Ringers: Lord of the Fans (2005)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

...although I understand that approach entirely, "Ringers: LotF" doesn't quite reach Mount Doom to fulfill its quest. From the looks of its IMDb entry, though, it appears that many people felt the same way, despite the other blurbs you'll find here. Perhaps this is just the result of poor theatrical and video distribution, or a general waning of interest in the subject in the several years after Jackson's film trilogy swept box offices worldwide; I don't know. What I do know is that I wish this doc had been better, more willing to probe, more interested in detail and thoughtful commentary. Director Carlene "This was my calling card" Cardova and writer/director Cliff "Yeah, me, too" Broadway are obviously devotees of Tolkien and his masterwork, but in their eagerness to cover as many bases as they can, they end up with a somewhat shallow final product, or so it felt to me.In its attempt to marry the whimsical with the serious, "Ringers: LotF" somehow cheapens the widespread influence Tolkien's fantasy epic had when it was "rediscovered" in the Flower Power 60s; Monty Python-esque cartoons and bogus recreations of hippie "read-ins" just don't cut the mustard, no matter how many straightforward interview snippets with counterculture spokespersons like David "Kung-Fu" Carradine or literary mavens like Peter S. "The Last Unicorn" Beagle are shoveled into the mix. It feels like Cardova/Broadway were a little too worried about minimizing the geek factor in their peek at Tolkien fandom; their apparent desire to distance their film from *Trekkie-ness* gives the film a certain desperate veneer, as if they're somewhat embarrassed by the underlying obsessiveness of the legions of new fans spawned by the Jackson films.This is not to say "Ringers: LotF" is without merit. It does possess many charms. It's worth a watch, primarily by the legions of faithful. It seems a shame, though, that so few of those legions have bothered so far.

If you've enjoyed Lord of the Rings, you'll enjoy this look at the history of LOTR and the development of LOTR fandom. Yeah, there's a bit much focus on the folks in costume and the people who'd spend days in line to be "first" in the theater to see a movie. But there were good interviews with both random people and unexpected fans (like David Carradine and Cameron Crowe). The photography is very nicely done. There are also clever reenactments throughout. The documentary suffers a bit in the editing; some of the transitions are quite abrupt. There was also an odd contention that public appreciation of Lord of the Rings pretty much died after the infamous cartoons of the late '70s. Still, it's a fine documentary on one of the more enjoyable pop culture phenomenons of recent times.

'Ringers' is a documentary by & for fans that examines the impact that J.R.R. Tolkien and 'The Lord of the Rings' has had on popular culture. It's narrated by Dominic Monaghan ('Merry'), and takes the audience through the last 50 years, from the initial publication of the books, up through the release of the films. My favorite moments are when the filmmakers talk to ordinary, everyday fans about how Tolkien has changed their lives, but it's also cool to hear from people like David Carradine, Terry Pratchett, Cameron Crowe, and Geddy Lee of Rush. And rather than mock the fans, as 'Trekkies' did, the film celebrates them. Highly recommended!

I feel very fortunate to have seen the award winning "Ringers: Lord of the Fans" at the USA Film Festival this past Thursday. I was impressed with the amazing job they have done in making a movie that is equally appealing to die-hard fans of any generation and those only casually acquainted with Tolkien's works. The movie introduces us to the early history of Tolkien and his novels in a clever Monty Pythonesque manner. Ringer's wry, tongue-in-cheek humor had the audience erupting in fits of laughter only moments into the movie which continued all the way through to the final credits. It becomes apparent early on that the film, while very earnest about it's subject, does not take itself too seriously. The film handled the subject matter very reverently, never poking fun of the fans (or fanatics as some might think of them) but instead provided a window of opportunity for them to share their love of these timeless stories with the rest of the world. It's obvious that the film makes are, themselves, Ringers.The movie spans nearly a half-century of fandom, from the flower-empowered sixties, the groovy seventies, the radical eighties, the age of the internet in the late nineties and finally the phenomenal rebirth of interest in the LoTR world that Peter Jackson and his multi-talented crew can be credited with. It examines more than just the fans and their costumes, but the entire pop-culture that Middle Earth has inspired in several generations across the globe. Musicians such as Rush front-man Geddy Lee and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmeister discussed how the philosophy of Middle Earth inspired musicians of the past decades (as demonstrated, in part, by one very psychedelic Leonard Nemoy and the oddest "hobbits" you've ever seen.). It was also nice to hear popular modern fantasy authors Terry Brooks and Terry Pratchett respectfully acknowledge Tolkien's considerable influence as the father of modern fantasy.The interviews with fans, both in and out of costume are the true highlight of the movie, though. From the Klingon-fan spouting praises of Sauron to the 'average Joe,' each person has a reason for loving the concept of Middle Earth. Perhaps one of my favorite segments occurred during the credits, when one young man's enthusiasm for all things "Lord of the Rings" will leave you rolling on the floor with laughter. I hope that they issue a release date soon, because I know this is one movie that I will see again and again. Perhaps the only negative thing one could say about Ringers is that it was much too short. Let's hope their affiliation with PJ has instilled a healthy respect for the DVD loaded with extras, because I, for one, want more Ringers!!!!