One of the best combinations of sound and sight I've seen.

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2013)

After seeing The Hobbit at the end of December last year (and having a great time talking it over at a Panera Bread café after), my family and I began to watch the three Lord of the Rings films, even though I've seen them all at least three times. However, back then, I did not really follow the films as much as now. I suppose I will write up a short review on some of the things I've seen.
First, the story. It's a pretty intense story, an epic fantasy like no other. The one Ring must be destroyed by Evil, and who else to go and solve Middle-Earth's problems than a handful of heroes. I'm not really going to say much else about the story, because that's not what I want to focus on in this review and I'm sure many of you reading know how it goes, anyway.
Now, I've listened to The Lord of the Rings Symphony more than a half-dozen times, and, although Shore's music is incredible on its own (although, when you get right down to the bare bones, surprisingly simple), it pales in comparison to when you listen to it while watching the film. The main example I use is when you are watching the very first scene with the Shire, when you see the hobbits at play, Gandalf riding his trusty steed off into the distance, blue morning sky shining... When you picture that scene, while listening to the solo violin play the beautiful melody of the Shire, you get a sense of nostalgic happiness, in a way I can't quite explain. It's just such a pleasant scene to follow the intense, nervous feel of the previous scene, where the Ring's backstory is described. Also, who doesn't get the chills when the iconic theme of the Fellowship plays, right as they are all first assembled and seen on screen? This theme repeats over and over throughout the entire series of films, but it originates in this one, and is incredible. The soundtrack for The Hobbit, the more recent film created, takes a lot of these themes and builds upon them, but without this first film, none of the music would have grown and developed.
The visuals, as I sort of described earlier, are also just as amazing. There is a perfect balance of bright innocence and tense darkness, quite unlike the Harry Potter films, where it is all dark or all bright. The natural beauty of New Zealand makes the viewer feel like they've just gone back to the time of swords, and the symphonic music even more so.
That's really all I have to say. I realize it isn't much, and perhaps this review can be used in conjunction with others for those who have not seen the film, but I hope for those who have can understand what I'm talking about. I think this film was the one that started the series, not the product that combined the whole series into one. It was this where everything started, and it only got better from there. I'm excited to see the rest of The Hobbit: Parts 2 and 3, and I'm sure these will be fantastic films that will go right next to Harry Potter in future years.
I hope this review was helpful, but even if it wasn't, I thank you for reading!