trailer for it “There is so much manly compassion, you’ll feel like you’re watching Brokeback Mount Doom.

Mum: Although I always thought that it was meant to be representative of the officer and his Batman in the first world war. And without wishing any disrespect to the LGBTQ community THAT is actually more likely given that TOLKIEN served in the first world war and lost two or even more of his closest school friends.

Mum: I mean you could beef up some more female characters. As you’ve only got two in the fellowship of the ring. But that’s just the nature of the story.

Me: wouldn’t it feel a bit forced if we added more women to the story?

Dad: It does change the story a bit.

Me: I just felt the Hobbit trilogy felt too forced adding Tauriel the elf.

Mum: That’s the difficulty, isn’t it?

Verity: If you wanted to do it especially if it was a stage production, you could have Frodo and Sam as two women or Merry and pippin as two women. There’s anyone you could change their gender and it wouldn’t be that detrimental to the story. Unless if you’re going with Frodo and sam, if you wanted to focus on male friendship and the fact that it is often not highlighted at in literature in the same way.

David: I think the cast would probably be more diverse which I think would be a good thing.  There would probably be more CGI if it was made today, and I think that would be a real shame because of the strengths of the films is the practical effects.

Question 7 Are you team elf or team dwarf?

 Dad: team elf obviously because Legolas is omnicompetent in every way.

Mum: I’m slightly split really. I feel the dwarfs are portrayed mainly for comedy and rivalry between the Elves. I prefer the elves architecture as Rivendell is beautiful but I dislike the lack of passion and empathy of the Elves. I’d rather be team hobbit? Please?

Verity: I’d rather be an elf than a dwarf. I don’t want to live underground. Although the dwarfs seem to enjoy food and drink more.And in Rivendell you feel like  you’re an academic. They all look like supermodels.

Me: I’m team hobbit.

Verity: that wasn’t part of the question, you said team elf or team dwarf.

Me: well, I’m being naughty my interview, my rules.

Mum: I think we all would have picked Hobbits if given the choice.

Me: Ok everyone’s team hobbit! We’re all team hobbit! Or dad would you like to be team wizard?

Dad: I’ll try being an elf, I think. I admire the elves.

David: I was never a huge elf fan Legolas was kind of cool in first film but then he gets annoying. I’m not a big fan of Orlando Bloom. I like the boisterous side of the Dwarfs. They’re like hilarious. I’d be team Dwarf because Gimli is funny and makes me laugh.

Me: And we are done! That was a very good interview! There will be a interview where we will discuss our thoughts on the two towers.