Tolkien

Hoult and Collins are likable enough in the centerpiece roles, but this polite, cautious biopic can't compare with the real-life imagination that brought about Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and the rest. Perhaps screenwriters David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford and director Dome Karukoski took on a little too much material with Tolkien -- the war, the romance, and the friendships -- or focused on the wrong places (the film only marginally explores the actual writing of The Hobbit). The war footage is numbingly typical, with the same rattling explosions and muddy splotches on actors' faces. Maybe less time could have been devoted to that and more to Tolkien's friendships.

The latter certainly seem to have been important to him, but given the long period of time the movie covers, the various actors playing the key roles at different ages, and the limited amount of time viewers spend with them, they never come to life; if anything, they seem rather interchangeable. But the scenes between Tolkien and Edith are often charming, and Collins is given more to do than this kind of biopic love-interest role usually provides; Edith challenges Tolkien and gets him thinking in fresh ways. What's more, she seems to have her own likes, wants, and aspirations. It's too bad the film couldn't have zeroed in on just their relationship. Or perhaps Tolkien's two hours just aren't enough to tell the life story of someone with so much to say.