Brad's All-Time Fave Films: #2

The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

Just one space away from the top spot, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is truly monumental in several respects. Most importantly, the films stay relatively faithful to the classic novels from J.R.R. Tolkien, despite not including such memorable moments as the hobbits' encounter of Tom Bombadil (in-joke).

As someone who had read, and thoroughly enjoyed, the trilogy, I was as skeptical as everyone else that this would be another piece of classic literature massacred when translated to the big screen. Peter Jackson was not a director that I was familiar with, and when hearing that all three films were being made consecutively, I was worried that quality would be sacrificed under the typical studio pressure to get filming done and released. I was very happy to be wrong. The films were not only true to the essence of the story, but as evidenced by The Return of the King winning 11 Oscars, quality was not sacrificed either.

Further in terms of quality, watching the extras featured on the Extended Edition DVDs gave me a new appreciation for the depths that the production team went to in order to make these films as successful as they were. New Zealand turned out to be an incredible location for the shoot, but the attention to detail that went in to everything from miniature models of Helm's Deep to makeup applied on Uruk-Hai warriors, truly made this an incredible spectacle.