Tolkien - Film Review

Unless you’ve been living in a hobbit hole for the most part of your life, then the man who gives his name to the Tolkien movie released last year (May 3, 2019) needs no introduction. Tolkien has finally joined the likes of Capote, Plath and Salinger with this dramatization of the truth behind the tales. Certainly, a biopic of the genius behind the world’s most cherished fantasy series was undoubtedly long overdue, but does Karukoski’s dramatization of the events that inspired The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy do J. R. R. Tolkien any justice?

We begin our cinematic journey in the golden days of Tolkien’s boyhood. Straight away, the film lays down the first pieces that will come to form the quilt of juxtapositions that encumbers it. With the young writer having been uprooted from the grassy haven of pre-war Sarehole and relocated to the smoggy cesspit that is industrial Birmingham, already the sense of deep contrast that will come define Tolkien’s personal tale is made evident within minutes. Such is exasperated further by frequent cutaways to the climatic terror of the frontline that sugar the film from the opening scene onwards.

Due to its elaborateness, at times, the storytelling can feel rather caricaturised, particularly regarding the depictions of character. From the dawn of Tolkien’s King Edward days and the formation of the ‘Tea Club and Bavarian Society’, the viewer is subjected to an exaggerated portrayal of upper-class English youth, which leads to a great sense of disconnect between characters and audience. So too does the documentation of the blossoming relationship between Tolkien and future wife-to-be Edith Mary Bratt, where on occasion, the discourse between the characters can feel slightly pretentious. Certainly, one can appreciate the attempt to convey the poetic way in which the writer viewed his world, though arguably at times, it presents itself as rather strenuous.

It would be fair to say that the picture’s most honourable moments lay within the war-torn trenches of the First World War. Having played the role of a writer at war before (see The Rebel in the Rye, 2017), Nicholas Hoult is no stranger to the frontline. His eloquent performance as the war-withered writer was delivered dutifully and respectfully. Blending reality and fantasy was an obvious technique for the filmmakers to use during such scenes, though arguably less would have been more in this case. Blatant Middle-Earth allusions are unnecessarily frequent when it was already clear to see what would have fuelled Tolkien’s imagination. In a way, it takes away from the satisfaction that the viewer would get from making those connections by spoon feeding it to them. Having said that, for the most part, such references were tastefully executed despite their volume. Merging the image of a flamethrower with a fire-belching dragon during the Battle of the Somme in particular made for epic viewing material. Another notable example would be the exchanges between trench fever-stricken Tolkien and his comrade Sam, whose devotion to his officer mirrored that of one particularly beloved hobbit.

Final Thoughts

Tolkien is a hyperbolic reflection of a man’s life, done so in an attempt to recreate the fantastic sense of awe and wonder inspired by the beloved writer’s own work. Allusions are used in abundance, to a point where they sometimes overshadow the truth behind the man that created the stories they represent. Despite this, stunning performances from the cast and a pathos-laden storyline made for a highly enjoyable cinematic experience. Kudos to Karukoski for putting a new spin on the biopic instead of subjecting J.R.R. Tolkien to the same tired narrative as the other literary legends dramatized before him.

Do you think that the film lives up to the legend?