Mid-term writing test - #3

Since decades now, many visionary filmmakers have tried to upgrade the scale and realism of special effects in fantasy or science-fiction movies. James Cameron (The Terminator, Avatar), Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) or George Lucas (Star Wars) are among this class of visually ambitious film directors, but one of the better examples of recent years is with no doubt Peter Jackson. His rendition of the J.R.R. Tolkien "Lord of the Rings saga" and the reinvention of the "King Kong" story are both narratively and technically amazing achievements. As these movies showed, Peter Jackson is one of the modern masters of fantasy and special effects.

First of all, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is now undeniably a landmark in the history of special effects. Its complex technology helped to develop later films, such as "Avatar", in terms of perfprmance capture realism. Cameron didn't reinvent the wheel; he simply embelished it. Jackson started to work on this trilogy fifteen years ago, in 1995, when visual effects where still far less advanced than the ones we see today. The first part of the trilogy exceeded any possible expectations concerning its visual power and audacity, and made a major step forward in this domain of film. The effects employed are still highly consistent today, and are going to be for a long time. Tolkien's literary universe is a vast one, and Jackson and his crew achieved the impossible by transposing that complexity on the screen. That accomplishment is due to the great storytelling aspects of the film, but also because of its groundbreaking visual and sound techniques. They were seeking for more than standard summer fare. And they suceeded royally.

After the revolution of the "Lord of the Rings" saga, Jackson came up with an even bigger and riskier project: a remake of "King Kong". The 1933 version is by itself a highlight in the history of special effects, and is one of the first films that was using them in the majority of its frames. One could almost say the same about Jackson's highly upgraded version, which used computer-generated imagery and performance-capture technology more convincingly than any other film of its time. King Kong was played by Andrew Serkis (who also played Gollum in "LOTR"), who made the ape's movements as authentic and realistic as they could have been. This requires a strong physical presence from the actor and visually persuasive computer techniques. With the three "LOTR" films and his updated take on "King Kong", Peter Jackson easily deserves the title of one of the most visually inventive filmmakers of all time, a cinematic magician who astonishes the audience with great flair and facility.