Sadly Over-hyped

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This documentary's stated thesis is to show why the Lord of the Rings trilogy resonates with so many people. The hypothesis it presents is that many people can relate well to the themes and characters in the books/movies. It is well narrated by John Rhys-Davies, the actor that played Gimli in the movies.The documentary then covers the major themes of the books/movies and the characters with which those themes are named. Each theme that is covered shows an example story from history that relates closely to the theme. The documentary NEVER claims that Tolkien was influenced by these real-life examples, it is merely supporting the thesis that people can relate to the themes/characters by using examples from real life.Some reviewers seem to have the notion that this documentary is meant to show how Tolkien's life influenced the book. That notion is false. For a documentary that covers this aspect of The Lord of the Rings, see the similarly named National Geographic documentary that is two years older (IMDB page here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312999/ ).

This documentary is like a high school paper, written without preparation. "What are some of the archetypal character or events of Lord of the rings and give some simple examples of similar characters or events in history?" 4 hours, at least 5 pages, no aids. I think my problem with this film boils down to that the creators have taken the path of least resistance and no examples are given taking Tolkiens background into consideration. Examples of people given are Benjamin Franklin (not a bad choice, but a very American choice), Lewis and Clark (also a very American choice), Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tarkey (which happened after Tolkien wrote the books. Faramir's charge is compared to Picket's charge. But the charge only takes place in the movie and does not appear in the books. In short, whoever made this documentary seems not only not to have read the books, but seems to lack basic knowledge about Tolkien. The execution of the documentary is well done, but it's basis lacks thought. There are no insights into the mind nor world of Tolkien. So the grade for this documentary can only be an F with the added comment "Did you even read the books, it seems you only watched the movie." The other documentary (Fellowship of the ring) is much better. This one is for "lying down and avoiding" (A monthy python quote).

I think National Geographic did a fine job for a documentary. Don't expect to re-watch the movie, that was not the goal of the project. See it for yourself. You have to be prepared for this and understand that it won't be an all action packed adventure film. To most it will seem boring but to those dedicated Tolkien fans it's another piece of the collection. Again, only watch it if you're a dedicated Tolkien fan and are an adult that can handle listening to conversation about the films and Middle Earth rather than have somebody narrate it for you with pictures and music. I just think some viewers are spoiled with the great work Peter Jackson did and expect something of equal magnifience.

I bought this DVD as I enjoyed "Return of the King" so much that I went to the cinema 3 times and wanted a souvenir.I'm glad I didn't watch this lack lustre documentary first or I'd have not wished to see such a boring film ! A few clips from Return of The King are shown and some very unconvincing comparisons with real people from history are made. For example, Aragorn is compared with William Wallace.Other characters are compared with Churchill and Hitler amongst other figures in history. The only thought provoking insight was linking the dead marshes to World War One. If you like Lord of the Rings, wait for the DVD of Jackson's film.