The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings: A Testament for Eternity

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is, undoubtedly, the greatest fantasy work of modern literature. With its vast world, complex history, intricately developed fictional races and languages, and numerous epic moments, the Oxford professor created a masterpiece that every fantasy novel must compare itself to. The same status is now enjoyed by the screen adaptation by Peter Jackson.

For a long time, The Lord of the Rings was considered unfilmable. It was too vast, too complex, and simply too much of everything. However, the director, known primarily for his splatter parody Braindead and the comedy Meet the Feebles, was not deterred. With his laid-back yet practical approach, he elevated the fantasy genre from the niche to the mainstream and permanently changed Hollywood. And Jackson probably never expected the 17 Oscars his trilogy would receive. What on earth makes this trilogy so unique to this day?

The Ambition

The film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings was an ambitious endeavor in every sense. It started with the genre itself. Nowadays, a major fantasy franchise is nothing out of the ordinary, and series like Game of Thrones or The Witcher receive huge budgets as a matter of course. But that wasn't the case in 2001. While there were fantasy films back then, none of them had big budgets. Fantasy films weren't seen as lucrative projects or award-winners. In short, the genre wasn't taken seriously. To change that, a project like The Lord of the Rings was needed. Jackson's adaptation had to be not just a good fantasy film but a good film overall. Achieving this required great ambition.

Creating the breathtaking landscapes of New Zealand, building massive film sets, crafting an extensive arsenal of weapons and armors, and developing entirely new technologies to bring his vision to life—all of this required creativity, hard work, and, above all, money. The funding came from New Line Cinema, who also made history with their decision to support the project. Not only was the licensing situation quite complicated, but also filming three movies simultaneously—an unprecedented endeavor! If The Fellowship of the Ring had flopped at the box office and the remaining films had gone straight to DVD... a project of this magnitude could have easily bankrupted a studio. But it was a massive success, paving the way for future film franchises like Marvel's Cinematic Universe, which are now planned years in advance.

The Attention to Detail

Middle-earth stands as one of the most magnificent world-building experiments in history. J.R.R. Tolkien's dedication to creating his world is unparalleled. Middle-earth feels more "real" than other fantasy worlds, thanks to its depth and attention to detail. Tolkien prioritized quality over quantity. Instead of producing a massive amount of material to fill his world, the Oxford professor spent months, years, and even decades refining his manuscripts, perfecting details, and eliminating inconsistencies. This gradually shaped a world imbued with history.

Peter Jackson and his team greatly benefited from all this work. Everything was there; they just had to decide which elements to incorporate into their adaptation. The films feel as "real" as the books because the production team was just as detail-oriented as Tolkien himself! The time, money, and effort poured into the project, whether in creating huge sets, countless miniatures, or the tiniest armor details, is truly impressive. Need examples? The films featured 48,000 armor pieces, 10,000 arrows, 500 bows, 1,800 Hobbit feet, and 10,000 orc heads—all specially made for the movies!

The Cast

The Lord of the Rings is one of the few films where the cast truly deserves the label "perfect." Most projects either rely on big names to attract a wide audience or opt for completely unknown actors to save money. The Lord of the Rings achieved a brilliant balance. Looking back, it's hard to imagine what the trilogy would have been like if Sean Connery had been cast as Gandalf, as was originally considered. In hindsight, Ian McKellen was undeniably the perfect Gandalf. He exudes wisdom and power while maintaining a kind-hearted demeanor that can easily turn fierce when dealing with a mischievous hobbit. Or consider Cate Blanchett, who with her captivating gaze and overall appearance, neither young nor old, truly embodies immortality as we envisioned Galadriel.

Regarding the cast, there was no greater challenge or triumph than Aragorn, whose journey to the screen was as legendary as the One Ring itself. Originally, Stuart Townsend was cast for the role—Jackson insisted on him despite opposition from higher-ups—but he was dismissed just before filming began. This was particularly challenging because Aragorn's first scene at the Prancing Pony was scheduled to be shot only a week later!

Viggo Mortensen stepped in at short notice. And Mortensen was simply perfect for the role: he is a well-read individual who writes poems and short stories himself. He loves the wilderness, camping outdoors, horses, fishing—the whole package. Above all, he cherishes language and pays attention to every tiny detail. Screenwriter Philippa Boyens remembers his numerous contributions during filming: "He drove us partly into madness. When he came up to you again with a book in hand, you knew what was up." Yes, Mortensen completely immersed himself in his role, literally becoming Aragorn. He camped outdoors, tried to enthuse his colleagues about it, rarely took off his costume, and always carried the sword Andúril with him. The many stories from the set—how he knocked out a tooth, injured his foot, bought three of the horses from the films after shooting, and more—have further cemented his legendary status. Even though he wouldn't care about all of that.

The Mix of Live-Action and CGI

Clearly, without modern computer technology, it would not have been possible to bring The Lord of the Rings to life. However, we believe that Peter Jackson's trilogy looks so extraordinary today because the technology was advanced but still significantly restricted. This forced the creators to rely as much as possible on real actors, sets, and practical effects like Forced Perspective, instead of handling everything in the computer—like what Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace released just a year and a half earlier was often criticized for. For us, it's no coincidence that the Uruk-hai in The Lord of the Rings, portrayed by real people in costumes and makeup, appear much more threatening than the computer-generated orcs in the later The Hobbit films. It is through the right balance of visual effects and the real world (thanks, New Zealand!) that the films still look great today. However, we must not overlook the great technical achievements that continue to shape Hollywood, such as the development of the MASSIVE software, capable of simulating 10,000 orcs in a battle.

At this point, we must also mention Gollum. Yes, CGI characters like Jar Jar Binks had already existed. But there were no CGI characters that truly felt real! But that's precisely the case with Gollum, thanks to the magnificent technical implementation and the acting performance of Andy Serkis. It was perhaps the first motion-capture performance that genuinely convinced audiences. Gollum wasn't just a person in a costume, nor was he a completely animated figure. He was Andy Serkis! In every movement, every facial expression. Moreover, Gollum was a deeply complex character, sometimes joyful and innocent like a young dog, other times cunning and threatening like a treacherous murderer. The conversation between Gollum and Smeagol... without Serkis's finesse or Weta's technical implementation, it could have easily ended in chaos.

The Music

A film is only as good as its music. Admittedly, that may sound slightly exaggerated. But only slightly. Just letting a few minutes of typical DVD extras like deleted scenes run is enough to underline the difference good music makes. How it conveys emotions, characterizes figures, and adds depth to scenes. Howard Shore's score doesn't just accompany the action like in so many other films. The soundtrack stands on its own, telling its own story through tones. Describing characters.

In this sense, the music of The Lord of the Rings is a "classic" soundtrack in the best sense. Just like film music was made in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. Like in Bernard Herrmann's Psycho or almost anything John Williams has done. The music of The Lord of the Rings is a symbiosis of the film and its narrative. Listening to a song like "Concerning Hobbits" or "The Breaking of the Fellowship" immediately takes you back to Middle-earth. And, also importantly, the music is embraced by all fans. This is how Middle-earth sounds, this is how The Lord of the Rings sounds. It's like an audio version of an Alan Lee painting.

The Success

That Peter Jackson's trilogy would make history was clear by February 12, 2002, at the latest. This day gave the trilogy the significance for which it is known today. On February 12, 2002, The Fellowship of the Ring was nominated for 13 Oscars, including Best Picture. Even though it's hard to imagine now, it was a big deal! Nobody had expected the Academy to take this fantasy film, this blockbuster, seriously in any way. In the end, The Fellowship of the Ring won "only" four Oscars, but the nominations showed that the films were more than just blockbusters. And when The Return of the King swept eleven Oscars two years later, it only confirmed what everyone already knew: The Lord of the Rings was and is an extraordinary work, both the book and the films. Both have stood the test of time and forever changed the fantasy genre in their respective media. All of this required time, money, hard work, and above all, courage. As Tolkien once wrote, "Courage is found in the most unlikely places," like in peaceful New Zealand, with its peculiar horror-film enthusiast director, whom no one ever thought capable of such an achievement.