Tolkien (2019)

Generally I enjoyed the movie, but if you are looking for a great many parallels between the movie imagery and the books, they are subtle. Some of the few glimpses/inspirations into his future books are: The four college friends = The four hobbits/the fellowship; his best friend is Sam; his girlfriend is Galadriel; they speak of magic and the music of language (relating most to the language of the Wood Elves); they (try to) see the Opera Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle); the gas on the battlefield is the breath of a dragon; his journey across the battlefield appears to be Mordor; the sun through the clouds is perhaps the Eye of Sauron; there are brief images in his drawings and in the clouds and smoke that appear to be the Witch-King of Angmar; possibly an Orc, or Aragorn, are on the battlefield with a sword or on a horse; you briefly see the name "Gandalf" in his writings; on his room wall are etchings of what will be Shelob and Smaug, plus runes; and he mentions "Middle Earth." He also speaks the word "Hobbit" as the last word of the movie as he writes the first sentence of the first book. That's pretty much it. I recommend for you the book "The Silmarillion" which is "J.R.R. Tolkien's tragic, operatic history of the First Age of Middle-Earth, essential background material for serious readers of the classic Lord of the Rings saga."

Tolkien is a look back at the man behind such classic fantasy stories as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and his formative years, from a young studious boy who lost both his parents early, through his struggle to survive school and WW1, his relationships with his friends and the young woman who would become the love of his life and the basis for his heroines. This is a historical drama that gives a glimpse at what made the man who would go on to make one of the most beloved book series to date. Very English and pretty interesting--but do not expect Orcs or high action here.

Erik M.