Revisiting Lord Of The Rings

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 03:24
VIEWED: 3965
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CHRISISALL

Sunday, February 7, 2010 2:42 PM

The ONLY thing in all three movies that I really didn't like was having orcs climbing down walls. While visually cool, that ability would indicate a strength level that would make them absolutely unbeatable IMO. Plus, that was never in the books.

But, small pet peeve.

The laughing Chrisisall

MAL4PREZ

Sunday, February 7, 2010 2:49 PM

I had my moment of rediscovery last fall - and it was the music I hadn't realized was so cool. Last October the FotR played at Radio City Music Hall with a full symphony, full choir, and full children's choir performing the score live. Oh man. I thought I'd like it, didn't think I'd LOVE it. All the percussive themes for Isengard just rocked, and the solos were beautiful.

They're doing the second movie next October. I'll be there! I recommend that anyone near NYC shell out the bucks to see this - so worth it.

Oh, they're planning to do the Star Wars movies (the good ones) too. Or maybe that happened in December? I forget. Shoot, hope I didn't miss it. I'd love to see Episode 4 with live music.

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

MAL4PREZ

Sunday, February 7, 2010 3:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
The ONLY thing in all three movies that I really didn't like was having orcs climbing down walls. While visually cool, that ability would indicate a strength level that would make them absolutely unbeatable IMO. Plus, that was never in the books.

But, small pet peeve.

The laughing Chrisisall

My dislikes came in the third movie.

A little nitpick: Shelob didn't look right. The compact jumpy spider is a bit scary, sure, but she should have been fat and blobby and long-legged like in the book. So much more effective, I think.

Bigger nitpick: I'd have liked less of a war movie and more about Mordor. The battle at Helm's Deep in the Two Towers was so well done. I really didn't need another hour long fight during the siege of Minas Tirith. I wish they'd cut 5-10 minutes of video-game battle graphics and shown me the inside of Mordor instead.

That part of the books was so fascinating. Mordor is a complete opposite of the Shire, and we hear so much about it through the whole journey. I wanted to actually be there in the middle of all the horrible nastiness for a while, to really know the future they were fighting to prevent.

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

NAVYSEILS

Sunday, February 7, 2010 3:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
Oh, they're planning to do the Star Wars movies (the good ones) too. Or maybe that happened in December? I forget. Shoot, hope I didn't miss it. I'd love to see Episode 4 with live music.

I dont know if it's the same group, but I'm sure someone told me the same thing was happening at the SECC later this year. I'd love to get along to that. I like my classical music, and in particular I like my movie/game scores. They just seem so exciting and tell a story. It would be a good night.

Back on topic, I agree with the nitpicking at the last movie where the battles ran on a little too long. Helms deep was a huge part of the second movie, and about enough. They're impressive sure, and in the books the battles were grand, but I think in the films they could have been done with a little breaking up. That may be why the first is still my favourite, it's mostly all story with just enough action to keep you excited.

CHRISISALL

Sunday, February 7, 2010 3:39 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Navyseils:
Helms deep was a huge part of the second movie, and about enough.

This kept popping into my head the first time I saw it:

YEAAAAAAAAHHHH BABY!

The laughing Chrisisall

SINGATE

Sunday, February 7, 2010 8:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I wish they'd cut 5-10 minutes of video-game battle graphics and shown me the inside of Mordor instead.

That part of the books was so fascinating. Mordor is a complete opposite of the Shire, and we hear so much about it through the whole journey. I wanted to actually be there in the middle of all the horrible nastiness for a while, to really know the future they were fighting to prevent.

One of the funniest complaints I ever heard was about Legolas being portrayed as a video game character through much of the final battle. Climbing up the Oliphant via arrows and spears then sliding down it's trunk after single handedly dispatching the beast. Yup, that was a bit much.

Your complaint about Mordor is addressed somewhat in the extended version. We get to to see Sam and Frodo spending much more time amongst enemy forces. I think Return of the King benefits the most from the extended treatment even though the movie was already very long. We get the mouth of Sauron, Aragorn using the Palantir, Gandalf's confrontation with the Witch King, and the death of Saruman. I know some hardcore fans take exception to those last two scenes because they differ from the book but they are still very good.

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We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

MAL4PREZ

Sunday, February 7, 2010 9:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by singate:
Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I wish they'd cut 5-10 minutes of video-game battle graphics and shown me the inside of Mordor instead.

That part of the books was so fascinating. Mordor is a complete opposite of the Shire, and we hear so much about it through the whole journey. I wanted to actually be there in the middle of all the horrible nastiness for a while, to really know the future they were fighting to prevent.

One of the funniest complaints I ever heard was about Legolas being portrayed as a video game character through much of the final battle. Climbing up the Oliphant via arrows and spears then sliding down it's trunk after single handedly dispatching the beast. Yup, that was a bit much.

Your complaint about Mordor is addressed somewhat in the extended version. We get to to see Sam and Frodo spending much more time amongst enemy forces. I think Return of the King benefits the most from the extended treatment even though the movie was already very long. We get the mouth of Sauron, Aragorn using the Palantir, Gandalf's confrontation with the Witch King, and the death of Saruman. I know some hardcore fans take exception to those last two scenes because they differ from the book but they are still very good.

_________________________________________________

We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

Yep, I do like the extended versions of all three movies much better. Don't even mind them being longer, seeing that I can hit the pause button whenever I need to. I absolutely love the mouth of Sauron. So bummed he didn't make the theater cut, because that guy is creepy! Fabulous and creepy, somehow.

I still feel the whole structure of the movies minimized the time in Mordor though. They made so much of the Minas Tirith battle that everything after that was anti-climatic. The writers knew it too, they just rushed like hell to get the war won. Sticking to the book would have helped: this battle wasn't so very victorious a win. There was still a big army sitting on the road from Rohan.

Yeah - Legolas and his Oliphant is exactly what I mean. It's a shame that Legolas became a video game character/heartthrob and Gimli became comic relief. Both deserved better than that.

But there's me getting critical again. All in all, I absolutely love the movies, and I'm stunned by the amount of work that went into them.

Navyseils: what's SECC?

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

PIZMOBEACH

Sunday, February 7, 2010 11:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
I had my moment of rediscovery last fall - and it was the music I hadn't realized was so cool. Last October the FotR played at Radio City Music Hall with a full symphony, full choir, and full children's choir performing the score live. Oh man. I thought I'd like it, didn't think I'd LOVE it. All the percussive themes for Isengard just rocked, and the solos were beautiful.

My wife and I saw what I believe was the same performance when it came through our city. What fun! I wasn't expecting it to be so good, more of an *interesting* evening, but it was a lot more than that.

Everyone's got nitpicks (me too)... but on the plus side, could anyone be a better Gandalf than Ian McKellen?? Or Elijah Wood as Frodo??

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

NAVYSEILS

Sunday, February 7, 2010 11:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:

Navyseils: what's SECC?

Sorry, that was probably some useless info I could have left out. It's simply the location that whatever group holding the event will be playing at. It stands for the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center. I think.

THESOMNAMBULIST

Sunday, February 7, 2010 11:52 PM

These films are brilliantly made and executed and the whole thing is an astounding achievement by all involved, but there's something about Peter Jackson's stuff.... I just find them soulless. Similar thing with Heavenly Creatures and King Kong. I feel I'm watching a technical exercise...

But I'm in a minority clearly, because like a gazillion people went and saw these and loved them! So what do I know?

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