I saw this great movie today. The CGI is the best I have seen in the past five years. Gollum is a real treat. Another goodie is the Ents attacking the tower of Isengard. Characterization is strong, especially in the battle sequences where confusion and lack of attention can result in not identifying who is who. The brother of Boromir is changed and is portrayed as a hardened warrior with wisdom and integrity who is attracted to the ring and rejects the ring later. I like the humor in the film. Gimli's character offers moments of ease in tense situations. He even goes into the differences between the men and women in Dwarf society. This piece of trivia is located not in the Rings trilogy and can be found only in the writings of Tolkien. For those who missed the Bombadil sequence, there is a brief mention of the Old Forest by Merry in Fangorn Forest.
I rate the film a 9.9. I drop a .1 for the song "Gollum's Song" written by Fran Walsh and sung by a singer whose name I don't remember clearly. I never want to hear this song again.
Posted by Teelie (Member # 280) on :
It was a great movie. "Toss me, I can't jump, don't tell the Elf"
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
A great film but I did miss the homely and serene atmosphere that were present in Fellowship (hobbiton, lorien), but I'm sure that was the point.
I was very impressed by Gollum, both as a special effect and as a believable character, Lucas's people can learn allot from this one. I especially liked the schizophrenic conversation, very funny.
However, did anyone else find treebeard's dialogue a little hard to follow?
Posted by Nimrod Pimding (Member # 205) on :
I hope he tops my new nemesis, Dobby. ;.)
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I saw the movie yesterday - first session 9:50 - theater was packed solid.
The movie was one brilliant and amazing piece of cinematic greatness!
It was... ORGASMIC!
I loved it so.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
quote:Originally posted by AndrewR: It was... ORGASMIC!
I loved it so.
Saw it on the first day in Canada....what better way than to avoid hearing Andrew's reaction firsthand Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
It just occured to me - what's the point of having spoiler warnings in a thread about a movie based on a book that any respectable visitor to this forum has read at least once?
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Well I havn't read it yet, I am trying but it's hard going when I'm not at all used to reading fantasy stories. So far I'm up the the bit when they reach Cricklewood.
Posted by StarFire (Member # 748) on :
I never said I was respectable anyway!
But still, I'm working on the book now. Up to Tom Bombidle. (yes...spelling sucks muchly.)
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
I've never read any of Tolkien's works, so Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I saw it today. It was good. No one in the audience seemed to take Gollum seriously though, and nearly all of his lines brought great laughs from the audience, regardless of their intent. This was too bad. Poor Gollum.
Gollum has a song? Is that the one over the end credits? I almost thought it was Bjork singing, which is about as great an improvement as you can get over Enya without invoking divine intervention or parallel universes. At any rate, it was better than a sharp stick in the eye, or anything Destiny's Child has done since they let Beyonce hold a pen.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
News to hand, TTT had the biggest opening in Australia's history on Thursday. Cool.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Saw it today. Very good. Gollum is amazing. Not too sure about how they've changed Frodo and Sam's journey, but then given you have a whole book (one of six, we're talking here, half of one volume) written with them trying to get to Mordor and not a lot happens, I suppose they had to liven things up a bit.
One niggle: another blond elf at Helm's Deep? My wife was bawling her eyes out in the cinema because she thought that was Legolas who'd just got killed. I've had to reassure her that both Aragorn and Legolas (who are equally gorgeous, apparently) survive to the end of the story. 8)
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
It was Haldir - who we met in the eaves of the woods of Lorien in the first meeting - talking about how they could hear a Dwarf miles away.
Supposedly the Elvish soldiers were from Rivendell. So I guess Haldir doesn't always stay in Lorien - or there was contingent from Lorien as well.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Yeah, I knew who he was, it was Kate who didn't. 8)
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Actually, in Tolkein's book most of the elves are blond, and having dark hair is more of an oddity. (One of the things that made Arwen special, for instance -- in the books.)
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
ACTUALLY, it's the otherway around. Blonde haired elves were more... unique. At least amongst the Noldor. It was the house of Finarfin who had blonde hair as his mother was not Noldor but Vanyar. They mostly had blonde hair. This is where Galadriel got her golden tresses - from her Grandmother.
Posted by Daryus Aden (Member # 12) on :
The battle sequence was totally awesome. I've never been that engrossed by a movie before. The overall story was fast, and what an opening sequence! Though I felt that they should have shown (or provided) more detail about the ents and their ways. I don't think that was covered well.
They missed out on the breaking of Saruman as well. Hopefully that will be at the start of the next movie.
Lee: Merry & Pippin seperate after one of them plays with the Palantir. Gandalf speeds pippin to Minas Tirith.
Speaking of which, I can't wait to see what they do with that city.
To sum up: Best movie I have ever seen.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Great film, better than the first, although the first was excellent. One of the best battles ever, filled with a great story, characters, and FX. Wow. Happy New Year!
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Er, what? When did I ask about Merry & Pippin? I know what happens to them. . .
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
SPOILERS for the END OF "RETURN OF THE KING" NOVEL!
. . . . .
quote:Originally posted by AndrewR: ACTUALLY, it's the otherway around. Blonde haired elves were more... unique. At least amongst the Noldor. It was the house of Finarfin who had blonde hair as his mother was not Noldor but Vanyar. They mostly had blonde hair. This is where Galadriel got her golden tresses - from her Grandmother.
Ah, my mistake. I misinterpreted something I read -- in the end of the book, Sam's children (or was it Merry's or Pippin's?) had blond hair, which was practically unheard of among the Hobbits before then.
I'll have to clear that up at some point -- I admit that some of those historical tales weren't my highest priority when I read through the books the first time last month. My parents have loaned me their copy of "The Silmarillion," which I'm going to start reading soon. I'll probably pick up a few of the details there... and I definitely intend to reread the LOTR trilogy at some point in the future (though I've got a few other books in line before rereading recent reads -- the "Dune" series, for example).
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
Seen it a couple of times now; very good movie. I really ought to read the books again but my sister's got 'em so it could be some time... Although she only saw the film cos of legolas and Aragorn so...
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I read them in 1990/1991, and they are so special to me, I don't think I could go back and read them again! Might sound silly to some, but that's just me. I may get around to reading them again, one day. I have picked them up and red a chapter here and there, or a passage, nothing cover-to-cover, though.
With the Silmarillion, I read it straight after 1991/1992ish. And I enjoyed it immensly, but after reading things like Unfinished Tales (which is a strong reccomendation) things like Narn i hin Hurin (tale of the children of hurin) which is about Turin Turambar etc. I reccommend maybe reading selected 'bits' of the Silmarillion - as it's rather epic in scale, and almost 'biblical' as it has the creation of Middle Earth. Then halfway through you get the magnificent stories like the Tale of Beren and Luithien Tinuviel or the Tale of Turin Turambar - either of which I WOULD LOVE to see turned into a movie (by PJ of course!!) They are stories unto themselves told against a broader backdrop. And reading Unfinished tales (the Narn chapter) it got me to actually appreciate (and reread) the Turin Turambar chapter.
Andrew
Posted by Daryus Aden (Member # 12) on :
Andrew, did you note that the doom of mandos set upon the house of Feanor was the source cause of the lord of the rings. Twas a nice twist. The descendants of a man over ten thousand years dead still fighting due to his ego. (Celbrimbor, who forged the rings - and taught Sauron how to make them- was the grandson of Feanor).
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Indeed, and Galadriel that whole time had to suffer for it.
Posted by buffyslilhelper (Member # 956) on :
[spam nuked]
[ January 06, 2003, 10:39: Message edited by: Charles Capps ]
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I see we have some Tolkien buffs. Perhaps one of you could answer a small question about FotR: Just how does Gandalf get his staff back after he loses it in his fight with Sauraman? I checked and he still didn't have it when he escaped from Isengard, yet later on at the council of Elrond he seams to have re-aquired it. Is there something in the book that explains this but was left out of the film or is it just one of those little oversights.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I think I read at tORn that PJ said he fashioned a new one. Wouldn't be hard. He may even have a stash of them in Rivendell or something!! Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
I think the books might have mentioned something about that... don't remember for certain what happened, though. He might have gotten his old one back somehow.
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They are stories unto themselves told against a broader backdrop. And reading Unfinished tales (the Narn chapter) it got me to actually appreciate (and reread) the Turin Turambar chapter.