[doug*platypus]

<B>Almost But Not Quite</B><P>I think the Sammath Naur (damn that's a cool name!!) was almost the excellent scene it should have been. It was <I>very</I> well done, but I believe that a few mistakes were made. I'm not talking about mistakes as in deviations from the book (I believe I'm finally getting over the need to make comparisons thanks to the latest movie), but pieces that in any movie would have been flaws.<P>Nevermind the fact that Sméagol should have been well crispy several hundred metres before entering the lava. I do have some ability for 'willing suspension of disbelief'. But to have him hit the lava, and sink into hit intact is absolutely <B>ridiculous</B>. Let's just call it <B>Mount Doom - world's largest quicksand depository</B>. I thought that he should have been incinerated just before hitting the lava, and perhaps his charred bones could sink in, yes preciouss. More dramatic, more believable.<P>As for Gollum not toppling in of his own accord: <B>bravo!</B> It's a good thing that none of us purists were charged with the screen adaptation. PJ and Co have definitely not been shy about making improvements to the books. Once or twice they have actually succeeded, most notably here. I always felt that Gollum's demise was a little bit unconvincing. I'd compare the book ending to movieBoromir tripping on a pile of leaves when chasing Frodo. Convenient, yes. Believable, not really. Besides, I think it was completely in character for Frodo by that stage.<P>It's always nice to see someone get smacked in the head with a rock (it's a very rewarding sound, and it reminds of what paleolithic life must have been like), and I thought Gollum did a good job of getting the Fat One out of the way for the fight. His tousle with invisi-Frodo was well protrayed, I believe. It's every bit as weird and freakish as it is in the book. If it didn't come off well in the theatre, I'd suggest that Howard Shore must shoulder the responsibility there. <P>The design of the door was a bit over the top, if you ask me, but the set designers could not have done a better job on the interior. I have to admit, though that I got a flashback to those terrible Moria shenanigans when the pillars started toppling into the fire. Yeck. Sam and Frodo's escape didn't look very credible, either. In the book I managed to believe it was possible, but not the movie. Their island of rock could have been higher, surely, although this wasn't a great problem.<P>And what the $%#@ was that fade to black? Does somebody need to teach PJ how to advance time in a film, or what?!<P>One last gripe. While the crust forming to stop the One Ring melting was very cool, I felt it dragged the scene on unnecessarily. I appreciate PJs tribute to <I>Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom</I> in <I>Fellowship of the Ring</I>, but I ask you: was an <I>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade</I> homage really called for? Surely Frodo's grief at the loss would have been reason enough for him to not hesitate to grab Sam's hand. By the way, <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Don't you let go! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>was one of the most touching lines of the film. Sean Astin and the writers really did a much better job of Sam in the third film.<P>It was great to see the One Ring finally get its just desserts. I really hated that thing by the end of the movie. When Frodo was dangling it over the fire, I was thinking "Enough! Just get rid of it! I'm so sick of seeing that damn thing!!" So my conclusion overall is that the scene was <B>good but not great</B>. I liked the similarity to the Isildur/Elrond scene, and also the fact that the audience is left wondering, "What if Gollum had not intervened? What would Sam or Frodo have done?"