Favourite film

The film I have picked is The Lord of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings is my favourite film for many reasons. My first reason is how it was such a big risk to film. New line cinema took a huge gamble when they funded the project because at first the film was seen as unfilmable. People thought that it would be impossible to take such a successful and magical book and turn it into an equally successful and magical film. There was also some worry about Peter Jackson being the director because he was an unproven commodity, famous for directing low budget B-movies, therefore at the time it was seen as a massive risk for all parties involved.

Moreover the film is famous for revolutionizing special effects, winning 3 Oscars for Best visual effects. One of the most publicized effects that they used was the use of motion capture to create the creature Gollum. Serving as Frodo and Sam’s guide to Mount Doom. Gollum was at times sympathetic, malicious and friendly. Struggling with an internal conflict as he plots to take back the ring, his role in the hobbits quest added an extra dose of tension to his scenes in the films. Not only did he keep the viewer on edge, he also portrayed what Frodo could become if he kept possession of the ring. The film would not have been possible without the advancement of CGI, neither would it have been possible without the use of practical effects, for example techniques such as trick photography and miniatures, which helped bring Middle-earth and its inhabitants to life.

Furthermore, one thing that The Lord of the Rings has in common with most blockbuster franchisers is an iconic music theme. The composer had a terrific grasp on what music was needed for each scene, using a variety of tones throughout the three films. By doing this he was able to create an assortment of tracks that set the mood as ominous, epic, or emotional, for example “The Return of the King” caused viewers to get swept up in a moment of celebration, without this music the films battles and intimate moments between characters would not have had the same feel.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy features some of the strongest characters ever created. Throughout the film we see sufficient character development for each member of the Fellowship. The actors who played these characters were very carefully and well selected and when it came to bringing their characters to life, they went above and beyond to make that happen. Ian Mckellen made Gandalf both authoritative and fatherly. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin developed one of the most famous friendships in cinema, between their characters Frodo and Sam.

All of these aspects and many more make The Lord of the Rings the most enjoyable film that I have seen because it really brought to life the concept of Middle-earth and all the creatures within it, even though it was based on a fictional book.