The kids are out of school (or will be, soon) and antsy. This should keep them occupied and quiet long enough for you to finish wrapping up your holiday to-do list: you can have a Lord of the Rings Instant Video movie marathon, because all three of the original movies are currently on sale to rent for just 99 cents each, through December 21.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (PG-13, 4.75/5 stars)
The film that started it all, in which young Frodo sets out on a dangerous journey to return the One Ring to the fires of Mount Doom: the place where this talisman of unspeakable evil was forged, and the only place where it can be destroyed. Accompanied by a motley crew of hobbits, humans, a dwarf and an elf, and aided by Gandalf the Gray, a wise and powerful wizard, Frodo finds he’s much braver and more resilient than he ever could’ve imagined. With elves in exodus from Middle-earth, humans scattered and leaderless, dwarves keeping to the sidelines, and Gandalf’s friend and mentor Saruman the White no longer a sure source of support, the fate of all the races of Middle-earth rest on Frodo’s small shoulders.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (PG-13, 4.75/5 stars)
The adventure continues with Frodo, his best friend Samwise Gamgee and the creature Gollom slowly and cautiously but steadily nearing Mount Doom, while the dark lord Sauron tries to seize his chance to reclaim all of Middle-earth as his own by sending his minions to attack the nearest human strongholds. The Fellowship from the first film has splintered and comrades are lost, but hope lives on in Frodo and Samwise. This film features some epic battle scenes, and introduces the fascinating Treebeard, the leader of a group of sentient trees known as the shepherds of the forest.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (PG-13, 4.75/5 stars)
The tide has turned in Middle-earth’s defense against Sauron, but victory is far from certain. As the free people of Middle-earth join forces, Sauron’s armies swell with dark creatures numbering in the tens of thousands. Mount Doom is now so close for Frodo and Samwise, but so is betrayal, at the hands of Gollum. Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the dwarf and Aragorn the human ranger soldier on, and even the hobbits Merry and Pippin are inspired to step up and join in the battle. If they can just keep the all-seeing Eye of Sauron distracted from Frodo and Sam, the One Ring may yet be destroyed, and Sauron along with it. Only then can the long-awaited heir to the throne of Gondor reclaim his birthright, and lead Middle-earth into a new era of peace and prosperity.
The Golden Compass (PG-13, 3.5/5 stars) is also being offered as a 99 cent rental through 12/21.
