ShadowofMordor_FOB_PS4A brand new gameplay video (“Weapons and Runes”) has been released for the upcoming video game “Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor”. The game will be released on October 7 and will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor delivers a dynamic game environment where the player orchestrates their personal plan of vengeance as they bend Mordor to their will. The game begins on the night of Sauron’s return to Mordor, as his Black Captains brutally execute the Rangers of the Black Gate. Players become Talion, a ranger who loses his family and everything he holds dear, only to be returned from death by a mysterious Spirit of vengeance. As Talion’s personal vendetta unfolds, players uncover the mystery of the Spirit that compels him, discover the origin of the Rings of Power and confront the ultimate nemesis.

Continue reading “New Trailer for ‘Shadow of Mordor’ Game (Updated)”

IMG_8749One of the best statues from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy statue line is The Balrog of Moria statue. This amazing piece came out in 2001/02 with a retail price of $300 and an edition size of a 1000 pieces worldwide. It is one of the most amazing statues to represent any character in Middle-earth and if you have the cash on the secondary market I would strongly recommend getting it. So I thought for the first video review I’d do this statue, since I have just succeeded in getting it back into my own collection. Let me know in the comments below what you think of the video review as I do these in conjunction with some of my written reviews.

Sheila ChandraAmong some of the most profound pieces of Tolkien’s writings are those concerning the concepts of death and immortality, and the ultimate fates of Elves and Men. And a little more than a decade ago, as the tale of Aragorn and Arwen unfolded in The Two Towers, it was the evocative voice of Sheila Chandra that spoke to the hope and heartache of their destinies.

A vocalist of Indian descent hailing from the UK, Sheila Chandra performed “The Breath Of Life” (also titled “The Grace Of The Valar“) as Aragorn’s unconscious form floats downriver while Arwen holds him in thought and sends him a blessing from afar – “May the grace of the Valar protect you“.

The song’s lyrics (adapted from Tolkien’s writings) were written by Fran Walsh:

Shadow lies between us, as you came, so you shall leave from us.
Time and storm shall scatter all things. 

Sorrowing you must go, and yet you are not without hope,
For you are not bound to the circles of this world, you are not bound to loss and to silence.

As our exclusive series of interviews with vocalists from The Lord of the Rings continues, join us today as we talk to Sheila Chandra about how the song, its mood, and her delivery of it were all carefully crafted with the aim of conveying the understanding and mature love that is shared between Arwen and Aragorn.

Continue reading “TORn Exclusive: Interview With Sheila Chandra”

With a poster signed by Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Martin Freeman and Evangeline Lilly up for grabs as the prize, many of you were eager to show us your The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug DVDs and Blu-rays, in photos submitted for our #wheresbilbo competition.  We loved looking at all the entries, and as usual, it was hard to pick a winner!  Lots of people sent in images showing their extensive collections of Middle-earth collectibles, whilst many others took snaps showing their adorable pets taking care of their DVDs.  A group of staff from TORn all voted, and our final overall winner was @WadeAcuff, with his ‘sketchy’ entry:

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The staffers were impressed by the beautiful artwork shown in Wade’s photo – he’s clearly a talented fellow!

Other images we loved included @LapisLizuli’s dragon eating her DVD:

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And @TolkienistView’s clever set of ‘polaroids’:

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@crazysirius clearly ‘treasures’ her DVD:

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@RSinsir’s dogs are doing a great job of guarding her ‘precious’:

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@EmmersChau found her DVD taking a bath – complete with bearded rubber duck! Check out the details on those bottles – the body wash is ‘Elf-repelling’!

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Finally, @I_Christina_I was lucky enough to be able to take Bilbo back to his own front door:

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There were many more great entries, including some of folks in costume. Many thanks to all of you who sent in fab photos and entertained us with your creativity (and with much cuteness from various pets!) We wish we could have had more than one winner! Congratulations to Wade – the signed poster will be on its way to him very soon.

hobbit-chroniclesDoSCloaksDaggersa2Our friends at Weta Workshop have a couple of new books for fans to add to their collections. The first book is the next in the Chronicles series, which gives you a great inside look at the task of bringing the many costumes, armour, and weapons that were needed to bring The Hobbit Trilogy to life. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles – Cloaks and Daggers does just that, but it doesn’t just cover the second film, it also covers the many designs needed in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. If you pre-order the book right now you can get it signed by some of the folks who helped bring these films to the big screen!

The second release Weta has for fans is an amazing looking two book set covering the 20 years they have been helping to bring films to life. This inside look is brimming with never-before-seen content covering films such as; The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, Avatar, King Kong, District 9, and much more. You can get The Hobbit Art Book for $39 and Weta: The Art of Film Magic – 20 Years of of Weta for $99.