Tolkien Review

Tolkien is directed by Dome Karukoski and stars Nicolas Hoult, Lilly Collins, Colm Meaney and Derek Jacobi.

The film is about the life of the famous novelist J R R Tolkien, the friends he made, what he experienced when he served in the First World War, and how all that and other parts of his life would inspire him to write his Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The film has many performances of average standard, but one that stands out certainly comes from Nicolas Hoult as Tolkien himself. I feel like there were three very different sides to his character, there was the imaginative gentlemen side of him, the frustrated young man side of him, and the scared and confused, but still determined soldier at war. With all at his disposal he gives a performance that is both distinct from most of his previous work, and most of all believable.

The film was written by David Gleason and Stephen Beresford. With this film, it appears the writers have chosen to somewhat leave the traditions of the biopic, and focus instead on the early life of its subject before he becomes a success in life. What we have instead is a film about friendships, romance and passion for languages. So you will definitely have to try and care about the characters if you want some enjoyment out of what feels like a period drama. But not to worry, there are a few wartime scenes that maintain your interest when you feel you feel it starting to go down a bit. Also, I will admit I do think that for a biopic that doesn't entirely go by the formula, it's not perfect, but it's a start.

The film was shot by Lasse Frank, and while most of  the shots are perfectly fine, it's the shots of things from Tolkien's point of view that are most eye-catching, whether its a dragon breathing out fire, or flames burning all over the place. You can look at them and think, Tolkien would have seen it like that and that's how it would be depicted in his books. I also thought it was quite an interesting way to incorporate some of the things from Tolkien's book into the movie, so you could see where they came from.

The score was composed by Thomas Newman, and I had some very mixed feelings towards his work here. On the one hand, most of it plays like an unremarkable and easily dismissed period drama score, but at certain points, I was sure I could hear the kind of music audiences mainly associate with the fantasy genre. I can only think of two reasons for this, one to appease the LOTR fans who are undoubtedly watching this and are probably bored, or it's the film's way of reminding you who this film is supposed to be about. Whichever it is, it certainly didn't help the score win any of my respect.

Here is my main criticism of the movie: it's that we see Tolkien setting to work on one of his books, and then the movie is over. We don't see the book come out, or see him enjoy his success. I just find it rather unusual that we have a character who goes through so much, and when it comes time for what could be called the payoff, the movie just ends.

The conclusions I draw from this are that Tolkien has an interesting plot, a good performance from its lead actor and a script that's rather more unconventional  than many others in its genre. Some rather striking visuals with the cinematography, a score that at best give you mixed feelings. And one flaw that I could see Tolkien fans scratching their heads at.
Having taken all my pros and cons into account, I'm going to give Tolkien:
B-
Thank you for reading.