Long ago, a visonary writer named J.R.R. Tolkien picked up the pen and gave life to a world of hobbits, elves, orcs, and magic. This world was called Middle Earth and is one of the fantasy genre’s most beloved and epic realms. The names of his characters — like Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf — are almost household names. Anyone well read in this genre can tell you the story of the evil Sauron and the one ring, but now Tolkien’s world faces a new challenge: survival on the big screen.

If you are a fan of science fiction and fantasy like me, you started counting the remaining days to Dec. 19 months ago. The stage is set for “Lord of the Rings” to make or break literary fantasy as a film genre. Two hundred and seventy million dollars have been spent to bring Tolkien’s Middle Earth to the silver screen, but will this triology of films live up to the books on which they are based, or will they miss their target audience just as the recent “Dungeons and Dragons” did? Will Lord of the Rings cater to the teen crowd or stay true to Tolkien’s work?

Peter Jackson has been chosen to direct “Lord of the Rings.” Though he received much acclaim for his film “Heavenly Creatures,” few people except horror fans have heard of him. Earlier in his career, Jackson directed a small budget horror film called “Dead Alive.” The film is one of the best zombie movies ever made and has a large cult following in the U.S. It’s over-the-top gore and humor is still sought out by college students seeking something cheesy and funny to watch on a Saturday night. Like Sam Rami’s “Evil Dead” trilogy, the film will be remembered as a horror/spoof classic. Surely if Jackson can do so much with so little, then he is a good choice to tackle Tolkien’s legacy. He has been a fan of Middle Earth and its denizens his whole life and promises not to let us down.

Jackson has enlisted the aid of WETA Limited, New Zealand’s premier physical effects house, on this project. More than 120 technicians will be fighting the war to bring Tolkien’s dreams to life. The technicians were divided into six groups: creatures, make-up, weapons and armor, special effects, miniatures, and model effects. No expense was spared in helping them to achieve their goals. These technicians even went so far to post narrative descripitions from the books in their work areas as a constant source of inspiration. Everything was done with such great detail and care that they promise even “no two orcs will look alike.”

However even the world’s best director and FX team cannot make a movie without a great cast, and the studio behind the project has worked hard in selecting the right stars for this film. Elijah Wood (“The Good Son,” “Deep Impact”) has been cast in the lead role of Frodo Baggins. Jackson feels that Wood’s air of innonence and charisma is well suited to the Frodo character. As to Gandalf, the mighty and powerful wizard of good, Ian McKellan has been chosen for the part. McKellan recently appeared in the box-office smash “The X-men” as Magneto, a story and character based on the popular Marvel comic. He is a natural actor and even resembles the Gandalf character in appearance.

The cast also includes the legendary Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins. Holm also has an upcoming appearance in “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.” The sultry Liv Tyler is to play the part of Arwen, the fierce she-elf, and the other hobbits are Sean Astin (Sam), Dominic Moraghan (Merry), and Billy Boyd (Pipen). But perhaps most interesting to sci-fi fans is Hugo Weaving, who is portraying Elrond, king of the Elves. Weaving is best known for his role in “The Matrix” as the evil AI who stalked Neo and his friends; his performance was both terrifying and a laugh riot. His dry, aloof style promises to give the Elf king the nesscary aura of mysteriousness.

Are you asking yourself if this film is suitable for children? That I cannot tell you. It has been rated PG-13 for violence, and the story is one of war and the eternal battle between good and evil. Its running time has been confirmed as a whopping two hours and 58 minutes, possibly making it diffcult for younger children to sit through.

Regardless of whether it is well done or a hideous flop, “Lord of the Rings” may just take the opening weekend record from young Mr. Harry Potter. I, for one, hope it lives up to Tolkien’s books and captures the hearts of America, for if it does, then we fans of the fantastic who have been so long denied can expect other classics like Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” or maybe even Terry Prachett’s “DiscWorld” to follow in its wake!

(Eric Brown is a writer and sci-fi fan who lives in Sylva. He can be reached at IncubusVane@aol.com)

 

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