Air New Zealand Has Outdone Itself

If you’re a fan of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and the whole world of J.R.R. Tolkien, then prepare to geek out over Air New Zealand’s latest treat, “The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made.” Two Middle-Earth fanatics race to their terminal past a giant comical Gollum and once on board, they are delighted to see Elijah Wood (who made Frodo Baggins a household name) and a bevy of elves, wizards, and mystical beings. In short, a plane ride that would make Stephen Colbert, the ultimate Tolkien nerd, lose his damn mind.

Sorry Southwest, you've been de-throned as the world's cheekiest flight provider. It takes an airline and a tourism board with a special sense of humor to make such a high-production tongue-in-cheek safety video. Meet any New Zealander and they’ll probably roll their eyes at the mention of hobbit holes or Mordor. Well, if they even have it in them to roll their eyes since New Zealand has such a high quality of life. Nevertheless, the over-the-top-ness harkens back to the Vancouver Winter Olympics Closing Ceremonies with the oversized hockey pucks and bottles of maple syrup. Kiwis, like Canadians, know the stereotypes and not only laugh about them, but laugh all the way to the bank.

This isn’t the first time Air New Zealand has used the massive global appeal of Peter Jackson’s mega-successful franchises to build customer satisfaction. In fact, Air New Zealand has an entire YouTube channel of their hilarious videos. They even have a “where we travel” map that looks like Middle-Earth. Here's hoping the next installment included Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

Here’s their precious videos, ranked:

#1 “The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made"

#2 "An Unexpected Briefing"

#3 "Just Another Day in Middle-Earth"

Definitely the worst: "Safety in Paradise"

Oh, how the mighty have fallen... well, at least they've redeemed themselves from this annoyingly sexist video. Stick to the nerdy stuff, guys.

Image: Air New Zealand/ YouTube