Seventeen Years Later and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Are Still Some of the Best Movies Ever Made
Annlyel James 
Annlyel shares her admiration for Peter Jackson’s definitive motion picture incarnations of J.R.R Tolkien’s beloved tales from middle earth…
There was a time when a project as grand as the making of The Lord of the Rings films was impossible. When studios would look at you as if you were mad if you wanted to make three films as epic and expensive as The Lord of the Rings in one massive production. But Peter Jackson wasn’t afraid. He knew what he wanted, he knew what he could do with a book that had changed his life, and he was determined to bring that incredible story to life on the big screen.
I don’t remember the first time I saw The Lord of the Rings. I was but a little girl at the time. But I do know that since my parents bought these movies all those years ago I have watched the films a combined total of at least a thousand times. And that’s not an exaggeration. I know these movies backwards and forward, forward and backwards. I can hear a quick section of music from the film and I’ll know exactly which part it is. And even though I’ve watched these movies over the years more times than I can count they still manage to amaze me.
It’s been seventeen years since The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in theaters and yet the quality of the film (even the CGI) still outshines most movies today.
The Lord of the Rings left such an impact on Hollywood that a lot of stuff we see today probably wouldn’t be around if Peter Jackson hadn’t proved that it can be done. Like Game of Thrones for example. That’s a big budget production that focuses on a story interlaced in the genre of fantasy like The Lord of the Rings.
Even projects like the Marvel Cinematic Universe would not have been achieved if it wasn’t for Peter Jackson’s incredible production of The Lord of the Rings films giving Disney and Marvel the template to make that many consecutive big-budget movies.
Everything about The Lord of the Rings is perfect. The characters, the music, the real locations, Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, etc.
And that’s why I love these movies so much. If J.R.R Tolkien could come back and see what Peter Jackson did with the story that he wrote in the 20th century I think he would be a very happy man.
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Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
