The greatest exponent of the filmmaker's craft...

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 2002)

Let us not be in any doubt - this isn't high cinematic art, neither is it trying to be. But it is the greatest exponent of film-making *craft* since Lawrence of Arabia.
Peter Jackson's achievement with The Lord Of The Rings can be described as nothing less than phenomenal: To shoot three $100m movies at the same time over a full year and a quarter; to do such thorough planning for every smallest detail of production that they planted the gardens in Hobbiton a full year prior to the start of shooting; to assemble a cast and crew with the primary concern that everyone should get along well, in order to minimise problems caused by personal friction; to have computer developers working to create new and improved methods of image creation, leading to the creation of such aritificial intelligence marvels as the MASSIVE virtual army engine; to oversee the operations of up to six filming units, and to do it in such a way that the work of each comes together as a seamless whole.
To do all this, and at the end of it have a series of movies which the world has taken to its heart without betraying the fans of Tolkien's work, is simply a miracle.
More than most other movies of any kind, and certainly more than any other big budget blockbuster ever made, The Lord Of The Rings is a labour of love. No megastar egos marred the filming progress - every single person involved simply put their heads down and worked as hard as they could to create this cinematic masterpiece. And this dedication and commitment shines through every frame.
In creating the theatrical version of The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson sacrificed character scenes for storyline exposition. I personally would have made the opposite decision. Either way, the extended version available on DVD, with those character scenes reinstated, is a much fuller richer experience than the original cut, and being able to see it is an enormous privilege. The additional material in the form of approximately 5 hours of documentaries charting every stage in the creation of this epic, should become required viewing at every film school.