Form Your OWN Opinion!

    People can be heavily influenced by a critic, (even by the writer of ETF,) before seeing a film. Here are reasons why you should ultimately form your OWN opinion about a film: 

• If you hear someone talking about a film that you haven't seen before, their opinion can be all you have to go on. 
• If a critic or basically whoever said that a film was bad, you're likely to watch that film with low expectations.
• Films are usually a form of art and are meant to entertain.  
•  They can also express or portray religious views and events, or other opinions about something. 
• Films can be used to inform. (Such as a documentary involving history or a problem in our world.)

     Now that you know to form your own opinion, you should also remember to kindly let others have their own opinions too:

•  Let's avoid hurting people's feelings.
• Be willing to listen to how other people feel. AKA Be open for cryin' out loud! 

• This doesn't mean you should let them change your views.  

•  If we're going to enjoy movies, let's enjoy them together! You know, as Children of God. :-)

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The Fortunes of All: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    If you thought the story of Middle Earth was over when Bilbo Baggins returned to his hole in the ground, I'm not at all sorry to tell you that this is not the case. Years after he had written The Hobbit, J.R.R Tolkien wrote a sequel called The Lord of the Rings. Starting in 2001, The Lord of the Rings was adapted (by Peter Jackson) into three films: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. I might as well tell you right now that these films are awesome and come together with the recent The Hobbit trilogy to make one of the best fantasy franchises of all time. 

    Once upon a time, the dark lord Sauron gave rings to to the leaders of the elves, dwarves, and men of Middle Earth while secretly forging a master ring to control them. The men and elves joined together and were able to defeat Sauron. But the leader of men, Isildor, refused to destroy the Ring. After he was killed, the Ring came into the possession of Gollum, a creature that used to be similar to a Hobbit but, because of the Ring, has turned into a deformed creature with a twisted body and mind. During his encounter with Bilbo Baggins, the Ring left Gollum and was found by Bilbo.  
     Now it's sixty years later. With the help of Gandalf the Grey, (a wizard,) Bilbo is able to give up the Ring and pass it to his nephew, Frodo Baggins. Gandalf and Frodo soon discover that this Ring is indeed the Ring of Power that used to belong to Sauron himself. Now they realize that because the Ring was not destroyed, Sauron survived and is now sending a group of "Ring Wraiths" after Frodo to retrieve the Ring. After a dangerous journey to the Elven land of Rivendell, (in which Frodo almost turned into a Ring Wraith,) Lord Elrond and a council consisting of the different people of Middle Earth decide that the Ring must be destroyed. In Mordor resides Mount Doom, a volcano-like mountain where Sauron forged the Ring of Power and is therefore the only place where it can be destroyed. Elrond and the council conclude that the Ring "must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." Frodo volunteers to take on this task. It is then that a man named Aragorn, Gandalf, an elf named Legolas, a dwarf named Gimli, another man named Boromir, and Frodo's Hobbit friends, Sam, Pippin, and Merry, all offer themselves up to accompany Frodo on his quest to Mordor,  forming the Fellowship of the Ring. Will Frodo succeed? Will Aragorn finally embrace his destiny as Isildor's heir? Or will the Lord of the Rings conquer all of Middle Earth? 

       While Frodo and Sam are journeying to Mordor, Pippin and Merry and traveling with an Ent named Treebeard. At this part of the story, Merry and Pippin are seeing for themselves how dangerous the world can really be. Out of the pair, Merry appears to be the most mature. He is the one that realizes that Sauron and his army could destroy the Shire, the place where they live and the home of most Hobbits. In a way, Treebeard and his fellow Ents also learn that their home in the forests could be cut down and destroyed if they don't fight back. This shows the audience that anyone's home can be effected by war, especially if it is not defended or fought for. 

       Watching these films, I noticed that the races of Middle Earth seem to represent human beings at different parts of their lives. Out in the world, the Hobbits are like children. Children are known for being innocent and sometimes afraid of the unfamiliar. The race of Hobbits rarely go out in the world and stay in the Shire. (Representing one's comfort zone.) But this doesn't stop some of the Hobbits, such as the Baggins', from being unusual. "Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn everything there is to know about them in a month; and even after one hundred years, they can still surprise you." -Gandalf. 
         Next up are the elves. Because they are immortal, they look young and sometimes think themselves better than that of the rest of the people in Middle Earth. If and when they're ever wrong about something, they may not admit it.  This might make someone think of  teens and young people in general. 
          The race of men in Middle Earth have different sides. Some are good, some are bad. The humans are seen by the other races as "weak." Mostly in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Towers, we can see the effects of the Ring on human men. As Galadriel said, "The hearts of men are easily corrupted" and that they "are so easily seduced by its power." But there are some men who were able to show great strength, such as Aragorn and Faramir of Gondor. These can be middle aged people. 
      The wizards and dwarves are like the people that have lived long and experienced much. Gandalf and the wizards are known to be wise and reasonable in the dealings of other people. Dwarves, on the other hand, can be very stubborn. All people can be stubborn, but it is not uncommon among older people. Don't get me wrong, not all are like this and we still love our old people.

        The Lord of the Rings is a story made up of different things. It's a story of strength. It's a story of love and alliances. It's a story of bravery, valor, and leadership. The life stories of different people are taking place at the same time in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As one, these stories influence each other and create "the fortunes of all." 

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