Tolkien is a theatrical attempt to tell the life story and inspiration of arguably the greatest fantasy writer to ever create a magical world. Tolkien uses great acting and imaginative cinematography to show the amazing life the author had and how it inspired a world that will be known and loved for generations to come. Many have studied this man’s life and his biography is not hard to find, but Tolkien emotionally tethers you to a child scarred by hardships. You watch as the child grows and is influenced into the writer he eventually becomes.

Nicholas Hoult does a great job at portraying the young author as an imaginative introvert obsessed with words. Despite being an introvert, Hoult does a good job of portraying the subtle emotions of Tolkien. From the times he opens himself up to love or is being inspired by his surroundings and situations, Hoult portrays these moments in a manner that truly feels natural. Lily Collins (Edith Bratt) play Tolkien’s love interest, and at times muse. She does a wonderful job at taking the introverted Tolkien and exposing him to the vulnerabilities of life and love. Together on screen they make a great pair and do a good job of attaching you to their story. Another notable performance came from the young actor who plays Tolkien as a young adult. Harry Gilby portrays the younger, grief ridden and extremely intelligent Tolkien as his life shifts into a world where he is an outsider. The subtle emotion and mannerisms used by the young actor to portray a quiet young man that spends more time in his head than he does acknowledging the world around him was excellent. True quality performances from the entire cast makes this movie one of this years best.

Aside from phenomenal acting and a life story that is truly amazing, it is the cinematography that pushes Tolkien into greatness. The way they use war, love, and comradery while visually showing you inspiration for the stories we love is amazing. It is not done in a way that blatantly sticks out but in a subtle way that is a backdrop of the main story. You can visually see the inspiration without it being the main focus of the shot. During war scenes you can see the inspiration for Mordor and Sauron without ever taking the focus off the torment of war that Tolkien survived. You can watch him build friendships with schoolmates that will inspire the fellowship without losing focus of the real life relationships he was forming. Tolkien is an amazing movie that anyone who has enjoyed his works should view. It truly gives you a greater understanding of how his work isn’t just a story he thought up, but was a story he put his life into which is why his words will live on for many more generations.