Tolkien – A Review By Marilyn Penn
What a wonderful relief is was to watch a current movie that is meant for viewers who are articulate and appreciate a script that has not one vulgar four-letter adjective to precede every noun. After the rave reviews of The Long Shot, a film that is soaked in slime in which highly educated people sound like they walked off the set of The Sopranos, Tolkien was a return to inspiration from brilliant and creative characters whose dialogue matches their intellectual talents.
Both Tolkien and his love interest Edith are orphans who have pursued their respective interests – language (philology) and music – notwithstanding the difficulties in their lives. This biopic of the famous scholar and writer goes back to his early friendship with like-minded schoolmates who form a club dedicated to changing the world through their art. In keeping with this theme, the set designer of the movie has provided perfect examples of period furnishings and William Morris wallpapers, not to mention the beauty of the outdoor landscape and architecture.
The scenes in the trenches of WW I are horrific but we see the brutality of the firepower foreshadowing the dragons and beasts that will surface in Tolkien’s future masterworks. The cast, headed by handsome Nicholas Hoult and beautiful Lily Collins, along with a welcome cameo by Derek Jacoby are as picture-perfect as the other details and despite the complaint of some critics that this film is too “slow,” I urge you to see it and be reminded of the joys of literacy, determination and accomplishment.
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