Tolkien, the long anticipated film depicting the journey of the world-renowned author of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”, fell short in encapsulating the true essence of J.R.R Tolkien’s life story. Through telling the story of a young orphan who comes out of poverty and the horrors of war, the movie shows Tolkien, played by Nicholas Hoult, transform into a highly successful fiction author. The movie blends the real life and the fantasy world inside Tolkien’s head, and forcefully emphasizes how each event in Tolkien’s life became the inspiration for an iconic scene in one of his famous novels. 

Ironically, the movie managed to portray the life of one of the most imaginative and creative minds of our generation in a rather stagnant and bland way. The movie had great potential and could have taken a whimsical approach in portraying the creative author’s life, but instead opted to chronical Tolkien’s life in a rigid fashion. Nicholas Hoult is a terrific actor that undoubtedly put in a lot of effort into starring in the film, but it seemed as though his creative interpretation of the role was stifled by the lackluster plotline and script. 

The film begins in the chaotic trenches of World War 1, where teenage Tolkien is running desperately as explosions and bullets rain down on the battlefield. The scenes were choppy and schizophrenic, jumping back and forth between Tolkien’s  schooldays and the dreadful time he spent in the trenches of the Battle of the Somme in World War 1.

As he spends his time in the trenches, Tolkien, who had a love for fantasy from a young age, dreams up some of the scenes from the books he has not written yet. The film attempts to draw other parallels between his childhood and his novels that are equally forced. 

However, certain scenes in the film manage to strike a delicate balance of cinematic and emotional appeal while staying true to the author’s real life. In a quirky scene where Tolkien stumbles upon his true love Edith, played by Lily Collins, he flirts with a language he makes up, that later becomes the Elvish language found in “The Lord of the Rings”. 

The best scene from the film is when Tolkien meets three of his fellow classmates, all nerdy and like minded, and forms a society, coined the Tea Club and Barrovian Society. Several scenes with secret meetings of the society show Tolkien and his friends discussing interesting topics, testing each other’s knowledge, and drinking lots of tea. 

Overall, although the movie accurately described Tolkien’s life, it lacked the human spirit and imagination so characteristic of the great author.