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Old 12-19-2001, 03:34 AM   #1
Telchar
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Sting Movie comments - don't read if you haven't seen the movie yet!

Im conservative when it comes to make movies out of books - SAID IT! <BR>Its been seven hours since I saw the movie now and I must admit that PJ have made some facinating footage - great costumes and so on...<P>When that is said, I must admit that all the movie theatre was clapping at the end of the movie - people I overheard walking out was praising it highly. Almost every review I've read talks very highly about it...<P>Still when I walked out of the theatre the only word on my mind was RAPE!!! <P>I suspect serious seismic activity in western England - JRR Tolkien spinning in his grave!!!
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Old 12-19-2001, 06:13 AM   #2
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I concur. Highly disappointing movie in spite of what the general public thinks. It seems that PJ has created what is merely another cartoon version of the story, albeit one with fantastic sets and great cinematography. I loved several of the characters, especially the hobbits, but the departures from the text and the sheer fabrications were too much for me to stomach. Indeed, most of what was "made up" by PJ was flatly unbelievable and doubtfully plausible given the context of the true story. <BR>I'm sad, and not really looking forward to either of the next 2 films. But! At least I still have some great books to read! PJ can't take anything away from Tolkien!
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Old 12-19-2001, 06:48 AM   #3
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Obviously you didn't accept it for what it is:<P>A movie interpretation.<P>Id proabably find it very boring if they put every single little thing in the book in the movie. Not to mention the FOTR would be 6 hours long.<P>It hits the feel and emotion that Tolkien was convaying in his books and I think that is paramount above all. I think that is what JRR would think too if he was here to see the movie.<p>[ December 19, 2001: Message edited by: GreyIstar ]
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Old 12-19-2001, 07:54 AM   #4
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Greyistar said:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Id proabably find it very boring if they put every single little thing in the book in the movie. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I dont have a problem with PJ leaving out thing - not at all -he has to! Its where he has changed the story I think he fails - and on the points where he do not understand the caracters - his interpretation of especially Elrond, Galadriel and the two younger hobbits are downright awful! <BR>Pippin for instance is represented as courageous but as a teenager with an IQ of 65 - I mean if he wants to make a Forrest Gump movie let him - but keep ME out of it.<P>On the other hand I must also say that Gandalf, Strider/Aragorn, Frodo and Sam - and to some degree Gimli, Legolas and Boromir is outstanding in their interpretation and preformance.<BR>The latter 3 are however very cartoonlike - I mean do you have to spell everything out in 5 foot neon??? Have some faith in the audience, please...<P>Cheers T<P>PS Do you really need to put new scenes into the movie - just to get some action??? Gandalf and Saruman in 2 minutes staffcombat??? New scenes of Saruman breeding fullgrown orcs out of mudd???
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Old 12-19-2001, 08:22 AM   #5
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The wizards duel is something that drives home, to none Tolkien fans, that Saruman is the best and most powerful. It sets up the two towers when Gandalf comes back and takes Sarumans staff and breaks it. It shows how much more powerful Gandalf becomes.
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Old 12-19-2001, 08:35 AM   #6
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Well it's seems Im very intollerant and that you are very tollerant - or perhaps on the production team
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Old 12-19-2001, 08:43 AM   #7
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It is a moive. I already know it won't be as good as the book.<P>But as a movie it may be a work of art in its own right.
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Old 12-19-2001, 10:59 AM   #8
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I have not seen the movie yet..will see it at an afternoon matinee in about a week. I am already bias since I realized that detail does matter to me. If it were six hours and had everything in it...I would do it. Of course in the end...I am not a fan for books to movies...they are never the same...and when money is involved...you can never have faith that it will be good.<BR>I just hope that it will not do more harm than good.
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Old 12-19-2001, 02:40 PM   #9
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Well, I've read the books a kazillion times and spend way too much time working on this site, but I loved the film. If I could change just one thing, I think I'd swap the actors playing Aragorn and Boromir. Viggo is great, but Bean was just awesome.
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Old 12-19-2001, 03:53 PM   #10
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I would not even change the casting.<P>I've promised myself to enjoy the film for what it is, and it is great!<P>Departures from the text were expected, and it is incredible to me that anyone at this point would even try to hold the movie up to the standard of Tolkien's masterwork.<P>As we are discussing on the Chat, as I write, Red has given the movie a 7 (out of 10). Compared to the books, I would agree.<P>But compared to everything else that is out there, I'd have to give it a 10!
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Old 12-19-2001, 04:08 PM   #11
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I thought it was an excellent movie, even though I was extremely disappointed at the length that PJ "interpreted" the story. Some characters were dead on in my opinion, like Gandalf, Galadriel, and Boromir. But I have to disagree with Telchar. In ROTK, Pippin speaks to Beregond and Bergil that he is still in his "irresponsible tweens" I think it says. I thought Frodo was way too young and pretty.
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Old 12-19-2001, 04:42 PM   #12
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I just saw the movie not more than ten minutes ago. I did not enjoy most of the movie. I also recently saw the Harry Potter movie with my children and I must say, the director did a much better job of staying true to the book.<BR> Here is what I did not like: 1.) The portrayal of Merry and Pippin, 2.)The entire ending scene, 3.) The duel between Gandalf and Sauraman, 4.) The portrayal of Galadriel, 5.) The almost non-existance of Gollum, 6.) The entrance to Lothlorien, 7.) the portrayal of Butterbur.<BR> There were scenes I did like. The scene with the Balrog. I liked Legolas. Most of Gandalf. Most of the fight scenes, with the noted exception of the duel between the wizards.<BR> I just do not understand the most of the changes.
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Old 12-19-2001, 04:47 PM   #13
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Hello again everyone! I figured for such an important topic I can very well make an appearance. And yes, as my quote does say, I am Suldal (or Sud if you so prefer). Well I personally thought the movies to be very good, alot better than I had expected! Considering all the realities of making such a movie (time, costs and the like) I found it very well made. Perhaps a little too "jerky" at times, and a little too underdeveloped, but overall well done. Of course I personally would have changed the first two scenes with Arwen (I think it makes her appear much too "magickally inclined") but the rest was superb in my mind. The scenery was fantastic, and the music and sound effects were surreal! But anyway thats just my personal opinion at the moment.
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Old 12-19-2001, 04:56 PM   #14
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I was one who was very excited and positive about things...until I saw the "Making of the Lord of the Rings" That put some worries in me...but still I went into the theater hoping for a good movie.<P>First the good: The scenery was perfect in everyway, the Shire, Rivendell, Caladras, Moria, Lorien...all fabulous, just as I imagined. Characters...most were very good, excellent even.<P>The bad: My main problem was that the movie was very very choppy....jerking from one place to the other. 10 minutes in moria, 10 in Lorien, 1 minute inbetween....*sigh* In my opinion it was more a cinematic illustration of the major scenes of the books than a good movie. I'm hearing that the opinion is good among those who havn't read the books...but I cannot see how. I'm happy about that, don't get me wrong...but there was no character development, no explaination of things, or people, or places...*sigh*<P>There just wasn't enough time. It should really be 6 movies, instead of 3. That would never happen, but that's what it would take to do it well.<P>I dunno. I feel bad about not liking it...but I can't deny. I personally kinda wish I hadn't seen it at all and hope I will be able to go back to my book imaginations of people and things...I will surely be reading them tonight, trying to regain that love and get over this dissapointment. Oh well. To all those who enjoyed the movie, i'm very happy for you.
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Old 12-19-2001, 05:08 PM   #15
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Wow. Well. I guess I don't really need to post now since Mhoram already pretty much summed up my thoughts! I'll just add something that Telchar said to round it out a bit... <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>"I dont have a problem with PJ leaving out thing - not at all -he has to! Its where he has changed the story I think he fails - and on the points where he do not understand the caracters - his interpretation of especially Elrond, Galadriel and the two younger hobbits..."<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>PJ loves visuals. It was a treat for the eyes, but the storyline and character development were lacking. Don't get me wrong! Unlike Mhoram, I did like it. Just didn't love it. 7 out of 10 from me.<P>-red
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Old 12-19-2001, 05:28 PM   #16
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I'm sorry folks. I've gotta vent here. According to a souce I read today, the anal-retentive Tolkien purist-snobs represent less than 10% of the expected audience. I am glad not to be in that cult.<P>Now that I've earned the flames of everyone here, let me go on to say that I enjoyed the movie immensely -- as cinema. How many of you complained about the fact that the original Jurassic Park little resembled the Michael Crighton book upon which it was "based"? Cinema is a different animal than a book. It requires different pacing, and necessary compression of Tolkien's beautifully languid storyline. FOTR the Movie works as a movie on a different level than FOTR the book.<P>I was able without any difficulty at all to handle the differences from the text by mentally noting them and then continuing to concentrate on the story as presented on screen. While I can make the comparisons, it did not detract from the overall beautifully-produced, brilliantly-acted, cinematically-near-flawless presentation. I have no sympathy for those unable to detach themselves from considering Tolkien's exact words as a sacrosanct canon which can not be altered one iota in order to make a good flick.<P>And another thing I don't understand is why so many people are ragging on the money-making aspects of the film as a *bad* thing. If it were not for the money making potential of the movies, they would not have been made at all, and tweaking them for the masses (which, heaven forbid, might actually make them want to go read the BOOKS!!) is not necessarily a bad thing.<P>I had my complaints about the movie. I like the travel-transition sequences in the book as much as anyone, and would have liked to preserve some of them in the movie, but in the grand scheme of things, 3 hours is a lot to ask of the public butts to sit thru. I didn't like the fact that Merry and Pippin just sort of "fall-in" with Frodo and Sam and start following, no questions asked and no explanations given. I would rather have seen the info in the prologue given, even in flashback, in the council of Elrond. <P>But all that is secondary to why I go to movies. I go to see a good yarn well-presented. FOTR was the embodiment of all that I have looked for in other modern so-called blockbusters, which are usually 10 minutes of glory surrounded by 100 minutes of sewage. It was transporting, involving, soaring cinema on a scale not seen by me since I-don't-know-when.<P>Those perfectionists complaining about plot changes, go sit in your dark corners and get back to re-reading your dog-eared, manually-footnoted and cross-referenced copies of the LOTR and HOME, and let the rest of us (most of the movie-going public) enjoy ourselves. <P>But you really should get out more -- you're beginning to look sort of thin, stretched and bony. And you might want to think twice before referring to your books as "my preciousssses"...
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Old 12-19-2001, 07:34 PM   #17
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Well I Hust go Back.. And i was disipointed some wat.. No Glorfindel or Tombombadil...or BARROW-DOWNS! Ha Well. There were a few aspects i liked, I liked the Balrog. Well... I liked a lot of other stuff also... And Lurtz What an idiot. He was made to be destroyed. HOW STUPID! ANNND The way Boromir Dies...It sure did take long enough! But all and all i liked the movie.. It was quite a good preseption..not mine...but it was.
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Old 12-19-2001, 08:02 PM   #18
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hey there Telchar<P>I gotta admit, that when i woke up today, i was freaked like hell 'bout going to see the FOTR, cuz i was too worried about being disapointed. N i have to say: all in all, i liked it.<P>sure, i hated some things:<BR>- the ending<BR>- Arwen<BR>- Arwen saving them ('specially when she called on the tides)<BR>- Butterbur n the meeting with Strider<BR>- some very childish/cartoonish interpretations of the Council.<P>But c'mon let's be honest: the good points of the movie are waaaayyyyy more numerous. stellar acting. great interpretation of nearly all the characters. costumes, n settings were great too. nice fighting sequences. the war scene in the beginning gave me goosebumps, it was amazing. i luved the balrog. The movie managed to capture the <I>feel</I> of the story for me.<BR>I think Pippin was well interpreted. According to tolkien, he's suposed to be <I>irresponsible</I> n he does some immature things in the course of the books, doesn't he?<P>No. i'm not 100% satisfied. But there was no chance for the movie to be EXACTLY like the book. And i don't think it's fair to bash it, because of all the things that <I>were</I> so wonderfully accurate.<BR>Why do we always Want it All? Can't we just enjoy what we're getting? Humans are so ridiculously greedy.<P>I think 1 of the probs with us, crazy hardcore Tolkien fans, is that we don't want people who have never read the books, n don't understand their massive splendor, to walk outta some movie theatre, thinking that <I>"that's"</I> what the whole books were about, if the adaptation is inaccurate.<P>well i gotta say: I don't care about those people. I've read the books, n i'll always be in love with them. If you want complete accuracy, then just read them. the movie is simply a mere adaptation. that's all. we can't expect it to be the same as Tolkien's written version O_o<P>Personnaly i enjoyed some the Extra stuff that PJ added to the story. it added some intrigue to certain scenes, that i know by heart, and knew exactly what was gonna happen..<P>And yeah, they did skip lots of the more "in-between moments", jumping from 1 place to the next, n i hope the DVD will come with plenty of cut scenes that will make up for it a bit <P>take care. ^_^
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Old 12-19-2001, 08:18 PM   #19
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Well, I am off to see the movie in just a bit, i will do my best to take the wise Hobbit Emeritus' tack . I <BR>imagine it will take all of the discipline and skill I posses [and intervention by Eru !] to remain calm and in a mode of enjoyment when Gandalf starts to do a jedi fight scene w/ S. but hey .... Forewarned is forearmed.<BR> <BR>cheers<P>lindil
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Old 12-19-2001, 08:44 PM   #20
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I LOVED it! Lord of the Rings is the best book I have ever read, and now the movie is the best movie I've seen. First I compared the movie to the book and if you do that sure it stinks. But I believe if you go into the theatre repeating to yourself this is not the book this is a movie that is BASED on the book and it PJ's view of the books and its just there for a jolly fun time not to be a actual journey with the fellowship like it is in the books. I compared it to the other movies I've seen and its the best simply because it feels like Tolkien and was based on my favorite story.<BR>For the most part I thought the characters were down tight I especially loved Gandalf and Gimli. Legolas was the only one I was disapointed with, he just seems to be there to "sense evil" and shoot orcs.<BR>Overall I think PJ did an superb job except for two things that really irked me. I think Liv Tyler did a very good job and I didn't mind her replacing Glorfindel and defying the Nazgul, until she called the ford against them. I think it could of easily been done by Gandalf and Elrond in the movie. The second was the mural of Sauron in Rivendell that Boromir looks at. NO ONE ON MIDDLE-EARTH WOULD EVER DRAW HIM EVEN LESS FOR DECORATION!!! I MEAN THEY DON'T EVEN SAY HIS NAME!!! (which they do in movie quite frequently) Those were the only 2 things I detested. <BR>One person here complained about Gollum being non-existant in the movie. If you remember your Fellowship book though, he appears alot more in the movie than he does in THAT book. And also the guy who said Boromir took too long to die. I gotta say in my opinion that was one of the movies best scenes. You can almost feel the arrows pounding into your own chest along with him and in the books I pictured Boromir getting shot with quite a few more arrows than three and still lopping of those Uruk-Hai heads.<BR>Overall I think the movie was EXCELLENT, sure the books is sooooo much better, but books have and alway will be extremely superior to movies.<BR>Personally I can't wait till Two Towers.<BR>Treebeard here I come!<p>[ December 19, 2001: Message edited by: Durin'sBane ]
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Old 12-19-2001, 10:26 PM   #21
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Has anyone read Ebert's review? I agree almost completely.<P>The cinematograghy was surreal.<P>Bean was amazing, Christopher Lee and Ian Mckellan were also amazing, but not as much as Bean.<P>The branches, or whatever they were(definately not wings) coming out of the Balrog were weird, but it was very very neat(no better word to describe it)<P>Bilbo nearly biting off Frodo's head in Rivendell was very good, well not good, but I thought it really let the viewer see the power of the ring, even better than that fancy CGI scene with Galadriel that I thought was overdone.<P>The pace was to fast. The shire even went fast, I was amazed at that. Then it kinda snowballed from there, not allowing much detail.<P>But I think better and better of the movie every moment.<P>Definately some Oscar nominations, maybe a best supporting role to Sean Bean.
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Old 12-19-2001, 10:53 PM   #22
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I am very very new to the wide world of film interpretations of Tolkien, but it would make since to say that even a newbie to Middle Earth would find the film a graphic learning tool to understanding the sequence of events the lead up to the separation of the Fellowship. Despite the controversy surrounding the editing of the plot, with some explanation even the most inexperienced Tolkien fan finds the story line true to Tolkien’s original meaning? I, personally have a question though. Was the theme of the story changed when PJ enlarged the part of Arwen, played by Liv Tyler?<p>[ December 19, 2001: Message edited by: Rose, the youngest ]
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Old 12-19-2001, 11:10 PM   #23
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All together a great movie. Great actors and awsome special effects. I have only two complaints WHAT THE HECK WAS UP WITH GALADRIEL WHEN SHE DID THAT WIERD BIG EYED THING.I took my friend orc999 to see it with me. I thought he was going to claw me to death when Bilbo did that fangs with big eyes thing in Rivendell. They really overexaggerated there. I know its only a movie interpretation but wheres Bombidail?<BR>People acctually laughed at the end. Those wannabe Tolkien fans were expecting an ending. I nearly killed a guy who called tolkien a raving lunatic. Well, as sam says,"Thats an eye opener and no mistake."
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Old 12-19-2001, 11:29 PM   #24
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I hope none of you made rude comments about the film as the credits started to roll! I got chose to a cat fight with a man stilling behind me who stood up and said, "Well, that sucked." Keep it to yourselves people!<p>[ December 20, 2001: Message edited by: Rose, the youngest ]
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Old 12-19-2001, 11:32 PM   #25
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I saw it right after school today. . .I truthfully don't mind the adaptations they made for screen. If they'd made an exact retelling, nobody would want to watch it but hardcore fans, it was the director's job to get it out into the mainstream really. . .(which is good and bad). . .I think, though, as a 9 hour movie it'll all be great together. . .<P>I actually liked it without Tom and all the songs and stuff. . .though the changed area surrounding Gandalf and Saruman was interesting, and having the stone in really early. . .I guess it helps people understand whats going on (if they haven't read it)I did enjoy seeing Saruman and Gandalf fight. . .but I'd have liked to see Radagast (as he's my favorite minor minor character)<P>all in all though, a thoroughly likeable movie!<P>I can't get over it when they just say "weed" too. . . I guess its the stupid American teenager in me
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Old 12-19-2001, 11:39 PM   #26
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Let's throw in Ionia's two cents. And you know it's bad when she slips into third person.<P>What does Ionia know? She knows that it takes one helluva movie to make her cry, especially considering she knows what's going to happen (or should).<P>I went to the movie to see a movie. I forced myself not to acknowledge that I'd ever been a huge fan of the book (albeit that I AM a newcomer). And I adored it. I'd see it again and the fact that the second is a year in coming is gnawing at me even as we speak.<P>Jackson could not, I repeat, NOT, under any circumstances, make a movie geared just towards the Tolkien crowd. If he'd tried, and stayed true to the storyline, there would be complaints about bad acting and worse special effects... Why? Because he'd never make the money to PRODUCE such a stellar, major piece of work. Yes, some things seemed strictly unnecessary. I won't touch the Arwen deal. We all have our issues with that.<P>The wizard duel? As mentioned, necessary to demonstrate Gandalf's lesser power. <BR>The actors? I think that Jackson cast Tolkien's characters with a set goal in his mind: To capture the <I>aura, the atmosphere</I>, that Tolkien fans have grown to love. Does Elijah Wood look like a fifty year old Hobbit? No, admittedly, but doesn't he capture some of the martyred, downtrodden (yet courageous) innocence that Frodo represents? Doesn't Sean Astin seem like a loyal stand-by who'd never leave your side? And doesn't (the guy who plays Pippin), despite being rather overdone, seem like an irresponsible teenager? Jackson even took pains to express that in the "is that a pint" scene... Which, by the way, I found hilariously tasteful, despite being somewhat off the Tolkien-true path.<P>I'm avoiding the chatroom for the next few days. I won't be able to tolerate the criticism real-time. I know it's beyond justified, but I don't want my new favourite (yes, favourite, you read that correctly) movie ruined. Yes, I'm a newbie to Middle-Earth who needed the movie to drag my eyelids open, as I have mentioned before, but I appreciate the richness of the novels, hopefully that counts for quite a bit.<P>Maybe we all question it too hard? Just think, if you'd never read Tolkien, would you have enjoyed the movie? <P>The acting was superb, the locations breathtaking, the costume and makeup, while not accurate, beautiful.<P>It was stunning.
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Old 12-19-2001, 11:41 PM   #27
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I took the Mrs for a second viewing.<P>I take back nothing! Really a great motion picture and a fine interpretation.<P>A six hour movie, or six movies to cover the epic, would be commercially impossible.<P>Peter Jackson is to be commended for a spectacular job. Over all, it is truer to the books than I thought it would be, at least in spirit.<P>And for those reading so far down a spoiler thread:<P>Balrogs got wings.
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Old 12-20-2001, 12:06 AM   #28
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NUOOOO STUPID WINGS. <P><BR>
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Old 12-20-2001, 12:08 AM   #29
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Rose, I will answer your question first, since I saw you post the same question elsewhere. No, the theme did not change even though changes were made with the character of Arwen. It is still Good vs. Evil. The point of undertaking the journey is still intact: to destroy the ring of power and bring about the end of the domain of Sauron, thereby saving the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.<P>I have read LotR and the Hobbit every February since 1974. I look forward to reading them again. I, therefore, had some misgivings about seeing this movie, but I can say I really did enjoy it. I was left wanting more, and can hardly wait for the next installments. I actually had tears in my eyes throughout the entire movie.<P>I was very pleased that there were no swearing words in the movie, and no nudity. Too many times these are put in movies when they are absolutley unnecessary. <P>The movie was actually frightening at points with real terror, as can be found in the books. This was also pleasing to me.<P>I was much impressed with how many times the script was word for word taken from the book, such as when Gandalf was fighting the Balrog in Moria. <P>The scenes with the Black Riders were excellent in capturing their essence, whether seen by normal sight, or by altered sight while wearing the ring.<P>I would have liked to have seen the Old Forest with Old Man Willow, Tom Bombadil, and the barrow downs. In addition, I would have preferred to have seen the presentation of gifts by the Lady Galadriel to the members of the fellowship at their parting from Caras Galadon.<P>I was not too disappointed with the character changes made to Arwen. I would agree that the river scene could just as easily been accomplished using Elrond and Gandalf, as is in the book.<P>I was disappointed that the Hobbits and Strider did not stop and see the trolls frozen in stone forever after arguing over which was the best way to cook 13 Dwarves and one Hobbit. <P>I wish I could have seen Frodo dancing on a table, jumping in the air, and disappear into a pile of broken crockery while singing "The cow jumped over the Moon," instead of seeing him trip over a foot and have the ring fly up in the air for all to see, and then slip onto his finger on its own.<P>I actually did not mind the Saruman and Gandalf battle scene. To me, this seems a logical extension of what we learned from the books, and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that such a battle could have occurred. Gandalf only relates the tale of his caprure; we are never given a "real time" account in the book by Tolkien. What we did learn was that Gandalf was trapped and put atop a pinnacle of Orthanc. He had to have gotten there somehow, and no one had everm caught him before. Remember, he had wandered in the realm of Dol Guldur in search of Thrain years previously, and had not been captured. This fighting scene seems to be a logical inference of possible events to me. I find this much more plausible than having Arwen call up the waters to create a flood to unhorse the Nine, when Tolkien explained this process in detail: Elrond had the power to control the flood, and Gandalf added his magical touches here and there.<P>For those of you who are disappointed, I hope you can reconsider. It was much better than what we were presented with back in 1978.
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Old 12-20-2001, 12:37 AM   #30
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Remarkably well-said. I wish I could be as concise.
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Old 12-20-2001, 02:24 AM   #31
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As I like to consider my self as much of an ultra-conservative Tolkien purist, and one who argued strongly for a pure rendition, I was impressed, really impressed. Yeah PJ's crative lic, should be on probation, but so much of the spirit of the work did show thru and indeed inspired it, that I came away pleased. <P>Coyuld I post a 1,000 word critique w/ no effort ? yep<BR>Will I [tonight at least ] nope - it was just too cool to spend time slamming it. <P>the cheesiest thing i will mention was the evil, <B>Evil EVIL</B> being chanted during the weathertop scene [I think] . They tried I think to be discrete about it, but finally it came into the foreground strongly enough that there was no mistsaking it - I'm afraid. Someone said above they thought bean and mortensonm should have switched roles , i say no way. <P>I will save further praise and critique for their own threads.<P>- thanks Gilthalion for the attitude adjustment prior to the movie. <P>I suggest you go to see it [for those who havn't] w/ the idea that all copies are gone except one that is about as well presereved as the booknext Balin's tomb, and alot of gaps werre missing and had to be filled in.<P>Someone complained I think about Sam being made goofy - in the book, he is a total bumpkin. <P>I still hope someone' does it 'by the book' one day, but until then this is a 10,000% improvement over the Rankin/Bass and cartoon version.<P><BR>lindil's Osanwe page @ <A HREF="http://pub72.ezboard.com/bosanwe" TARGET=_blank>http://pub72.ezboard.com/bosanwe</A>
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Old 12-20-2001, 02:34 AM   #32
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All I can say is WOW! OK, I can say a lot more. I LOVED it. I had high but realistic expectations...I didn't expect it to be like the book. Because...<P>It is a movie - a MOTION PICTURE. The story has to be told in moving images, not in pages of narrative. The "historical" or "background" information must be SHOWN. For example, Saruman's treachery had to be shown - thus the amount of screen time. Although my two movie-going friends found the cuts to and from Orthanc disjointed, I didn’t.<P>And my friends were concerned about a lack of character development. But first the characters must be established for those unfamiliar with the story. And there are a lot of characters. So the focus was on the more important characters of the trilogy: Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn and Saruman. (Boromir's character also had to be dealt with of course. I liked how the relationship between Aragorn and Boromir was developed - it revealed as much about Aragorn's character as Boromir's.) The other characters will be developed in the next movies as the action follows them. I concede that by giving Arwen’s character more substance and power, the movie diluted Frodo’s strength of character somewhat. But I am hopeful that Frodo’s sterner stuff will show up in the next instalment. <P>The battle/fight scenes were truly terrifying. The costumes and set designs were breathtaking. The special effects were amazing. (I don't know enough about Balrogs to know if it was well done or not. But it scared me.)<P>I'm kind of embarrassed, but I cried through most of the film. First the Hobbiton scenes choked me up - I felt that I was there. Bree was exactly how I pictured it. Rivendell and Lothlorien were more beautiful than I had imagined. And knowing the storyline didn't stop me from bawling when Frodo was wounded, when Gandalf fell, when Boromir died. And the slight changes made it more surprising and exciting. (And stopped me from lip-synching the dialogue!) The 3 hours flew by like no movie I can remember.<P>I have to see it again and again and again and…
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Old 12-20-2001, 03:25 AM   #33
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So many things have been said, good and bad, that I'll pare my own comments down to the bare emotion: Beautiful, all in all. It lacked Tolkien's dignified subtlety in places, but necessarily considering the medium. The acting was phenomenal. The battles were incredible in their originality. No "superhero" stuff here, just what it takes to stay alive. I thought there were some minor moments of cliche drama. <P>And finally, most gushingly... Boromir. He <I>was</I> this movie. As I said, the acting was phenomenal, but <I>Boromir</I>! This was one of the most powerfully emotive performances I have ever seen. Perfect in every aspect. Flawless. Bean gets the Oscar, no question.
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Old 12-20-2001, 04:29 AM   #34
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I'll keep my comments short and sweet, too -- between Thenamir's rant, Gilthalion's praise, and lindil's positive (*shock!*) review, I'm fairly well-covered. I loved it! <UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>WINGS!<LI>The acting was OUTSTANDING! McKellan for Best Actor -- he <I>owned</I> Gandalf!<LI>Swap Viggo for Bean? I echo the NO WAY! sentiment. I thought they were both great in their parts.<LI>I thought we saw the perfect amount of Gollum -- and he looked and sounded perfect.<LI>Jackson did a great job of compressing a very dense and challenging book into three hours. I hope New Line has the sense to put out a Director's Cut DVD with the four hour version I'd bet Jackson <I>could</I> have made.<LI>I loved watching Legolas work that bow! C'mon!</UL><P>I could go on and on, but it's late and I want to sleep with images of FotR dancing in my head.<p>[ December 20, 2001: Message edited by: Mister Underhill ]
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Old 12-20-2001, 08:51 AM   #35
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I`m just back from seeing the movie. Thought I`d add my twopenny worth.<P>As pure entertainment, I thought it was excellent (my 11 year old daughter loved it). It looked as good as I had hoped it would and the fight sequences were superb. There were also some excellent performances, especially from Elijah Wood and Sean Bean. <P>Now onto the bad points. I thought the script was very poor. Galadriel was awful ("even the smallest of people can change the future" - Ugh!) and the less said about Arwen the better. Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler were dire.<P>I think that the film is good when viewed as mere entertainment, but as an interpretation of JRRT`s masterpiece, it leaves a lot to be desired. I have no problems with the omitted scenes, but the changes made, especially Arwen`s role, were totally unnecessary, IMHO. Why was LUrtz added when Ugluk was already well fleshed out in the books?<P>I`d give PJ 10/10 for artistic impression, but 2/10 for his contribution to Tolkien`s legacy. Overall, I guess that comes to a 6.
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Old 12-20-2001, 09:27 AM   #36
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Well, I can hardly say much that haven't been seen. But I enjoyed it very much as a movie and smiled happily afterwards.<P>So I decide to let film be film and book be book
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Old 12-20-2001, 09:30 AM   #37
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I didn't mention this before but it sure deserves mentioning... Sean Bean was amazing!! Quite a nice surprise when everyone kept raving about McKellan and Lee (who were also great!). Three cheers for Bean. Hip hip Hoorah!!(x3) <P>-red
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Old 12-20-2001, 12:22 PM   #38
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I have a question. Why did noone like the ending? The book drops you off right in the middle and I thought it was good.<P>I loved the movie. The spirit and feel of Tolkien really came through. Forget the minor details omissions and such. <P>3 hours is a long time for a movie, but too short to make the FOTR perfect. You can't walk away like you can with a book and pick up again later.<P>I loved it. I thought Viggo was the perfect Aragorn and Gandalf was superb as well as Boromir. <P>I thought Merry and Pippin were kinda lost. I kept trying to figure out which was which but they get more prominent in the the next 2.<P>A great film, stop trying to make it live up to the books. It won't and I knew that from the beginning. It is based on JRR Tolkien, not by him.
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Old 12-20-2001, 02:12 PM   #39
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The more I think about what I saw yesterday the more I like it. A great interpretation of the story and true to the story in theme and characterization if not in specifics. <P>I felt some of the "choppiness" mentioned in other posts, but I think this is due to our in-depth knowledge of the full story. I was always aware of a missing scene or even a missing line. I hope to see it a second time soon and will try to just take it in without noting the variations from the book. I think it will flow well if you just accept the story being told in the film.<P>I do wish we had seen more of Lothlorian. Galadrial is, to my mind, the character least well presented; it seems that Gimli's preconception of her is justified! We need to see the "other side" of Galadrial.<P>I also have to second comments on the incredible performance of McKellen; he really lifts the movie into another level. Also Sean Bean; earlier reviewers seem to have missed him, but he did great things with a difficult role.
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Old 12-20-2001, 03:11 PM   #40
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Loved the movie. I wish they hadnt left out Glorfindel. Sure, I knew before hand, but I was always hoping they would slip him in there. I also thought they messed up the Last Alliance a little. The armies were spectacular (how cool was that long line of Elven longswords?), but they pretty much ignored Gil-galad and Elendil. We never see Gil-galad at all, unfortunately, and all we see of Elendil is him getting tossed like a pebble against a wall. And then Isildur hacks off the fingers of a still very powerful Sauron. In the books, Elendil and Gil-galad were supposed to defeat Sauron and die in the process. And then Isildur cut off the ring after Sauron was "unconscious" or what not. At least that's how I intepreted it. I sorely missed Gil-galad and also all the songs. I wanted to hear some Elvish singing! All well, on the whole a great movie and I'll probably see it four more times lol.
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