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2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, which, as we all know, was followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King. To commemorate Geek Pride Day this year, we thought it would be fitting to reveal five completely unscientific and extremely biased reasons why some (but definitely not all!) of the staff here at Devolutions feel that Lord of the Rings is the BEST movie franchise of all time:
1. There’s something for everyone.
Sure, The Godfather trilogy is great (well, part III was kind of a dud, but Parts I and II are masterpieces). And of course, Star Wars, Star Trek and Harry Potter are all amazing in different ways. But in our view, the Lord of the Rings franchise is unique in that it has something for everyone: drama, action, adventure, horror, romance, comedy, fantasy — all rolled into 11.2 hours of pure cinematic glory. You can watch them with your kids, your life partner, your best friends, heck even your pets!
2. The casting is superb.
Seriously: is there a single bad casting decision in this franchise? Everyone feels as if they were born to play their respective roles. With apologies to Viggo Mortensen who is an exceptionally gifted and dynamic actor (as he demonstrated in Green Book), he’s always going to be Aragorn (or Strider, if you prefer). And Elijah Wood IS Frodo. He might as well just keep the costume on all the time and go to the bank and grocery store that way.
3. There are many scenes that stay with you forever.
Every epic franchise has unforgettable scenes, such as Luke blowing up the Death Star (the first time), or the spectacular final chase from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. But the Lord of the Rings franchise doesn’t just have a few of these moments — it offers an abundance of them; including several that have been turned into memes and have become integrated into pop culture. Here are just a few of our favorites:
- The death of Boromir
- “You Shall Not Pass!”
- Gollum meets Smeagol
- The lighting of the beacons
- The Ents attack Isengard
- The charge of the Rohirrim
- The final battle
- Gollum and Frodo at the Crack of Doom
- “You Bow to No One”
These are just some of the many scenes that truly make this the best franchise ever.
4. Oh that MUSIC!
Composer Howard Shore has created amazing original scores for many movies, including Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Hugo, and the list goes on. But his work on the Lord of the Rings franchise is breathtaking. And if you have any doubt of this, then we invite you to click below and escape back to Middle Earth:
5. It’s a story of hope — and we REALLY need that now!
The last 18 months have been extremely difficult for obvious reasons, and things are going to remain challenging to some extent for years to come. We all struggle at times with feelings of confusion, fear, and dismay, and there are days when it can seem the challenges that we face are insurmountable. But that’s precisely why we need the Lord of the Rings franchise. These movies remind us that no matter how grim or daunting things may seem, if we have the courage to move ahead and the humility to join forces with others on the journey, anything is possible! As Gandalf advised Frodo: “All that we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
What’s Your Opinion?
Do you agree with our view that Lord of the Rings is the best franchise of all time? Or do you think that we’re about as intelligent as Pippin Took after drinking too many pints at the Prancing Pony? Please share your opinion below and tell us what you think — and what we should watch!
