Thursday Thirteen

Why The Lord of the Rings trilogy should be counted among the greatest movies of all time.

1. Terrific story. The Lord of the Rings, with its epic good vs. evil clash, brings together all of the necessary qualities of good story telling. The Dark Lord is returning; the good folks must save the day (does that sound familiar, Harry Potter fans?)

2. Characterization. The characters in this story are loveable and likeable. You want to be a hobbit or an elf or a wizard… or a man who may be king.

3. Scenery. The setting Director Peter Jackson chose for these films is superb. New Zealand offers up a great array of landscape, from pristine green fields to sweeping snow-covered mountain ranges.

4. Superb acting. I remember when I heard that Elijah Wood had been chosen to portray Frodo, my response was kind of “eh,” and I wasn’t sure he would do justice to the part. Now I can’t think of a hobbit without seeing his portrayal. The same is true of the other actors. I confess I fell in love with Orlando Bloom in this series.

5. These movies, all three of them, make me cry. Any movie that can do that gets a thumbs up. I started rewatching the trilogy this week during exercise. This morning I was on the treadmill with tears on my cheeks.

6. The death of Borimir. There are few death scenes that stand out for me – the only other one that I recall is in the Little Women movie with Wynona Ryder. Borimir’s death is redeeming and warranted and extremely well-played by the entire cast.

7. The march of the elves. When the elves come to help the men at the Keep in The Two Towers, my heart leaps into my throat every time.

8.  Realistic costumes. Elves look like elves and orcs like orcs and men like men. The behind the scenes work in this movie is obvious. This was not a thrown-together production by any stretch of the imagination.

 

9. The crowning of the king. Another scene that makes me sob, particularly when Aragon tells the hobbits to “bow to no men.” What majesty and glory.

10. The lessons. This is a movie about friendship, courage, love, hope, redemption. Good faces evil and wins. It is uplifting and encouraging.

11. The music. The score to these movies suits it perfectly, from the pipes for the hobbits to the sweeping orchestrations and the drum beats of war.

 

12. The death of the Witch King. When the Lady of Rohan kills this most evil and deadly of the nine, I rejoice and cry at the same time. What a death blow she strikes, and how fitting that it is a woman!

13. Watchability. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen these movies in recent years. I watch them while I do housework, when I exercise, when nothing else is on TV. I never tire of them.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 103!