The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings- PG-13

By Jonathan Goodsell

So I decided to review the trilogy as a whole because, frankly, they were all filmed almost the same and I'd end up just repeating myself for three articles. Now for an interesting fact, they are so identical because Peter Jackson made the biggest gamble Hollywood could make and filmed them all at the same time before releasing. Luckily for Jackson, it paid off, majorly. The films included The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Starring an all star cast including Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and Christopher Lee. This tale is one that will last for generations and that all ages will enjoy.
Telling the classic tale off the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, these films follow the adventures of Frodo (Wood) and his hobbit friends as they journey with a wizard (McKellen), an elf (Bloom), a dwarf (Rhys-Davies), a ranger (Mortensen), and a soldier (Bean) to destroy a magical ring and stop the evil king Sauron and his orc armies from taking over Middle Earth. Along the way they are faced with perilous trials, but with the help of Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Lady Galadriel (Blanchett), and their elf armies, King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and his calvary, and the rest of Middle Earth, they are able to over come these trials as they travel onward to Mordor  to destroy the ring and face Sauron.
These films were spectacular, winning several Academy Awards each including Best Picture for The Return of the King. The acting was unlike what you see in almost every other movie. Every actor did spectacular jobs, each bringing something new to the film. Filmed in New Zealand, the scenery was fantastic and extraordinarily beautiful. Peter Jackson just did a stunning job on these films. The editing and effects were also excellent. They made the world of Middle Earth look as magical and stunning as it deserved to be. The musical score was also beautiful. Howard Shore pulled off yet another classic score that's entertaining to listen too and brilliantly brought out the feeling of the films. He even won Academy Awards for the music in the films. I also must say that  these films contain some of the most intense and awe inspiring scenes that I've ever seen. The battle scenes are so immense and well filmed, and the slower emotional scenes are just moving. They were just so excellently filmed, it's hard to beat. The other thing I loved about these films is that the story is one everyone can love and watch. There are so many aspects of these movies, everyone can find something to love and enjoy. It's definitely a guy flick, but I know plenty of girls that love these movies just as much as the next guy. It doesn't surprise me how they appear on Top 100 lists. They are definitely high on my favorite list.
You can't walk into this movie expecting to see a family friendly film. These movies are intense and even a little scary at times. There was no language at all in any of them. They are all rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images. And that's what you'd expect, especially if you've read the books. Like I said earlier, the battle sequences are extremely epic and rather intense. Though they are the best I've almost ever seen. There is a little bit of blood and gore occasionally, but not a lot and nothing extreme. A lot of the creatures, the orcs, goblins, the Witch King, Golem, etc. are rather creepy and would be extremely scary to younger kids. But as intense as the movies are, it was expected and, in my opinion, could have been a whole lot worse then it was.
I can not express how much I love these movies. They are just so incredibly amazing, you have to see them yourselves to know the feeling of a good movie. After the original releases, they released extended editions of the films, which is what I own and watch. I would recommend these versions if you want to see it. Sure it adds like an extra hour or more to the experience, but it adds a whole lot more to complete the story and increase the experience. So if you haven't seen them, see them! If you have, well, why not watch them again and enjoy these amazing films for a second, or third, or, for my case, sixth or seventh time because these films will never grow old.
I hesitated to write a review for these films because they are so amazing, I feared I couldn't do it justice. I know I haven't covered every great thing about these movies. So if you want a real review, go watch them your selves and experience it yourself. So in my reviewer opinion, as a series and also as individual movies, the classic Lord of the Rings trilogy gets a well earned 9.5/10