Editor Andrew Castaneda

J.R.R Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and esteemed Lord of the Rings trilogy, will finally receive a cinema biography on May 10, 2019. Critics are expecting a standout summer drama.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or J.R.R Tolkien, enjoyed an eventful life as an English professor, World War I veteran, author, friend, and lover. The film is expected to encompass all of his life, but with a focal point on his pivotal days as a young adult, on which much of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit was based.

The trailer did a fantastic job setting the tone for the movie, using parallels of peace, love, and fellowship against war, misery, and tragedy. The trailer also did a phenomenal job reflecting the experiences of young Tolkien that would go on to heavily influence his writing. “It’s a story about journeys,” Tolkien’s character states in the trailer, regarding both the story of Lord of the Rings but also his own: “The journeys we take to prove ourselves. It’s about adventures. It’s about potent magic beyond anything anyone has ever found before. It’s about what it means to love and to be loved. It’s about courage. It’s about fellowship.”

As stated by Screenrant, “Tolkien seems more visually innovative than the average memoir, [though] that doesn't guarantee its narrative will amount to more than a paint-by-numbers biopic about the important events that shaped its namesake. The script by Stephen Beresford and David Gleeson will no doubt touch upon the various milestones in the author's life, but the trailer suggests its aiming for something deeper than a series of references to stories about hobbits, elves, and wizards in a faraway land.”

The film is seemingly in good hands. Though the Finnish director, Dome Karukoski, is not widely known in America, the trailer demonstrated a deep understanding of Tolkien’s life, as well as a deep respect and experience in film. The musical director, Thomas Newman, is responsible for some notable work in the past, such as excellent scores for The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Wall-E, and 007 Skyfall.

The character of J.R.R Tolkien is being portrayed by actor Nicholas Hoult, a native Englishman, who has played many modern roles such as Beast in X-Men: First Class, R in Warm Bodies, and Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road.

J.R.R Tolkien’s wife, Edith Bratt, is being portrayed by Lily Collins, another fellow native Englishwoman. Though she is a relatively new actor, with her career starting circa 2009, she shows promise based on past work and trailer performance.

The film is shaping up to be one of the best movies of the year. Hopes are high that this will be the movie to sate the hunger of many for a new Lord of the Rings movie. As said in the trailer, the values and story between Tolkien’s life and The Lord of the Rings are much the same. Fans of the series will hopefully be pleasantly surprised to find the fourth Lord of the Rings movie that isn’t actually a Lord of the Rings movie.

One might wonder what took Hollywood so long to produce a movie about such an esteemed author of such an esteemed series, but as said by the wizard, Gandalf the Grey, himself, “A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”