The Tolkien Biopic Is Just <em>Lord of the Rings </em>References
A new movie about the beloved author overlooks interesting details of his life in favor of drawing obvious connections to his influences.
Too often, a biographical drama about the life of a famous author boils down to a rote depiction of literary influences. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s life story is perfectly fascinating in its own right: Orphaned at the age of 12, he grew up a star scholarship student with a passion for linguistics, fought in World War I (including the historically bloody Battle of the Somme), and survived to become a noted academic. But , Dome Karukoski’s new film about the writer’s young life, exists only. Thus its entire narrative purpose is to check off every detail in the budding author’s life that had some bearing on his work.
