And Aragorn had not yet come of age... and the Hobbits had not yet made Gandalf's acquaintance... and Sauron had begun searching for the Ring of Power thinking it was in the hands of humankind... and Elron, King of the Elves, had begun to foresee danger in the near future for Isildor's heirs... Sauron had begun to rally the orcs to conduct raids looking for the Ring. Aragorn had not yet been born. Arathorn, his father, had not yet wed, but the small band of human settlers, trying to stay ahead of orc raiders, were under the protection of the rangers led by him, a mighty warrior and expert leader.
So begins this story, marvelously portrayed, in Born of Hope. For a movie made entirely with private funding, it is truly extraordinary. There is little I can add to the excellent reviews posted by others. I have seen other fantasy movies, made with low budgets, from productions in Czech Republic, Italy, and other places, with more buying power, I must add, that do not portray this much care and beauty in a film of such a complex nature. I was surprised to see how they made it even look "expensive", a la Lord of the Rings, which added to the overall enjoyment of the same.
Of course, one cannot expect any impressive special effects, or big armies, or fancy castles or architecture. The battle featured with the troll wasn't too gripping or exciting, but perhaps that was the best to be had, so one cannot really find fault with that. Arathorn was an impressive fighter! I could not help notice how they carefully prepared those battle sequences. I think Peter Jackson would be proud, and with good reason.
Despite its short duration, the movie feels much longer, and every minute was worth it. So get dressed, invite your sweetheart or friend, drive to the theatre and get some popcorn. Be prepared to relive Lord of the Rings all over again, only this time, pre-Fellowship of the Ring!
So begins this story, marvelously portrayed, in Born of Hope. For a movie made entirely with private funding, it is truly extraordinary. There is little I can add to the excellent reviews posted by others. I have seen other fantasy movies, made with low budgets, from productions in Czech Republic, Italy, and other places, with more buying power, I must add, that do not portray this much care and beauty in a film of such a complex nature. I was surprised to see how they made it even look "expensive", a la Lord of the Rings, which added to the overall enjoyment of the same.
Of course, one cannot expect any impressive special effects, or big armies, or fancy castles or architecture. The battle featured with the troll wasn't too gripping or exciting, but perhaps that was the best to be had, so one cannot really find fault with that. Arathorn was an impressive fighter! I could not help notice how they carefully prepared those battle sequences. I think Peter Jackson would be proud, and with good reason.
Despite its short duration, the movie feels much longer, and every minute was worth it. So get dressed, invite your sweetheart or friend, drive to the theatre and get some popcorn. Be prepared to relive Lord of the Rings all over again, only this time, pre-Fellowship of the Ring!