Tolkien is a 2019 film directed by Dome Karukoski, to his first film in English. It is a biographical film of the famous professor so dear to linguists and lovers of the Fantasy genre, since he donated Middle-earth to the whole world. The film is a love letter to JRR Tolkien's life before the First World War.

Tolkien distribution problems

It is important to immediately explain the distribution problems of the film, which comes out in Italian cinemas a month after the release of Blu-Ray in the United States, because it is undoubtedly an interesting case. Tolkien is a film that was released in the world, especially on May 3 in Great Britain and the week after in the USA, and did not raise all the fuss hoped for.

Tolkien is appreciable but he doesn't get anywhere

Before going into the discussion of the film, it must be said that Tolkien is an appreciable film after all, which entertains the viewer, but fails to really talk about the professor, who keeps on a pedestal throughout the film. Wherever you look at it, this film is insufficiently content. The linguists will in fact be teased, without ever being really satisfied with the scenes offered by the film. Fantasy lovers will remain glued in the hope of seeing the birth of Middle-earth. Those who expect to see a strictly biographical film will see flashes of the Professor's life, in my opinion not even the most important. Perhaps only those who expect a love story will somehow be vaguely satisfied.
It must be said that, probably, the fact of not having involved the Tolkien Estate and the descendants of the Professor influenced different aspects of the realization.

The technical aspect of the film is without infamy and without praise. He does his job decently, also giving us some gems in terms of photography, but unfortunately nothing more.

Screen

The film follows the events of Tolkien's life from his childhood until the end of the First World War. However, the focus is very rarely placed on the events of his life, as on the relationships with the people, friends, his future wife and the professors who guided him in life. Probably the intent of the film is to suggest that Tolkien formed the Fellowship of the Ring by looking around and drawing extraordinary people and peculiar habits from his life.

The film often focuses on the Great War, which has left an indelible mark on Tolkien and has certainly become part of the imagery of Middle-earth. This is also suggested by the fact that, in the fumes of cannons and explosions, his mind imagines the Ringwraiths prowling.

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Extraordinary interpreters for a bland script

I believe that Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins have done everything in their own way to give depth and romance to two characters unfortunately very flattened by the script. I am sure that, in his mythization of the Professor and his wife Edith, the production of the film preferred to bring out a positive and idyllic image of an immortal and romance love, rather than giving facets to the characters. Surely appreciable the interpretations of both, already well known actors and with several films behind them.