As a young student, J.R.R. Tolkien finds love, friendship and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts. These early life experiences soon inspire Tolkien to write the classic fantasy novels "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."
I must admit, Tolkien really isn't what I expected it to be at all - not only does it seem to tell the story of one of the most famous authors ever but it also adds a really engaging and emotional storyline into the film too, all of which is combined together to create a really intense and surprising viewing experience. The main question though, is Tolkien worth watching or is it just for hobbits?
I was really surprised as to how strongly the film started off, by introducing us to Tolkien during the first world war in battle, not only did this really help to throw us into the action but it also created a really exciting start to the film, because the transitions between the various ages of him really allow us to get a strong and good interpretation and understanding as to the type of character that he is. This was arguably one of the strongest points of the film too, the film continuously switched between him as a child and then him in the war and these switches in time, location and mood really strongly helped to keep the character on our minds and it just really gave us an interesting and unique perspective to see him in such a variety of different perspectives which was really nice and engaging. I also thought that the characters and the ways in which their relationships were depicted were really good too because it really helped to make the characters seem genuine and interesting, when it comes to films about groups of friends it is often the case where there isn't much chemistry and it doesn't feel like a genuine group, however, it is definitely not the case here. The characters feel really great and well represented, I really liked how well the dialogue and relationships between them were done here too, the depth that the characters were given was actually surprisingly good, they're all portrayed really well which gives each of the group a unique identity and really allows the characters to flourish - producing really great results for them. Their dialogue is also really good and engaging too, the ways in which the dialogue is executed feels really passionate and engaging which helps to make scenes feel really powerful and this really helps to convey emotions from the film onto us, preventing the film from getting boring or not engaging enough. But the dialogue also feels really realistic too, the ways in which the characters speak and communicate with each other is really entertaining because it shows a clear sense of passion and as we follow the film, it depicts and changes character relationships really nicely which I loved too. It really clearly depicts the type of characters that they are, upper-class boys who spend their free time learning Latin and thinking of new languages... The ways in which the character emotions and relationships changed and developed was really exciting actually, not only did it help to keep the films plot unpredictable but it also just meant that the characters didn't go stale and that they were kept fresh by the rapid and varying changes throughout the film. The really engaging nature of the characters was helpful in other areas too, the film really well canvased out emotions to us. This meant that many of the scenes felt really well made because they were so powerful, seeing the characters at war on the battlefield and then seeing them fighting like children in flashbacks really made the film emotional because it worked so hard to establish them as a group excited and hyped up for war, and then devastated by the aftermath. It was a really powerful and effective movie, that's for sure!
The characters weren't the only good part about this film either, the plot and the way it told us a story was really amazingly well done too. Not only did the storyline develop really nicely because of the consistent flashbacks, but it also felt really well put together because of how well it flowed and linked the past and present together. The actual plot idea I really liked too, not only did the film produce something a bit unique and fresh but it also used classic elements from other films based around its timeline and theme that make them so successful and they were cleverly put into this film, such as the romance and battle scenes. It's also just really fun to watch too, the characters and the really engaging way that the story of his life is told to us really makes the characters and the overall film feel really exciting and entertaining. There are also a variety of different types of scenes which add in a lot to the film too which I like, some of which are quick and use exciting themes, but others are slower and use more intense and focused themes - I really liked this combination because it felt like the film had these emotions sorted into the right places, there wasn't too much intensity but there also wasn't too much excitement which I liked. There are a variety of really exciting and fast scenes and these reflections from the characters on past events in the film really help to solidify the story and make the characters multi-dimensional and just generally really engaging.
The film definitely wasn't perfect though, some parts of the film definitely felt too slow and this was a shame because not only did sometimes the film confuse me as to what was happening but also this combined with some slower than necessary scenes really made some scenes drag along a bit longer than needed which made them a little boring. The characters aren't very well introduced either, Tolkien is very well introduced but there is little/no introduction to the other key characters in the film which leaves us confused and lacking in knowledge at many scenes in the film.
Overall, I would give this film an 8. It was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline as well as the characters because I think the combination of them was really excellent. I liked how the film felt fresh too, but more could've been done to really help make the film even more fluid and simpler to understand because it just felt a bit hit and miss because of all the jumping around of location/times etc. I would recommend seeing this film though because it is exciting and entertaining and really focuses well on the early life of Tolkien, and I like how it doesn't specifically appeal to fans, anyone can go and appreciate this film regardless of whether you've read his books or not and I like that.
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it and watching the film. :)
Have a great day.
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