A breathtaking fantasy epic.

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2017)

The Lord of the Rings is was directed by Peter Jackson and features some of cinema's most iconic, epic, and incredible story elements in film history. It's grand, spectacular, and incredibly dense when one experiments with the extended versions. Adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's incredible book might go down as one of the most ambitious film projects of all time and it sure paid off.
Considering the consistency in production of all three films, this review includes personal thoughts about the entire trilogy and will tackle the all three films from a more general standpoint since my opinion on all three are pretty much the same.
Shooting in New Zealand might've been one of the best production decisions they had to make. Landscape shots in each film completely immerse you in this fantasy world which you completely believe is nothing but middle-earth. While CGI did have immense benefits during production. It's definitely apparent practical sets, props, and costumes were utilize to feel more authentic instead of obvious and generic green screen.
Each film stands well alone as it's own independent story but when you watch all of them you see the entire story arc for each character from beginning to end which yields an incredibly satisfying ending for each character. Seeing how each one changes in their own and unique way is seeing how understanding of a writer Tolkien was and how genius the filmmakers were in expressing those stories and deeply thought-provoking themes explored in such an epic and thorough way.
Each scene feels necessary and not a moment in the stories do we feel bored or wanting something else. Each section of the story whether it be brutal war sequences or character developing dialogue scenes, they feel fascinating and satisfying enough to engage the audience no matter who they are.
While few can complain about minor plot flaws or changes made from the book (which are very few), no one can deny the cinematic brilliance of the Lord of the Rings trilogy or its impact on modern filmmaking. It will forever be remembered as one of the best movie trilogies of all time and a fantasy epic that will be damn near impossible to rival in scope, ambition, and appeal. If you haven't seen this marvelous trilogy yet, see it as soon as possible. The extended versions are well worth your time as well given the additional footage that provides clear context and further character motivations. This will be a long and time consuming endeavor but when it's over, it will change the viewer to some degree. Don't let these films go unseen.