Lord Of The Rings Review By D. Kline

[Guest guest]

As many of you know, I was one of the few Little People (LP's) who

actually auditioned for LOTR. I was up for the part of Gimli, the

warrior dwarf. I personally met with and his wife in Los

Angeles, after spending four months preparing for the audition. Three

months later, I was informed of his decision to NOT use LP's as

principle actors in the film. At that time the news was devastating to

me. My family and I left LA a month later and moved to Hawaii. Having

recovered (which took nearly a year) from this situation, my family and

I went to see LOTR yesterday. The following is my observations and

opinions.

First, to be perfectly clear to all, I am a fan of the stories told by

JRR Tolkien. They are wonderful and complex. Not an easy read, but

great for those with imagination. My preparation for the audition

included reading the trilogy of LOTR and The Hobbit.

Reading the books is a definite advantage here! We understood what was

going on, not left to assume facts about the story that the film leaves

out.

The landscapes and sets were spectacular. Contrary to the admonitions

of the critics, I'm neutral about the music.

My favorite part of the film was the portrayal of the Elves and the use

of elvish language. Tolkien himself would be proud.

As for the special effects, some worked well and some did not. Special

software was developed for the battle scenes and masses of evil

creatures. I thought that it was good, but could have been better. As

for the rest, judge for yourself.

Now to the Hobbits!!! I was extremely disappointed with the technical

use of special effects to make average size people appear to be 3-4 feet

tall. It was like watching the 1959 movie Darby O'Gill and the Little

People. The effects didn't work then and they still don't work now.

Although Elijah Wood and Astin do a good job, there are LP's that

could have done as well and been more believeable.

It appeared to me that children and possibly some LP's were used as

doubles and stand-ins, but that does little to offset the terrible use

of effects here.

Gimli, Gimli, Gimli!!! I think that Rhys-Davies is an excellent

actor. I've seen him in many other projects and have enjoyed his

performances. As Gimli, it was like watching a great actor trying to

break through the costume, they had him so covered up.

Overall, the film is worth seeing if you're a fan of LOTR, so read the

stories first.

In Love And Service,

D. Kline, aka DwarfStar

http://www.dwarfism.org