A fantasy threat wrapped in childhood nostalgia

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2018)

The lord of the rings trilogy is my all time favourite trilogy.
My first encounter with Lord of the Rings was when my Dad bought me the Fellowship on video when I was 8.
I had no idea what the film was supposed to be about. I just looked at the artwork on the cover and asked my Dad to buy it.
We went home and watched the film together immediately.
Then we watched it again for a second time the next day.
And then again the day after.
And for whatever reason, I just couldn't stop watching it.
As an 8 year old, I assumed it was because I loved sword fighting, monsters and cheap scares.
Now, 24 years old, I think I know why I did it.
It was because of the immersion I felt - and still feel today.
Not many fantasy series - TV and film - are this immersive.
I think what really strikes a cord with me is the attention to detail in the world building.
Director Peter Jackson brought JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth to life and gave the films a suitably dream-like fantasy quality despite also being historically credible.
I thoroughly believe that Middle Earth could have been a real place in times gone by.
So even though the story itself - which is amazing - is a classic tale of good vs evil (Another reason why my childhood self immediately fell in love with it), the attention to detail in the film making and overall world-building is the reason why the film still has the replay value that it does for me even today.