The Lord of the Rings movies aren't perfect, and everyone who pretends they are is simply kidding themselves. Whilst it's true that Peter Jackson's films are to be treasured and praised 'til the cows come home (they are, for the most part, awesome works), there are a good number of issues inherent to all three films that lots of folk just try to ignore - issues that, approached head-on, show up the trilogy in a more candid and thus fallible light. There is, after all, a kind of relentless positivity that surrounds Jackson's trilogy, as though he managed to craft three lengthy, intricate motion pictures without putting a foot wrong. It's safe to say that revisiting Middle-Earth in the present day shows up Jackson's world as a flawed one; combing through the saga reveals a surprisingly high number of very questionable inclusions- everything from characterisation, special effects and acting. Don't be frightened; it's time that we were all totally honest with ourselves...
10. The Fellowship Of The Ring Is Vastly Superior To The Other Movies
This is something that very few people are willing to admit; caught up instead in the fever of The Return of the King, which - being the last film - automatically inherits a sense of grandeur that the other chapters can't match. On all accounts, The Fellowship of the Ring is the superior film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, though - from a narrative point of view (and from an entertainment one), it's the most relentlessly exciting chapter of them all. The Fellowship of the Ring takes the prize on account that it is a movie that constantly moves forwards - its narrative asks its characters to go on an actual journey, moving from place to place, seeking an objective. Whilst The Two Towers and The Return of the King are more stationary (read as: slow) in their make-up, Fellowship piles forwards with gusto: as a result, it's never boring, feels like the most rounded film, and is the most rewatchable. That's not to discredit the next two films; they're great. It's just that Fellowship tends to get forgotten because it is a more singular film than its interconnected follow-ups. And yet it's the most accomplished picture of them all... and arguably the greatest fantasy film ever.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
