Tolkien

PG-13

Released May 10, 2019

1 hr. 52 min.

Biography

History

Drama

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List

51%

198 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As a young student, J.R.R. Tolkien finds love, friendship and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts. Their brotherhood soon strengthens as Tolkien weathers the storm of a tumultuous courtship with Edith Bratt and the outbreak of World War I. These early life experiences later inspire the budding author to write the classic fantasy novels "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."

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Critics Consensus

Tolkien has the period trappings and strong performances of a worthy biopic, but lacks the imagination required to truly do its subject justice.

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Pablo A

I wanted to love this movie. Having the chance to portray one of the most important writers of all time this movie felt flat. Feeling like nothing happened during the run time. Is it a love story, a friendship, an origin? Important things in Tolkien life but it dragged to long to ultimately lead nowhere. It makes it harder to understand how this person came up with one of the most extraordinary and detailed universes ever created other than random visions during the war. Sadly it doesn't make him any justice to the author nor the audience that is looking to know more about the person behind their beloved world. Just a big pile of nothing. Only the performances and picture is worth the watch.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/29/23

Full Review

Kyle M

Reasonably not endorsed, the artistic license here mainly complements Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth adaptations with uncovered roots building up similar imagery that feeds the admired mindsets perceptively defining his legacy. Admittedly true, the criticism advocating inner accuracy shows there's more to his story than the main linkages. Standard biopic without fully distinguishing the subject above the presented name, but intricately built in the well-cast, committed performances depicting passionate connections albeit soulfully enjoying themselves under characteristic appeals. Even if dampened by inaccurate belief, the film ought to satisfy those who enjoyed the adaptations of his works by thematic summaries. (B+)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Joy P

I loved this movie. It had a slow calm pace but it stayed entertaining. To be honest I had no idea who Tolkien was, so the ending was a surprise for me which i think made the movie much better. The movie was clean, no sex, vulgarity, or liberal agenda. Which is super refreshing. There are some drunken scenes and war scenes but overall it makes it a good family movie for children who are 10 and up, any younger than that it might be a little too boring and dialog might be difficult to follow.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

Full Review

Morgan H

This one flew under my radar until just recently. I love Tolkiens stories so I was a bit shocked I hadn't heard about this movie when it came out. I read some of his life story online and thought I knew the whole thing, but I don't think I truly understood it. The movie made me feel happy and sad at the same time. The acting was well done the music was a great match for the cinematography and the story telling by the director was well executed. When I saw the box office numbers I was shocked at how low it was. In my opinion the movie does what a movie should do. It made me invest in the outcome and feel something more than a brief reprieve from boredom. I do recommend the movie to those that are fans of his works.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

Full Review

Marcus H

Powerful and extremely moving. Well written and all round perfect performances. Movies like this give me some hope there is still some good left in Hollywood, when all else is failing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/21/23

Full Review

tony c

Seriously love this film, could have been more in-depth though hence 4 n half stars, but it really is genuinely good wasn't Tolkien such a genius and years ahead of his time .

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/07/23

Full Review

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Dome Karukoski

Director

Nicholas Hoult

J.R.R. Tolkien

Lily Collins

Edith Bratt

Colm Meaney

Father Francis

Derek Jacobi

Professor Wright

Anthony Boyle

Geoffrey Smith

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Tolkien: Trailer 2

2:06

Tolkien: Trailer 1

0:55

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Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

Tolkien is innocuous but uninspiring.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 21, 2019

Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

Fans of Tolkien's writing probably won't discover anything new about the man from this film and the attempts to turn the Somme battlefield into a sort of fiery Middle Earth look painfully contrived. This is a minor biography of a major writer.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 14, 2019

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The film looks great, a polished period piece, but the pedigree is ragged... The result is polite, plodding and unconvincing, like most movies about famous writers.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 12, 2019

Full Review

John Brhel

Vague Visages

Great set design, solid acting and stunning cinematography. It offers insight into the genesis of Tolkien’s stories and will likely be of interest to casual fans. But it’s fairly standard biopic fare that unfortunately only skims the surface...

Jun 5, 2023

Full Review

Collier Jennings

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

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.

Rated: 8

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

The Tolkien family has renounced the film not, one imagines, because it paints an unflattering portrait of its subject but because, by and large, it's a standard look at a man who is anything but ordinary.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 31, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

As a young student, J.R.R. Tolkien finds love, friendship and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts. Their brotherhood soon strengthens as Tolkien weathers the storm of a tumultuous courtship with Edith Bratt and the outbreak of World War I. These early life experiences later inspire the budding author to write the classic fantasy novels "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."

Director: Dome Karukoski
Screenwriter: David Gleeson, Stephen Beresford
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Chernin Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sequences of War Violence)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 10, 2019, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.5M

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