**RotK - Legolas (Orlando Bloom)**
 

What did you think of Legolas' scenes and Bloom's acting?

Legolas' stunt with the Oliphaunt fully exemplifies the benefits of being a fan who is able to distinguish book from movie.<P>As a movie fan I was delighted.<P>As a book fan I was baffled by how ridiculous it was.<P>Overall Legolas barely had any lines and it was hard for Bloom to act badly.

His part in the movie was very small, so he couldn't mess up much.<P>His stunt was...well, I agree with Eomer on this one, good for the movie.<P>I thought he looked like a girl with his hooded cloak on...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> As a movie fan I was delighted. As a book fan I was baffled by how ridiculous it was. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Totally agreed. I love Orlando Bloom's portrayal of Legolas, love the character, love his crazy movie stunts, and that Oliphaunt thing was awesome. But as I remember it, when I first read LotR, Legolas was not nearly as big of a deal as people are making of him in Movieland.<P>I think it would have been cool to see the scene where he sees the ocean, but I can understand why that would have to be cut b/c of time constraints.

Having seen the reaction of an 8 year old male cousin to Legolas' stunts, I <I>totally</I> understand why they were in there. I swear I'll never hear the end of it. <BR>I thought it was a bit bizrre how little Legolas was actually in it though. I would have liked the scene where he sees the ocean as well. They kinda just left him at the end, but I suppose that'll be in the extended edition.

I thought it was very funny that during the credits when Orlando's name appeared on the screen a large group of girls actually screamed.<P>I guess we should be thankful that they didn't scream everytime he appeared during the film.

*That* would certainly make me glad his part was small in RotK. I saw the movie in a theater full of men, so I didn't hear much squealing.<P>I thought Orlando Bloom delivered his lines adequately, and I did enjoy his stunt quite a bit. For the most part, Legolas' friendship with Gimli was well portrayed, though I found the "how about a friend" line cheesy. I was hoping to see what happened to them after the War, but I understand there wasn't time for it. It would have been nice to see them squabbling on the last ship to Valinor. <P>-Lily

I really enjoyed how Legolas and Gimli's friendship became even more apparent in the third movie. Even though Legolas became a very minor character, if you look at the number of lines that he has, I still really enjoyed his role in the movie (especially at the end, that smug grin on his face when he comes into the bedroom. It really makes you daydream. ).

Yeah, he was okay. His role was really small though. My favorite Legolas moment was most definitely at the end, at the cornination, but that was mainly because I really like his costume. My sister (who is a big Orlando fan) actually cried at that point because that was the very last scene he was in

Yeah I wish Legolas would have had a little more involvement. I agree Gorwingel I loved the part at the end. I almost died when Legolas came walking up with the blue dress robes on and the circlet on his head. I was like "Go Prince Legolas!" Whoo hoo! If anyone knows where I can find a picture of him dressed up like that let me know for it is a picture I really really really want to draw.<p>[ 11:26 AM December 20, 2003: Message edited by: Silmiel of Imladris ]

I agree about the bit at the end... but did anybody else think the male elves looked especially...*girly* in this film? With that said I thought Legolas' Oliphaunt stunt was freakin cool. Cheesy, yes. Ridiculously fake looking, pretty much. Awesome, yes, insanely awesome. <BR>I think Bloom sort of couldn't go wrong here and yah.. he looked hot. So job well done Orlando. <BR>"A diversion!"

His part can be summed up pretty easily: that squinty elvish look (the equivalent of Frodo's 'my-God-I-wanna-go-home-I-just-wet-my-pants' expression), a few really freakish battle stunts, and, of course, his Capt. Obvious lines (including but not limited to 'A diversion.')

It was on either the TTT EE special features, or the Jay Leno Show, where I saw Orlando poking fun at his Legolas persona. He made an exaggerated Leggy-look (full arched eyebrows/intense eyes/head movement effect!) and said, "Mostly I just stand in the background and look like 'Hmmmm... I'm sensing something....'" It was pretty funny because it was so spot on and he had the good humor to parody himself. Kind of like that "Lembas commercial" part on the Commentary for the FotR EE.

Ya Legolas' role was kinda small in the movie, but when he did do his cool stunts ( shooting the troll in the head in FotR, the little shield thing in TTT, and the Oliphaunt stunt in RotK) it was awesome and though his part was also small in the book I am a fan! <P>~*Jessica*~

Hmm. I don't know. Honestly, the Oliphaunt scene was one of my least favourite parts of the film. Legolas climbing up an Oliphaunt with his bare hands while 'disposing' of all the Easterlings on the Oliphaunt in a creative way, then killing the creature with three arrows before sliding down the trunk seemed a little impossible to me. Even for an elf. I'm a huge movie fan and I love stunts, but never did care for stunts that drastic. It seemed a little out of place for Legolas to do all that without receiving a scratch while all these others are getting killed. Perhaps if there were more than one of him, it would be a bit more believable, but the thought of having multiple Legolases is rather disturbing...

Wish he had more lines and more scenes!!! Though how insanely crazy his Oliphant Stunt was, I think it's cool (And I watched it in a theater full of lawyers, and the guys just beside me became "gay" when Legolas pulled that one!! So I say it's not just the girls. Hehehe! ). And after all, it's a fantasy film!!! <P>PS: Yeah I was looking forward of Legolas getting a view of the sea. Too bad it wasn't there.

Captain Obvious strikes again. Go Lego.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>As a movie fan I was delighted. As a book fan I was baffled by how ridiculous it was. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I agree completely. I thought the Mumak stunt was a little... unreal. Although it was cool. And funny.<P>I though he was done pretty well though, and I'm not a girl.

I'm glad they had Legolas and gimli's counting their kills again! I especially liked it when Legolas killed the Oliphant, that Gimli said "It still only counts as one". That made me laugh loads. In fact... I think I laughed LOADS while watching RotK. Frodo's face made me laugh a lot of the time.<P>Pity Legolas didn't have more lines, but I think most of Orli's acting comes across from his facial expressions. And what's with him squinting every 5seconds? Why would and elf squint?!?

Legolas acting is way passed my expectations..espically the fighting scenes..so gracefull, clam and confident...did anyone detect fear in his eyes? anyway...he look amazing when he wore that sliver clothes / thingy...lol..

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I thought it was very funny that during the credits when Orlando's name appeared on the screen a large group of girls actually screamed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>hey... that would be meee....<BR>First of all, in my opinion, Orli is great in everything, but being as unbiased as possible, I think he did well in LOTR too. Not that many lines, of course, but he does his own stunts. Actually, sometimes I thought that his lines were a little stupid, kind of stating what was obvious at some points, but his acting pulled them off convincingly. I absolutely LOVED his fighting though, he's much better than the others, except for maybe Viggo. ORLI/LEGOLAS IS MY FAVORITE ELF EVER!!!! <p>[ 10:50 AM December 24, 2003: Message edited by: Lady Snickerdoodle ]

I agree he played his part well even though he didnt have many lines. His fighting style was extremely good and the few lines he said were said well. I especially liked him taking out the Oliphant and everyone on it, and on all three films he did a good job.

I was kinda hoping they would continue as they did in TTT and give him a bit more personality. Now, I know in the books he doesn't do anything except fight, be friends with Gimli, sleep with his eyes open and run on snow. But in TTT they had him scouting, making observations on angry trees, arguing with Aragorn and smudging his Mr Perfect image by failing to kill a torch-bearing olympic uruk-hai.<P>In RotK he reverts to the "goblins!" "orcs!" "Crebain from Dunland!" character he was in FotR.<P>Which is OK. But I wish they hadn't stolen the open-eyed-sleep and given it to Gandalf. It was one of the few cool things he did in the books.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I thought it was very funny that during the credits when Orlando's name appeared on the screen a large group of girls actually screamed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I booed. Not because I don't like Orli or Leggie, because I do (he's one of my top 5 favorite good guys), but just to annoy the Leggie-boppers. It was rather funny.<P>I do agree with <B>BoromirsBeard</B>, though; he did revert back to a one-line wonder in this one, which was a shame after all the thought that was put into his part in Towers. I felt kinda bad for him.<P>Abedithon le,<P>~*~Aranel~*~

Does anyone know where I can get a picture of Legolas from the end of the film where he has the silver circlet on his head? I think he looked great right there.<P>I also thought his overall performance in the movie was good, even though he didn't have many lines, and the whole stunt thing was a little dramatic. But Orlando makes the perfect Legolas!!

Well, he was basically there just to look good...AND HE DID! Oh my god, I practically swooned (wow, i cannot believe i just used that word...the world is coming to an end...) at the end at Aragorn's coronation....*drool*....but he has some pretty sucky lines... I mean, 3/4 of his lines in FOTR in Moria are "Goblins!", "Orcs!", and "Gandalf!". Seriously, how dumb can Peter Jackson make the elves appear? My favorite line of his in TTT was "This forest is old. Very old." and in ROTK: "A diversion!" I mean, you'd think that the audience was stupid or something, and that he had to explain it all...Okay, done ranting, I'm gonna go do something worthwhile *heads to the fridge*<P>

I thought Orlando Bloom was very good. He did have a smaller role in this movie, but that was fine because it matches the books more. I think that Orlando did a great job acting, but his lines were not well written. I think that Legolas is a perfect example of the 'dumbing down'. <P>The Legolas stunt, was ok. I know it is not true to the books, *wince* but it was cool. Shoot me now.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I'm glad they had Legolas and gimli's counting their kills again! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I thought the "That still only counts as one!" was funny but for some reason the counting annoyed me this time. I liked it in TTT but in ROTK it seemed a little over done to me.

I honestly loved Legolas's performance in this movie. He may have been Captain Obvious, but in my heart, he'll always be the prettier-than-thou-with-a-better-aim-Prince-from-Mirkwood that I came to love. (I'm not a Leggybopper, I just love Legolas, there's a difference.) Perhaps it was the fact that it was the end of that movie, but at Elessar's coronation, that smile of 100% brotherhood and camaraderie that he and Legolas exchanged touched me so much that I started crying. It just seemed to symbolize part of what the Fellowship was all about.

Did anyone happen to see the Foxtrot comics the week before the release, with Paige obsessing over Orlando Bloom? Yes, multiple Legolases would be scary. (What would you call them? Legoli?)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> The Legolas stunt, was ok. I know it is not true to the books, *wince* but it was cool. Shoot me now. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>No arrows from me, Arwen. I'm with you on this one. When I first heard about the Oliphaunt stunt, I rather dreaded it, particularly after the awful shield-surfing incident in TTT, not to mention the physically impossible horse mounting stunt.<P>But I have to admit that, on screen, it looked fantastic. It was, I thought, very well done and it didn't look <I>too</I> silly. Certainly, it didn't make me cringe, like the aforementioned stunts in TTT.

I loved Orlando's acting and his character, though like in the case of Éomer, PJ could have given Legolas more lines.<P>What lines he did have, however, were delivered wonderfully, and im glad we got to see in a theatrical version that he is a prince of Mirkwood, so i really loved that little bit at the end where he has the circlet which makes him look fantastic (right girls?.. right!)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> quote:<BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>I thought it was very funny that during the credits when Orlando's name appeared on the screen a large group of girls actually screamed.<BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<P><BR>I booed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I booed too. My sister is in love with Orlando. She wont stop talking about her. She ****es me off when she does. The friday after it came out, she and he friends went with her, i tagged along with my mom and they wouldnt shut up. When ever he was on the screen they screamed. It was just like"SHUT UP" the most satisfying part of that day was when i told them that in the book Legolas dies, which is untrue. I got slapped about 5 times. <P>But when it comes down to acting Mr. Bloom sounds forced. He is just a bad actor, like Liv Tyler. And why coundlt they have cast someone a bit less of a heartthrob than Orlando. <P>I guess it could be worse, it could be Ashton Kutcher.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> No arrows from me, Arwen. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Phew. Thanks Saucepan!<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> the counting annoyed me this time.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>What bothered me more was the fact that they never resolved it. I guesse they didn't resolve it in the theatrical version of TTT either, but all the more reason to put it in RoTK. We find out what happens to Aragorn, Arwen, Gandalf, and the hobbits, but we never find out what happens to Legolas and Gimli. I understand that they were already having problems with length, but can't you cut like, 30 seconds of fighting and resolve Legolas and Gimli? It had better be in the extended version!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I understand that they were already having problems with length, but can't you cut like, 30 seconds of fighting and resolve Legolas and Gimli? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>The resolution is there at the Black Gate, when they stand together as friends. I doubt that we'll get much more in the EE.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>But when it comes down to acting Mr. Bloom sounds forced. He is just a bad actor, like Liv Tyler. And why coundlt they have cast someone a bit less of a heartthrob than Orlando. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I never saw any problem with Orlando's acting ability, and his physical skills are quite astonishing, really! But the heartthrob thing is rather off-putting, especially since I just don't see it. I think Orlando himself nailed the phenomenon on the head when he said that girls like him because he is "non-threatening." <P>I think Legolas was in exactly as much of the film as he needed to be in, a supporter of Aragorn, fierce and effective in battle and a true friend to Gimli. I just wished he had kept his mouth shut more, instead of being "Captain Obvious!" But that isn't Bloom's fault, either; more the writers'. <P>Cheers!<BR>Lyta

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR><BR>I guess it could be worse, it could be Ashton Kutcher.<BR><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>*faints*

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Orlando's performance in ROTK. I do admit that he seemed to revert back to the obvious one-liners, yet perhaps in the EE we'll hear and see a bit more from Mr.Bloom. <P>The oliphaunt stunt was great. Honestly, it's a major action film, there are bound to be extreme stunts. If there had been no stunts at all, I think that a lot of you might have complained about that, too.

<B>The Only Real Estel</B>, from a closed Movie thread on Legolas: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Can you imagine a director of a 300 million+ movie casting a major character simply to 'get the chicks to come to the movies?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>In short, YES.<P>If that does not seem clearly possible to you, then explain why Jackson doctored the original Tolkien story line in so many places? He thought his changes were 'improvements' that would help the movies be better/more dramatic, etc. All of which are entirely arguable here on B-D forums. <P>In a similar example, why remove the poetic warrior champion Gimli and replace him with the 'comic sidekick' Gimli? Because he will make people laugh and help repay the $300 million-plus investment in the movies. Do a quick review of all the *drooling* on this thread and the guffawing over the interplay between Legolas and Gimli's 'kill count' and the oliphaunt stunt, and I rest my case.<P><I>True-to-Tolkien it's not....</I><p>[ 3:39 PM December 29, 2003: Message edited by: Theron Bugtussle ]

I haven't even seen ROTK yet, and you guys are making me dread it! I am a serious LOTR obsessor, and I was looking forward to the movie, until I read all your comments! I love Orlando, and thought his performances were great in TTT, and FOTR. He <I>was</I> Captain Obvious in the FOTR, and that shield stunt in TTT made me cringe, and my family went, Awww, come on! But overall, I love Orlando, and think that his acting is very good. I am not a Leggy-Bopper, but yah, he is pretty cute, and adorable. One scene I do look forward to is the one where he is dressed up as the Prince of Mirkwood, like he should be. The Oliphant stunt I hate already! Well, we will just see, when I see it!