Tolkien

A biopic has the unenviable duty of people pleasing. How best to convey a real person’s life that presents them as they are, prints the facts not the legend (well, sometimes) and caters to the uninitiated without generating groans from the fans?

Choosing a historical figure is a sure-fire way to at least avoid the latter and some of the best recent examples fall under this umbrella (Steve Jobs and First Man to name just two.)

It’s fairly surprising that J.R.R. Tolkien is only now receiving the treatment. Responsible for some of the most well-loved books in recent history which directly led to two of the biggest film trilogies in cinema. Perhaps it’s Amazon’s upcoming Rings series or maybe Director Dome Karukoski just recently had a Hobbit marathon.

Either way, what he’s come up with here is a stately, respectful biopic which tells the honest story of the man without superfluously dropping film references 24/7 (although the line ‘it shouldn’t take six hours to tell a story about a magic ring’ mocking Wagner’s opera is a humdinger.)

As such it’s subtle, quintessentially English and befitting of the man it depicts but doesn’t make for the most entertaining watch.

Tolkien’s story is fascinating and the parallel narrative of his student days at Oxford mixed with his experiences during the Somme intelligently show his journey towards his most famous work.

Indeed, the war footage is big budget, moving and full of fantasy imagery which harks to Peter Jackson; one lasting image of smoke clouds forming a demon-like figure will stick with you.

It is, however, a little stale. The pomposity of academia gives it more than a whiff of The Theory Of Everything, another film that told a nice story of an extremely important figure’s student days and love life but didn’t delve quite enough into their life’s work for this writer’s taste.

A pretty interesting film of a very interesting man. The Lord Of The Rings’ marathon is already long enough without this as a precursor.

3 stars ***