Essential Elijah Wood

3 weeks ago 28th Oct 10:37

Elijah Wood had a very successful career before a little movie called The Lord of the Rings came along but it's fair to say that the trilogy shot him to a new level of fame.

He's back on the big screen, voice only, in the Tim Burton & Timur Bekmembatov produced animation 9.

So to celebrate the release of the movie we took a look over Elijah Wood's back catalogue to unearth which of his movies you really should have in your collection.

- Lord of the Rings Trilogy

You can't really talk about Elijah Wood's career without giving the Lord of the Rings just a little mention.

It's fair to say that when Peter Jackson announced that he was going to bring J.R.R Tolkien's epic novels to the big screen many thought, and voiced, why it could never be done.

But taking no notice Jackson and co had a $280 million budget and over eight years they adapted the novels and crafted three of cinema's most brave and beautiful movies.

An 18 year old Wood lead the ensemble cast as central character Frodo Baggins who is given the unenviable task of destroying the Ring.

Before Rings became the movie event of the year over the three years the films were released the fantasy genre was always something that was eyed with contempt by Hollywood and not taken seriously as a film genre.

But Peter Jackson and the cast's dedication to the project has seen all that disappear as the epic fantasy of far away lands and funny creatures became not only bankable but respected.

- Sin City

After Lord of the Rings Wood has mixed and matched his roles and you can't get further fro heroic Hobbit than cannibal killer.

Yes Sin City was a quite a move away from his normal roles for the actor when the adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel Sin City hit screens back in 2005.

Kevin is a mute serial killer who kills prostitutes, mounts their heads on a wall like hunting trophies, and cannibalises their remains... nice!

However he meets a somewhat grizzly end at the hands of Marv, played by Mickey Rourke.

The movie was both a critical and commercial success and a second film is in the pipeline.

- The Faculty

But before LOTR fame a lot of Elijah Wood fans will remember the then youngster in The Faculty, which also starred Josh Hatnett and Famke Janssen.

Herrington High, Ohio, a small-town high school. All of a sudden, the teachers start changing attitude. When Casey and Delilah have to hide in a closet in the teacher's lounge, they witness the strangulation of Nurse Harper by two of them.

Shocked, they manage to flee. Only moments later, the nurse seems to be very alive, but also somehow changed, like all the teachers and most of the students. Only Casey, Delilah and four others seem to be suspicious.

Proof of an alien infection is finally brought by the chemistry teacher, who also points out a way to kill the infected humans. The plan now is to get the queen, before the aliens can spread out over the whole country.