Helllins
It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.
Hayleigh Joseph
This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.
Jerrie
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
rgcustomer
Here's a film worth skipping, even though it is a short. But nevertheless, the team shouldn't give up on future works.Technically, the film is a wonder, particularly given the tiny budget. The actors look the part, the costuming and makeup and props are impeccable, the cinematography and whatnot is good, and the music is acceptable.However, there are two major flaws in this film.First, the story has no heart. It's plodding and dull. There's no emotion to it. You don't care who gets Gollum. You don't care whether Gollum can put anyone in danger. You don't care who knows where the Ring is.Second, the film is clearly designed in the style of Jackson's trilogy, versus an independent vision, and yet the plot (even one scene that appears as if lifted intact from the Jackson films) is directly at odds with those films. In Jackson's films, Gollum is tortured in Mordor, and his words "Baggins! Shire!" are what lead the Ringwraiths there. In this film, that never happens. Instead, Elves and Gandalf are apparently the ones who torture Gollum. Despite this, Ringwraiths already seem to have a fairly good idea where the ring is anyway. It doesn't make a lot of sense.One minor flaw: the use of the sack is too obviously a way to avoid expensive animation.I'd like to see what this team could do with a good script, and tighter editing.
tooltoter
I was skeptical of this film at first, fearing that a LOTR wannabe had gotten hold of a camera and had put together a less-than-stellar movie with a title that would rope in many fans of the classic trilogy. Upon reading a few reviews that lauded the film, despite its meager budget, I decided to watch it. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was very impressed. I thought the story was well-written (duh, it was written by J.R.R. Tolkien), the cinematography was excellent, the make-up authentic, and the acting very plausible. The film was worth every minute of my time. The special effects crew did an outstanding job. And the score was something that would have made Howard Shore proud. Hats off to the entire cast and crew.
el_monty_BCN
I'm sure I will going to get a lot of negative votes from the fans for this comment, but after reading so many glowing reviews I feel I need to tell my truth. It's true that the visuals of the film are pretty impressive (at times, not all the time) for a no-budget short, and that the makers have made a mighty good attempt at reproducing the atmosphere of Jackson's movies at a tiny fraction of the cost; also, there is a notably well choreographed fight scene of Strider against the orcs; but once you get past all the shiny packaging, it's impossible not to notice that the plot is not just thin, but practically non-existent. There are absolutely no surprises, and in 40 minutes it hardly manages to go beyond its one-line synopsis. All the film seems to do is its own little riff on some of the characters of Jackson's trilogy without adding anything new or meaningful. It certainly serves as a good calling card for the director, but it left me with a feeling of... nothingness.
Skippster
This movie must be recommended to every Tolkien fan out there. But even people who don't consider themselves to be fans can be entertained for 40 minutes by this movie. Although it is said that the budget amounts to 3.000 pounds this film does not actually look like a low-budget flick. The work and preparation behind this movie (a "behind the scenes" is available somewhere) look almost professional. The dedication of the team absolutely outweighs a big budget. Some shots of the landscape are quite amazing because they seem like original film locations (yet, I think they're not, of course). The CGI looks quite good, too. All in all this little fan made piece of Tolkien's world impressed me deeply. These guys should really think about producing something from the Silmarillion. ;)
