Alone
Perched on the edge of a shelf
Blackness engulfs me
Nothing but the winds whispers
and snippits of illusions
pass me by
Alone
the voices of the past
whipping by me to faint nothing
visions
fleeting to illusions
dance beyond my reach
I grasp
but they fade away
Alone
I hear the visions anew
tangible and palatable
approaching
different but reassuring
I wait, a moment
visions fade to illusions
and like dust
the wind whipping by
takes them away
Alone
I go whipping by you
the wind carries me like dust
all you see is an illusion
I whispers words, but I am gone
you reach, then forget
Alone
No film is perfect. There never has been one, just as there has never been a perfect piece of music, or a perfect painting. Return of the King is no exception. The entire trilogy however is something that I am still awed by. It was nearly three years ago to the day (it may actually be the day now that I think about it) when I went to the theatre to see Fellowship. I remember being awestruck by the opening prologue, but that's not what hit me, that's not what sent me to the floor in wonder. It was the scene with Gandalf on the wagon, and Frodo leaping into his arms with joy, it was them pulling up to Bagend that did it. It wasn't a flashy scene, there were special effects, but not like there would be later in that movie, or in the other films.
Why did that scene nearly bring me to tears. Because what I had been waiting for since the age of eleven was finally happening. I was watching the Lord of the Rings on a movie screen. The images in my head were coming to life. Jackson actually did it, would he be able to continue? He did. Extended editions, the next installments of the film. Now I have to wait eleven months for the last extended edition, but the final film is is flickering on movie screens across the world. Garauntee it's playing even as I type this, as you read it. I've been awed by it. There was a sense of joy in the Two Towers as Gandalf reappears to Aaragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. My heart soared as the beacons were lit in Return of the King. I pittied Gollum, just as Frodo did, and hated him as Sam.
Though Jackson's films aren't competely true to the books, they capture the spirit, they capture the graduer and they capture the sense of wonder and achievement the books do. I watch those movies, I believe in Middle Earth, I believe in the Shire and I want so badly to go there myself or return anew. Though the movies aren't perfect, they are, and should be hailed as spectacular achievements. Because they are. There is music now too. Themes for the Shire, the Elves, the Dwarves, Rohan, and Gondor, even Mordor and Orthanc have their own themes. Oh how I want to go back.
It has been said, and rumored that New Line is trying to get the rights to film the Hobbit. Jackson has said that he'd like to do it, after King Kong and a vacation. One last forray into Middle Earth. It would be the last, because the histories, which the Simalrallion is part of, would be too difficult to do. It would be a documentary, not an epic film adventure like Lord of the Rings is. I certainly hope they are able to do it.
The question is: "What now?" Now that I've seen it, now that the epic is over. What do I have to look forward to in film. Well there's Spiderman 2, but that's spinning off the first film, as is the X-men. There are alot of potentially awesome films coming out over the next year, but what? What's going to capture my thoughts, my mind, and my heart lke Lord of the Rings did. Like Lord of the Rings did to so many people?
The Prydain Chronicles, another fantasy series I'd love to see as a film. Disney made a terrible adaptation of the second installment of it about twenty years ago, The Black Cauldron. Don't be misled by Disney, filmmakers made a crappy version of Lord of the Rings thirty years ago, they were able to sweep it under the rug. The Prydain chronicles could be the next thing from my youth I'd want to recapture. If they would be willing to sell the rights, or do a good job of it. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is being made right now. There's another thing.
Or perhaps we shouldn't fuss and just let sleeping dogs lie. Whatever comes next, I will be marveled by it just as I am with Lord of the Rings. Until that time....
Thank you Mr. Jackson. You did it. You did it right. And we, the fans, appreciate it.
Thank you.
