20 June 2019 | MrDHWong

6 | A well-intended, yet muddled look at the acclaimed author's legacy

Tolkien is a biopic about the early life of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy/The Hobbit author J.R.R. Tolkien. Starring Nicholas Hoult in the lead role, it is a well-intended, yet muddled look at the acclaimed author's legacy.



As a young man, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) befriends a group of three outcasts at school who help him to find his place in the world and support him in his creative endeavours. Over time, John meets Edith Bratt (Lily Collins), a young pianist with whom he falls in love and becomes his muse. Eventually, however, World War I breaks out and John is sent off to fight in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme, separating him from some of his friends and the love of his life.



Despite a solid premise, Tolkien ultimately struggles to elevate its intriguing subject matter above merely being another outcast author. The film chooses to omit important details about Tolkien, such as his strong Christian faith influencing his writings, instead opting for a more fantasy driven approach. In addition to this, the pacing is painfully slow most of the time, showcasing some of the least interesting aspects of what inspired Tolkien to write his novels in the first place. With that said, the film is at least nice to look at thanks to some creative cinematography during Tolkien's musings and Nicholas Hoult's well-acted performance in the title role. It's a shame that so much overall effort was put in to producing so little of interest.



I rate it 6/10