For nearly over two decades now, Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsfilms have remained relevant and especially popular among fans of fantasy films. Beyond already being based on Tolkien’s vivid and imaginative stories, Jackson breathed them to life with a level of quality that has been unmatched by other fantasy movies.
Jackson seems to have an impeccable talent for creating magnificent, yet believable worlds and characters, as can be seen in theLord of the Ringsfilms. However, what makes these movies stand out against other fantasy storylines of the time is how much attention to detailJackson put into balancing Tolkien’s voicewith his own, and getting unique creatures and places as a result.
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With the current release of Amazon’sRings of Power, and the new (and in some ways improved) elements that it brings to Middle Earth, some viewers are asking what made Jackson’s films so great in the first place. The answer simply comes down to timing and vision. While theRings of Powerhas proven to be a phenomenal addition to theLord of the Ringsworld, it still may not have the impact that Jackson’s films had. In part,that is because of formatting– one adaptation being films, and the other being a television series. The other part is that the voices behind each storyline reflect the times that they belong to.
So whether you’re aLord of the Ringsfan that prefers the movies, or one that prefers the show, there’s no denying that Jackson’s work created immense success for the franchise, which is why there was such a demand to make the show in the first place. If Jackson’s films had not been made, it’s still possible thata show or movie set in that worldwould come about, but there’s no guarantee it would have had the influential status that Peter’s movies had, and still have.
So what is it about Jackson’s voice that made him so well-equipped to tell the tales of Middle Earth? One might assume that he had years of experience writing fantasy before he approached these films, but that’s actually not the case. Though Jackson was a Tolkien fan long before making his movies, he had to take a less traditional route to getting them made.
Peter Jackson began his career in the 80s, making films that eitherfell under the horror or comedy genres. His early work was not without success, as he slowly made his way up the ladder and even managed to win a few awards. The film that turned his career around was the 1994 feature,Heavenly Creatures, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best original Screenplay. Yet, even the success of his first film was setting him up for something more.
After proving himself through the praise thatHeavenly Creaturesreceived, Jackson gained himself his first big budget project, which turned out to beThe Frighteners. Completed in 1996, the horror comedy,The Frighteners, came to be themovie that really put Jackson on the mapas a filmmaker, despite being a box office failure. Jackson initially received a lot of criticism for the film, but he stood his ground and kept pursuing new opportunities to prove himself. He found that opportunity when he won the rights to Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsstory in 1997. The disappointment that Jackson felt after the failure withThe Frightenersis what pushed him to prove himself by seeking out a story that was big enough to stand out, and big enough of a challenge for him to prove his skills as a filmmaker.
Of course,obtaining the rights to the storywasn’t the biggest part of the challenge, as Jackson knew what his vision for the storyline was but struggled to find producers that would fund his particular vision of the films. Many of them felt that for cost’ sake, the story should be captured in 1-2 films, but Jackson knew to do justice to the story would require more time. His struggle finally had a light at the end of the tunnel, but it wasn’t over yet.
Finally, Jackson would land on New Lineto fund the filmbecause they encouraged him to write the story as a trilogy. The entire sequence of production and pre-production (including some additional shooting) took around two years to complete, revealing just how much effort he put into proving his worth and adjusting his reputation, and it obviously paid off for him.
As we all know, theLord of the Ringstrilogy was a huge success, probably even more successful than anticipated. This shot Jackson’s career upward, and it didn’t really slow back down. After this, the list of films that Jackson made were consistently paced, bigmovies that were mostly received with praise. EvenThe Frighteners, the film that drove Jackson to strive for more, has since gone on to gain a cult following, with many viewers claiming to actually quite like the film, despite its disappointing box office numbers. This certainly goes to show that even if a creator’s work isn’t well-received, it’s their determination and acceptance of who they are that truly determines what their success will be.
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