J.R.R. Tolkien is brought to life in the luminous "Tolkien"
Growing up, I must confess to being a rabid Tolkien fan. I devoured "The Hobbit," plowed through the endless joy of "Lord of the Rings" and reveled in elves, wizards, ringwraiths and rangers. I even had the name "Faramir" ironed onto the back of one of my t-shirts. So when I saw that a "Tolkien" movie had been produced last year I was in. I envisioned a blow by blow account of how J.R.R. Tolkien created his iconic books, the struggles to find a publisher, the worldwide acceptance of his travail., maybe even a glimpse of Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood. And that is not this movie. Instead, Finnish director Dome Karukoski and writers David Gleeson Stephen Beresford have crafted a layered origin story of Tolkien himself (carefully etched by actor Nicholas Hoult who, eons ago, was the little boy in "Abut a Boy") - using the horror of his World War I service to continually contrast with his growing love for fellow boarder Edith Bratt, played by a luminous Lily Collins and his camaraderie with his school chums (Craig Roberts, Patrick Gibson, Anthony Boyle and Tom Glynn-Carney). In the story, Tolkien (pronounced TOL-KEEN) is an orphan forced to live in a boarding house who receives a scholarship to attend a tony prep school, where he's an outcast. Gradually, he becomes accepted by his mates - and they form a unique artists group - where their creative ambitions are encouraged. The pacing never slows, and Karukoski brings dimension to all of the characters, and the actors are absolutely wonderful. This movie reminded me of films like "The Cider House Rules" and "The Dead Poet's Society." Of course, there are images throughout the film that dramatize Tolkien's imagination, and interest in fighting and sword play, old growth forests, dragons, and elegant ladies. And his complete obsession with words and language - he actually did create his own language - which helps him get into Oxford before World War I breaks out. A huge nod to cinematographer Lasse Frank. Every frame of this movie looks like it was painted by a team of artists or Gandalf himself. This movie didn't fair well at the boxoffice. Maybe, everyone was looking for that blow by blow story. Forget it, enjoy it on the small screen. Stay safe.