Today, when we haven’t been wrangling Alex, we’ve been watching the extra bits on the 4-disc super-special edition of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowhip of the Ring. If you’re a film buff, or a Tolkien buff, then this 4-disc set is a must-have. The extras are an utterly compelling view into the truly enormous amount of effort and detail that went into making of the film, and in bringing Middle-Earth onto the big screen. Really, the stuff they had to do is amazing.
The Two Towers
We went to see The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers yesterday evening. It’s a very impressive film, but I don’t think it was nearly as good as Fellowship. There are a number of reasons for that. It’s the middle slice of a trilogy, so it has neither a beginning nor an end. It relies more heavily on CGI, which is still a very risky strategy. It uses moments of slapstick to deliver comic relief where none are warranted. The book does a lot of character development that the film just dumps, and in one instance even completely rewrites. Also, in the context of current world events, the film is also dangerously jingoistic.
I use the word “dangerous” because in The Lord Of The Rings the war is being fought against inhuman opponents. In real life, though, the dehumanization of one’s enemies has led to some of the worst atrocities in history. I’m sure that the hawks will love the overt message that one has to go to war against evil, because for most of 2002 they’ve done nothing but paint Saddam Hussein with the “evil” brush. The timing of The Two Towers regrettably means that it (unintentionally?) weighs in as pro-war propaganda.
I’m going to have to write a full review and analysis of the film, even if it’s just so set my own mind straight about what I think of it. I may even have to go in and see it again. The only thing I’m certain of right now is that it is not going to get a five-star rating from me.
Lucky Star
Damn. After seeing the trailer for the film Lucky Star, I had a quick snuffle around on the web to see what it was all about. Benicio Del Toro playing a mysterious man who seems to be able to bend luck to his own will…cool car chases…an investigator hot on his tail… Damn that looked good.
But unfortunately, it’s just a very clever advert for the new Mercedes SL. Michael Mann, too. Damn.
As adverts go, it’s hella cool, but my overall impression is severe disappointment that it isn’t a real film. Damn.