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Old 07-04-2005, 07:06 AM   #1
Elianna
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Tolkien Enough Bashing

Okay, okay, I'll argue as long and hard as the next Tolkienite about the mistakes Peter Jackson made, but isn't that what we've been talking about for the past three years? Let's talk about something else: What GOOD things did Peter Jackson do in his LotR movies?

-All the detail put into every single miniature/bigature, and every prostetic Urûk body part. It's almost as detailed as Tolkien's narration.

-The little details that only book fans know should be there, and were. The blue mantle that Faramir gives Éowyn in the Houses of Healing; the fireworks at Bilbo's birthday party; the inscription on Balin's tomb, much less the West gate of Moria.

-He also decided to go ahead and make it into three movies, (Well, an exec at New Line or wherever had to give him the OK first...), one for each book and each three hours long.

-He signed on for the project so many of these people who had loved the books longer than he had, e.g. John Howe, Alan Lee, Christopher Lee.
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Old 07-04-2005, 09:20 AM   #2
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Yes Elianna he did do a great job. I'll admit the first time I saw each of the films I was completely caught up in the world of Middle-Earth. He brought it to life beautifully and succeeded in showing the different aspects of this world from each of the points of view and I only really noticed mistakes after the fourth or fifth viewing (with the exception of TTT and Pippin's hands ).

Most of the characters were well done with a lot of their backstory coming straight from the books without bits being cut out. The only character who really went against the way he was written was Faramir and for that I will not forgive PJ as Faramir was one of my favourite characters from the books, but he is only one of many others who were well created.

I think the task set for him was immense and he should be commended for doing as well as he did.
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Old 07-04-2005, 10:56 AM   #3
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The movies are excellent, yes. Much is kept the same from the stories and the entire cast and crew did a fabulous job of bringing MIddle-Earth to life on the big screen.

Some scenes are downright brilliant. Bilbo's birthday party, almost all of the Moria sequence, the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Eomer's appearance at Helm's Deep (not much from that battle except for Gandalf and Eomer coming), and the way the Frodo Sam friendship was brought out. And of course the way Gollum was brought to life.

And even though I love the movies, and I hate to say this, some things can't be forgotten or forgiven. The way Peter Jackson killed Saruman and Denethor and turning Faramir into a bad guy was not something I needed to see. He should have done it differently or cut it completely.

It's a hard thing to do, to make a movie that is based on such an epic, that is. I will admit I am no real fan of PJ, but I can respect what he did, even if I don't agree with how he did certain things. He deserves the praise, as do all the actors and crew, for taking on something so huge.
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Old 07-04-2005, 04:07 PM   #4
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Silmaril

The way I always explain it is that, as movies, The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson was done brilliantly. The films had all the elements of great cinema: engaging characters, good plot, intriguing setting, mystery, all of those components that reviewers always discuss in movie reviews. Jackson utilized effects that were never seen before - created his own graphics, programs and effects, and doing things with WETA that have never been done with any other special effects company. The acting in the movies was superb - while I am not myself a fan of Orlando Bloom, the talents of the others made up for his gap, in my opinion.

The lengths that costumers, extras, and makeup people went to in order to create a realistic background was just amazing. The extras endured worse conditions than the actors, the Orcs having hours spent in the makeup chair, not being able to use the bathroom three hours into the makeup application process. It was really a labor of love - Peter Jackson was almost always present, and when he couldn't be, he was watching from a television monitor at another location.

I feel that he captured the spirit of Middle Earth beautifully. While some characters contrasted with my views, the background - the cities, mountains, towers - of the movies were breathtaking. It was almost as though the image of Middle Earth that I had in my mind was translated onto the screen in front of me.

If you are looking at the works as literal interpretations of the books, then of course he didn't really do a good job. The problem is that it comes down to the fact that he had to promise a profit to New Line Cinema. Making ten-hour movies encompassing every nuance of the books wouldn't have been feasible. They didn't have enough money to pull that off. If you look at the other movies New Line does, they're typically more low-budget, low-quality movies. Lord of the Rings is what made New Line Cinemas a household name. While, as fans of the movie, we would love to see the Barrow Downs and Tom Bombadil, the Scouring of the Shire with the introduction of Saruman as Sharku, and the full range of the books, it just wasn't really possible.

And actually, it's interesting that Peter Jackson would put the death of Saruman in the Extended Version DVDs - those DVDs were typically made more to be focused at fans like us: those of us that wanted more to be in there, but just couldn't get it in due to the fact that the average theater-going person doesn't want to sit for four and a half hours watching a hobbit try to get to Mount Doom. Killing Saruman in such a half-hearted, weak manner is almost like just giving up on the story in general. I also didn't like that nothing had changed in the Shire when they returned - the whole point of the Scouring and such subsequent sections was to prove that the evil of the ring spread even into the Shire and Hobbiton. By having the Hobbits return and have everything be the same, the "unknowing" would wonder, "Gee, maybe they were wrong: maybe the Shire would always remain the same idyllic paradise it was when they left. Did they really need to go through all that?"
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Old 07-05-2005, 09:07 AM   #5
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The scenery and the music is incredible and beautiful.
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Old 07-05-2005, 10:15 AM   #6
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Silmaril

I agree, he did a good job!
I think that he captured the essence of Middle-Earth and got people 'into' the story.
I think that he was really good about the characters and their history. Bilbo's party was fantastic and just as I imagined it - I've recently written an essay on books/films and I think, considering the difficulties, the film is close to the books, he also has an actual interest in the books as opposed to just wanting to make money.
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Old 07-05-2005, 11:05 AM   #7
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Thumbs up It was good, no doubt.

Everyone liked the movies - there's no doubt about it. If we didn't like it, we wouldn't be here, and we wouldn't bother to even bash it.

Jackson really did do a good job, even though he did smudge a lot of things. The crew he pulled together for the music, the miniatures, lots of the acting, doubles, stunts - everything, was incredible. And New Zealand was an awsome place for filming! It made a perfect place for all the scenes and parts in Middle-Earth, bringing to life the scenery that only existed in people's minds and imaginations.

I think it was the music and the scenery that most impressed me. And it wasn't only the things in New Zealand, but also the added stuff that they created in their studios. The Argonath were awesome, as was Minas Tirith. And that part in Moria when Gandalf risks a little light.......combined with the music, that part in the movie is one of my favorite parts.
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Old 07-05-2005, 04:11 PM   #8
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Silmaril

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim
The scenery and the music is incredible and beautiful.
Gee, you made my post just look long-winded and unnecessary.
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Old 07-05-2005, 05:55 PM   #9
Elianna
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Tolkien

I agree about the scenery. Upon watching FotR again, I noticed anew that beside ?mon Hen are Tol Brandir and ?mon Lhaw, in their rightful places. Whether that's digital or real I don't know, but the other hills are there. ?nd what simple movie-goer would know that there are supposed to be two other hils there?

?nd with an even remoter book reference, that little gravely islet at the Fords of Isen is supposed to be there too, and the only way they'd have known that is reading the Unfinished Tales!
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Old 07-05-2005, 06:06 PM   #10
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*chuckles quietly* Well, that gravel bar may have been on purpose, but knowing rivers of that size (living around tons of them) just about any place you can cross a river on horseback will have a gravel bar, inlet, or what ever you would like to call that.
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