I was a huge Peter Jackson fan prior, due primarily to Meet the Feebles (still my secret guilty pleasure), and it was just so bizarre to see him move from low budget camp like MTF and Dead Alive, to a $300million dollar massive endeavor.<p>From my very limited experience as a DP on several friends low budget films, the organizational efforts to produce a film the size of LOTR is lightyears beyond films like MTF. Of course later films like The Frighteners or Heavenly Creatures probably helped him build up to being able to manage that.
The article glaringly omits the fact that Peter Jackson had to sue New Line to get the proceeds from the film as he was grossy underpaid due to hollywood accounting tricks/fraud that claimed there wasn't that much profit. [1]<p>No doubt variety.com don't want to remind us that their content sources (the studios) can be dodgy as whenever they can get away with it.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/business/media/the-lawsuit-of-the-rings.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/business/media/the-lawsui...</a>
Reminds me of a similar retrospective with the same premise:<p>"Peter Jackson’s <i>LOTR</i> Was an Improbable Miracle, and We’re Lucky to Have It"<p><a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2020/03/peter-jacksons-lotr-was-an-improbable-miracle-and.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2020/03/peter-jackson...</a>
For me the most memorable parts of these films are the amazing prosthetics and makeup that Weta Workshop created, especially the orcs. They are so well done and give the films such a realistic quality.<p>When I first saw these films in theatre as a teenager I remember being blown away by all of the CGI which was obviously great for its time, but nowadays I appreciate these and the other practical effects so much more. The various videos Adam Savage has made on his Tested channel with Weta Workshop are great as well, I can't recommend them enough to anyone interested in this type of thing.
When I watch movies like this I absolutely dig the scenery ang general graphical quality. As for the rest, I just do not pay attention. Same as for many songs. I like the melody, voices, arrangement but I do not really listen to words. The minute I do it'll ruin the piece.
I read the article and still don't know the answer to the titular question. Why exactly was LOTR risky? Just because it was high budget and Jackson wasn't proven yet?
> Sean Connery was also considered for Gandalf<p>Can you imagine how bad that would have been?<p>Sche wishard isch never late, Frodo Bagginsch, nor isch he early. He arrivesch preschischely when he meansch to.
I just finished watching these movies for the first time literally hours ago.<p>They are beautiful visually but fail on every level of storytelling.<p>The whole movie was long flowing landscape shots with music swells and battles that were boring.<p>There was no discernible plot, just elves walking and occasionally running or flying in the forest, or a field sometimes. The world failed to establish any rules or explain itself adequately.<p>The movie lurched from set piece to set piece and lacked the connective tissue of storytelling.<p>In the modern vernacular, the whole movie is payoffs with no setups.<p>Go ahead, burn my account down :-)