A look at the formative years of J.R.R.
Prior to the release of Tolkien, an article appeared in the trades stating how the estate of the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien were opposed to the film version of their famous relative and had not given their approval of it, nor seen the finished version. It was a strong blow to a film made with the kind of careful production detail aiming for critical acclaim and perhaps, awards glory. In a certain time, with a different approach, such a notion might’ve been well-founded. However, with a somewhat trite script and a scatterbrained feel, Tolkien only partly succeeds thanks to a shared commitment by its cast and a director who knows when to let his movie’s characters actually talk to one another.
Focusing on his formative years, Tolkien stars Nicholas Hoult as the titular figure in this retelling of the various crucial events of his life, including becoming orphaned, discovering a passion for language, fighting in WWI, developing a close friendship with his schoolmates (Patrick Gibson, Anthony Boyle, Tom Glynn-Carney) and a deep romance for the lovely Edith (Lily Collins); all of which played a part in his becoming perhaps the greatest fantasy writer of all time.
Any biopic is only as interesting as the life that’s led and only comes off as diverting by the way it’s executed. Because of this, Tolkien only manages to succeed at times due to an unfocused nature its makers are never able to fully overcome. The main problem with the film is that it attempts to aim a glowing spotlight on too many elements. As a film, Tolkien can’t quite work out what the crux of it is; instead providing its audience with a series of moments prompting those watching it to think: “Okay! Now HERE is where the movie gets going!” Tolkien never truly reaches that point, aiming to be a love story, a tale of friendship and a young man discovering his academic and creative passions with a harrowing WWI experience interspersed throughout. But the film does show a few attributes, particularly in the emotional investment it gives its characters and their interrelationships. Every moment played out between the young Tolkien and someone important to him in his life is given the kind of care and devotion that foregoes any swift plot turn or chronicled milestone in the future author’s life. It’s that choice on behalf of the filmmakers to show how the people from Tolkien’s past helped make him the genius he was that makes the film worth seeking out.
At the root of the problem keeping Tolkien from reaching its full potential as a biopic is the struggle it has existing in a place somewhere between grandness and intimacy. The question as to which one would have worked better, I don’t dare argue. However, there does seem to be a greater prestige or majesty that the film seems to be going for that is all at once shot down by the reality of its budgetary limitations. This is especially true in the scenes showing Tolkien at war searching for his closest friend whom he fears has died. Watching him move through the trenches as he battles fever is the kind of sequence that can best be described as Saving Private Ryan– lite. Perhaps if someone like Steven Spielberg had gotten ahold of Tolkien as a project, he would have managed a kind of sweeping, grandiose exploration into the future author’s early life, deftly illuminating to his legions of fans the very events which made him who he was. Director Dome Karukoski tries, but is a tad out of his league here, perhaps feeling the weight of importance in bringing Tolkien’s life story to the screen, opting for quiet character-driven scenes when his attempts at something bigger fails. Luckily for him however, he manages to make most of these scenes work.
Tolkien contains within it a collection of great performances, especially in the two leads. Both Hoult and Collins share superb chemistry together making sure their characters are seen as real people as opposed to just figures in a costume drama. Hoult especially succeeds by playing the truth of Tolkien’s journey and never once coming off as if influenced by the legend of the literary titan he would eventually become. If only their work, and the work from the assortment of top British character actors supporting them (Colm Meaney, Derek Jacobi and Pam Ferris), would have had a more sharply honed film in which to exist.
At the risk of not giving Tolkien enough credit, I should point out that the film is one of the most visually appealing of the year so far, earning top marks for its costumes and production design. There are some magical touches as well in the battle scenes featuring a fever-hazed Tolkien experiencing a series of surreal visions which he would later use for inspiration. It’s actually one of the few nods to the books he would later write. The film makes the incredibly wise move to not check off or force feed references to any of the works Tolkien would eventually write, earning a credibility which carries it further than was probably intended. Some may walk away from Tolkien upset at the fact that there isn’t more references to the literary lore which immortalized the man himself. Yet that was never what the movie was about. Like most biopics, Tolkien exists as a movie about a life that was lived; and despite any of the film’s shortcomings, it was a life very much worth exploring.