The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy -- The Exhibition

If ever there was a movie deserved its own museum exhibit it is ?Lord of the Rings,? the trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson, that turned J.R.R. Tolkein?s fantasies into engrossing 11-hour epic. The movies, made at a cost of some nearly $300 million, showed how a creative vision can be realized through state-of-the-art technology that made Middle Earth, with its varied creatures and locales, into a vivid cinematic fantasy.

One reason the films are so unique is that Jackson had the creative vision to film them in their entirety over an 18-month time span, which was a huge gamble for New Line Cinema who released mammoth project as separate films over a three year period. If the first had failed, the film company would have been stuck with a failure of epic proportions. Jackson?s vision, though, succeeded brilliantly; and interests in the movies grew over the years, culminating with an Oscar win for the third installation, ?The Return of the King,? which was as much a validation of all three films by the Hollywood establishment. The worldwide gross, by the way, is close to $3 billion.

Interest in the films obviously hasn?t waned, which has no doubt prompted the exhibit, developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in partnership with New Line Cinema, that offers the opportunity to view hundreds of pieces of memorabilia, as well as participate in some inter-active activities that replicate some of the special effects from the film.

The scale of the exhibit, nicely laid-out in a spacious, if cave-like space, is immediately apparent by a 20-foot high cave Troll and Goblin sculpture that greets viewers upon entry. The hulking figure, the largest in the exhibit, shows the attention to detail that so distinguishes the models that fill the exhibit, which range from the medieval-like armor worn by warriors from all races and creatures of Middle Earth to the scale models of such key locales as the Sauron's towering fortress at Barad-dur. Videos offer further insight into the creative process, and show how important state-of-the-art computer technology played in the creation of the special effects that used advanced, and quite mind-boggling layering techniques.

You can even participate in interactive models of these special effects techniques as well. One allows you to be transformed into a creature of their choosing, be it an Orc, an Elf, or a Gondorian soldier, and, with the assistance of some plastic props, see how your body can be transformed into a computer-generated model. Another allows you to scan your face and see it rendered as a sculptured bas-relief; while a third tells you (through a wise-cracking female voice) just what race from Middle Earth they belong to. ?Maybe you?re a Wizard,? she said to a tall, lanky man. ?Is that you, Gandalf??

One of the most popular interactive exhibits showed how the filmmakers dealt with issues of scale by allowing two participants to create a composite image that when viewed through the monitors distorts one into a giant figure and the other into a tiny one. And if you wonder how it is done, it is fully explained in the accompanying panels that refer to the many techniques used to fool the audience?s eye.

Throughout the exhibit are models and descriptions of the lead characters from the story: Aragorn, Arwen, Frodo, Galadreil, and Gandalf; and those of some of the creatures, such as the Ent called Treebeard, and how the character developed from a model into what resembles a walking tree trunk. Similarly there is also a fascinating video that explains how actor Andy Serkis is transformed through the technique known as ?motion capture? into the memorable creature of Gollum.

Of course what will determine your enjoyment of the exhibit, which represents the only U.S. stop this year, will be your interest in the films themselves. But even if you missed them, the enormity of the effort, with its seamless relationship between art and technology, is impressively realized, and will likely be having you visit your local video store or Netflix in search of copies of the ?Ring.?

Entry to the exhibit, having its U.S. premiere at the Museum of Science through October 24, will be by timed ticket only. Tickets will include a separate ticket for General Exhibit Hall admission that can be used on the day of purchase of within six months. Adults tickets are $19, seniors $17, and children $16. (Museum members can purchase tickets for $3.) For more information visit the Museum of Science website at www.mso.org.