Top 10 Best Trilogies: The Lord of the Rings
Feature by Jack Foley
3) Name: The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of The King
Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sir Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Sean Bean
Why so great?: Peter Jackson achieved what many people thought was impossible by adapting JR Tolkien’s famous novels to the big screen. In doing so, he won 11 Oscars from 11 nominations for final film The Return Of The King. The best thing about the trilogy, however, was the way in which Jackson managed to mix breathtaking spectacle with characters you genuinely cared about. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin brought a sympathetic, everyman quality to their roles of Frodo and Sam, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom added heroic swagger to the roles of Aragorn and Legolas and Sir Ian McKellen made a magnificent Gandalf.
Key scenes: The battle of Helm’s Deep; Sean Bean’s demise; any scene involving Ringwraiths (in Fellowship Of The Ring), Shelob’s Lair and Battle for Minas Tirith.
Soundbite review: “Taken back to back, the Lord of the Rings trilogy clocks in at a little under ten hours, but Jackson’s skill is such that it is a journey that audiences will want to take time and again, for this is a truly timeless movie which epitomises everything that is great about going to the cinema.” – Jack Foley, IndieLondon