No one can deny that J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most important authors that ever lived. He created rich fantasy worlds that would later be adapted into one of the most successful Hollywood franchises around. He also brought to light a genre that many had written off as child’s play, showing that even adults could have vivid imaginations and whimsical adventures with their pals.
So whatever form the biopic was going to take, it likely wasn’t going to match up to the legacy of this important figure. Maybe my bias against such dramas is showing, but this already seems like a pretty formulaic tale of loss and redemption through the lens of Hollywood.
The trailer name drops a bunch of Tolkien’s novels and tries to spin his life into something resembling The Fellowship of the Ring. It shows glimpses of Tolkien’s time in World War 1 and possibly his romance with his wife and that’s really it. I know the film is focusing on the formative years of the author, but it doesn’t seem to be covering any ground that similar films haven’t already done before.
This is all based on a teaser, though, so maybe my cynicism is misplaced. We’ll just have to wait and see when the film releases on May 10, 2019.
