Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => Art and Literature for Catholics => Topic started by: Matthew on October 22, 2023, 12:39:47 PM
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Are there any good Trad Catholic reviews of "Tolkien (2019)"?
I think I heard of it once in the past few years, but I was recently made aware (again?) of the Tolkien biopic, released in 2019.
It's a biographical dramatization of parts of Tolkien's life.
I know how to use Google, and there are many reviews of the film. But who cares what the New York Times or Roger Ebert thinks about a movie like this? For example, if it had tons of Catholicism in it, they'd give it "two thumbs down". If it portrayed a time period that wasn't Woke, they'd hate it. And so on.
Hence my question -- have any CATHOLICS reviewed this film? Those whose opinions I'd value MORE than the garbage I burn on a daily basis?
I also know very little about J.R.R. Tolkien aside from the fact that he was Catholic, a philologist, and he created a great fantasy universe -- mostly as a framework or excuse to create his fictional languages. I am coming into this with almost zero knowledge, so I seek the input of others on how good or bad this particular movie is.
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This looks to be pretty good, Matthew.
https://www.teawithtolkien.com/blog/tolkien-film
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This looks to be pretty good, Matthew.
https://www.teawithtolkien.com/blog/tolkien-film
I did a search for "Catholic", and came up with this diddy:
Yet, this movie distills the presence of the Catholic faith in Tolkien's life to something that was partially a necessity of custom and partially a burden he wishes to be rid of.
Yeah, I don' think I'll see it.
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Yes, I saw that review. I’m not a Tolkien fan. I was primarily looking for a review that covered the film pretty thoroughly. Basically, the review I posted said the same.
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My daughter and I watched this recently. I did not know what to expect, but it was a pleasant surprise considering most movies today. I found it well filmed, good costuming, decent acting. The film did a good job portraying friendships and the devastation of war and loss, and how that formed a basis for his stories. The biggest disappointment was, of course, that Tolkien's faith was completely non-existent. Not just his faith, but faith of any kind. Even the priest who was his guardian was just a figure in a cassock.
It was enjoyable as far as it went, but I would certainly appreciate something that truly explores his religious thinking and how that it represented in his works.
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I saw it in the theater with my dad. If you like Tolkein, it's a good movie. It's a bit slow, I'd say, and I'm not a fan of war movies, so the parts about World War I did not appeal to me. On the other hand, it gives a beautiful image of Edwardian England and the civilization that had existed for nearly two millennia prior that was destroyed by World War I.
A lot of the movie, as I recall, is about Tolkein hanging out with his friends drinking tea in a bar that no longer exists, in a picturesque London neighborhood. My recollections about the movie honestly are pretty vague.
Nothing really objectionable from a 6th/9th point of view that I recall. If you like Tolkein, I'd say give it a shot. There's not much to lose. You can probably stream it on Amazon for three dollars.
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Another interesting review, though the reviews given by those here who have seen the film are probably the best.
https://www.heritage.org/religious-liberty/commentary/tolkien-paints-vivid-picture-writers-life-ignores-his-faith
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https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2019/05/tolkien-movie-apology-joseph-pearce.html (https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2019/05/tolkien-movie-apology-joseph-pearce.html)