Silly but endearing and entertaining.

Rating: Null/10 (7 March 2011)

I went through my geek phase of loving fantasy, but never felt myself too attached to places and characters that were not part of this Earth, but loved reading about them all the same. Ditto with Tolkien's works, including his non Middle Earth writings. I, like a lot of other people, hoped someone would make a movie out of his books someday, and someone did.
Me, I just can't take the story too seriously because it is essentially updated mythology. Parables about why the environment is dangerous hail from a different time, and we now understand why there's thunder and lightening, what stars actually are, how tidal waves and earthquakes are created, and whole slew of natural phenomenon that weren't only scary in terms of the danger they present (as they still are today) but were otherworldly and supernatural in power to our ancestors, who had little understanding of the natural world.
With science-fiction (read that as good science fiction) it's a different story. The fantasy is still there, but the foundation isn't founded in losing oneself in divine or near-divine powers, but with the presumption that we understand how the physical world works. With fantasy you presume that you know the basics; water runs, wood burns, wind blows, boats float, but beyond that you're intentionally in the dark. So it is that Frodo and company galavant beyond their quaint home of the green Shire, and into the mysterious and dangerous depths of darkest Middle Earth.
We're there with them to explore and experience the dangers and wonders of a world created by one of the great literary minds of our time, J.R.R. Tolkien. A man who took his knowledge of Norse mythology and melded it with his knowledge of folklore, religion, and his personal views on warfare and honor. We thus have a parable of friendship and the pitfalls of "industrialized warfare", where the conflation between rival powers sucks in and destroys those who have no interest in what is essentially a personal struggle between "supernatural" personae. Persons who are never fully presented in this work.
For the lay non-Tolkien fan, the "War of the Ring", about which the films and books present and address, is an extension between Tolkien's version of the Christian god Eru Illuvitar and Morgroth (his personification of Lucifer). Morgroth had a servant, Sauron, who, after his masters vanquishing, took it upon himself to conquer Eru's creation. The films and books give us a slice of that conflict, and also present its final stages. In this sense (and by Tolkien's own admission in several interviews) we're seeing an homage to the King James bible as interpreted by Tolkien himself.
Pete Jackson, obviously a Tolkien fan, has taken the works and put them in a splendid visual piece with a top rate cast and production team. No expense is spared to bring us the Shire, Mordor, Gondor, Rohan and places beyond. We're there with the characters as they jump from one situation to the next in an attempt to rid the world of evil (or a good portion of it) by carrying out a specific task.
It's good entertainment, but like all films, you can't take it seriously. Which is why I think it's silly in this regard because it does take itself seriously. I think that was more of a nod towards the fan base who really regard Tolkien's works almost as a religious codex. They're not too far off the mark in Tolkien's outlook of his work, but I think give it far more import than the author would have been comfortable with.
And I guess that's why I tend to smirk, perhaps laugh, at the films, regardless of how much I think they're okay in terms of movies unto themselves. But we're not supposed to question the physical reality of the world presented, just accept it and the drama. And perhaps that's all anyone can really do.
Still, the seriousness of the actors, the angst of the direction, and overall gist, to me at least, seems ever so marginally over the top. It's as if everything here is ultimately serious, with serious consequences that need to be regarded with serious demeanor. But we know it's all hokum, and I think even the characters, were they alive and real, would tacitly nod in agreement.
Still, the technical and artistic direction is many levels above anything I've ever seen, and I applaud Peter Jackson for making such a sprawling fantasy epic. Truly an impressive production on every level.
But, like I say, as a film it's great, as a comment on anything we can relate to in the real world, it's clouded in mythos, which means that it's more than just immediately detached by the fantasy setting, but also set apart in terms of real world causes for war and strife.
All in all, a decent enough film.