Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Tolkien’ is More than Just a Standard Biopic

REVIEW: ‘Tolkien’ is More than Just a Standard Biopic

Collier "CJ" JenningsBy Collier "CJ" Jennings05/09/20194 Mins ReadUpdated:08/09/2021
Tolkien
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien has long been famous for penning his Middle Earth series, which includes The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. But Tolkien, the biopic from Fox Searchlight and director Dome Karukoski turns its focus on the author’s early years, specifically his teens and early twenties before his fantasy world took the world by storm.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Tolkien eschews the linear narrative that most biopics take, intercutting between Tolkien’s school years and the time he spent at the Battle of Somme during World War I.  When his father dies in South Africa and his mother passes away shortly after, Tolkien and his younger brother end up in the care of Father Francis (Colm Meaney) and sent to the prestigious King Edward’s school in Britain. While there, Tolkien meets Geoffrey Bach Smith (Anthony Boyle), Christopher Weisman (Tom Glynn-Carney), and Robert Q. Gilson (Patrick Gibson) , becoming fast friends and form the Tea Club and Barovian Society (T.C.B.S. for short). Later on, an older Tolkien (Nicolas Hoult) struggles with his desire to attend Oxford and his budding romance with fellow boarder Edith (Lily Collins) as Father Francis feels she is interfering with his schoolwork.

Tolkien’s major strength is its cast, particularly the chemistry between Hoult and Collins. Hoult plays Tolkien as a brilliant, yet awkward young man obsessed with language in all its forms. That obsession is what stokes the fire of his creativity, as he frantically scribbles drawings and stories in his notebook. Collins plays Edith as a love interest and the foil to Tolkien.

She challenges him, she urges him to break out of his comfort zone, and she is just as eager to pursue her passion for music as he is to pursue his studying. During a scene where Tolkien takes Edith backstage because he cannot afford seats to a Wagner opera, she pulls on one of the costumes and tries her own impression at singing, and he eventually joins in. It’s not hard to see why they fell for and eventually married each other.

I wish the same treatment had been afforded to the members of the T.C.B.S. Though their personalities are spelled out in broad strokes, with Weisman playing the jester, Smith recalcitrant about his poetry and Gilson struggling to live up to his father’s expectations. That being said, we rarely see them in the film unless they’re with Tolkien. These were his friends, they inspired him, he even calls them a “Fellowship.” I’d have liked to see more of that-especially as they all ended up enlisting in WWI.

Speaking of fellowship, as expected there are several references to Tolkien’s body of work. These homages are at their best during the WWI portions of the film, as Karukoski and cinematographer Lasse Frank transform the horrors of war into the fiery landscape of Mordor. Enemy soldiers transform into Ringwraiths and in the smoke and flames the figures of Smaug, the Balrog, and Sauron. It’s hauntingly beautiful, and viewers won’t be able to tear their eyes away from the screen.

The rest of the references don’t land as gracefully, mainly because they feel less like something that happened in real life and more like screenwriters David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford saying “Hey this guy wrote Lord of the Rings!” Tolkien grousing to Edith that “it shouldn’t take six hours to tell a story about a ring” when discussing Wagner is clever. But the soldier who attends to Tolkien in the trenches being named Sam is a stretch too far.

Despite some heavy-handed references to the Middle Earth books, Tolkien is a well-acted and well-directed film that sheds some light on one of the most beloved authors who ever lived.

Tolkien is playing nationwide in select theaters.

Tolkien
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Despite some heavy-handed references to the Middle Earth books, Tolkien is a well-acted and well-directed film that sheds some light on one of the most beloved authors who ever lived.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Gears of War: Hivebusters,’ Issue 1
Next Article Customization Coming to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Collier "CJ" Jennings
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)

Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.

Related Posts

Superman Saves a Kid in Superman (2025)
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Superman (2025)’ Is Wonderful And Flawed, Just Like He Is

07/08/2025
The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Alice In Borderland Season 3 promotional key image News

Netflix Announces Alice in Borderland Season 3 for September 25 Premiere

By But Why Tho?07/08/2025

Netflix has announced that the highly anticipated Alice in Borderland Season 3 will premiere on…

Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

Superman Saves a Kid in Superman (2025)
7.0
Film

REVIEW: ‘Superman (2025)’ Is Wonderful And Flawed, Just Like He Is

By Jason Flatt07/08/2025Updated:07/08/2025

Superman (2025) is wonderful and flawed, just like the Man of Steel himself, as Lex Luthor devises a convoluted plot to kill Superman.

Nintendo Switch 2 product keyart
8.5
Product Review

PRODUCT REVIEW: A Month With The Switch 2 And It’s Still The Best Console Nintendo Has Released

By Kate Sánchez07/08/2025Updated:07/08/2025

After a month with the Nintendo Switch 2, the Joy-Con 2 is a standout, and the accessibility I found, even unintentional means a lot.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here