So NV Return of the King Discussion (Probably Spoilers)

Best. Movie. Ever. Period.

Even though I knew all that happened from the books, I was in suspense the whole time. I had no idea I had been sitting there for over 3 hours. Of course the battles were just amazingly, incredibly, insanely awesome. And, impossibly, Gollum looked even better. And Shelob looked about as real as possible for a fake giant spider. The acting was also brilliant. You could feel every emotion that the characters felt at any time. The paths of the dead were better than I could ever have imagined. This series has been more than could ever have been expected. Definitely the best books to movies ever done. Probably the best movies ever done at all.

 

I have to agree with Gerson.

I sat in that theater at two in the morning, wide awake, biting my nails, on the edge of my seat, and I knew everything that was going to happen.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best film I have ever seen, and will be extremely hard to top. Never have I been so deeply moved by a film or so deeply engrossed in its characters. This was the visual realization of my childhood imagination; I felt like I was a kid again.

 

Haven't seen it yet (going tonight at 8), but I read a funny article on the battles. They didn't want to hire 200,000 + actors for the battle so they used a program to simulate intelligent warriors in battle (good choice). The problem was the humans and elves were soooooo outnumbered that at the start of the battle they would just run away. All of them. So they dumbed down the program, but then all of the warriors just ran into rocks and tripped over each other. So they had to cut out huge parts of the AI to prevent the war from being a total slaughter.

 

It was very good. The big spider thing was good, I agree.

As for the acting, it was very, very good. Except for 1 very small thing, which bugged me. There was this blonde warrior guy who was with Aragorn, he had long hair, and kind of a slightly darker beard, although it was patchy. He was a big guy, and had really straight teeth. He delivered a couple of lines in the movie, and his delivery, expecially the first time he spoke, kinda bugged me. I literally looked at him and listened to him, and thought, "Oh, they put the LOTR Fan Club president in the movie." I mean I just wasn't buying the lines he was saying, and they way he looked, it was not up to par with the rest of the otherwise excellent movie and acting. When you see the movie again, I am sure you will know what I am talking about. You could see him later at the coronation of the King, and he was standing around doing some kind of 'warrior-glare' (stupid look). He kinda looked and sounded like a reject from a ren fair.

There were some slow bits to the movie, and I found myself struggling to stay awake, and checking my watch. But then again, I am not the spring chicken I used to be.


Great movie though! Question: what happened to the ringwraiths? We see the leader in this one, but what about the others? Am I forgetting something?

Also, it has been a long time since I've read the books. Was Frodo always such a... scared little hobbit? I thought I remembered him shaping up to be kinda tough... Maybe that was Bilbo. Frodo seemed forever afraid and worried and wussy.


I really hope they make the Hobbit before that actor who portrayed Bilbo gets too old.

 

The wraiths were there on those flying dragonlike things. I don't know why they didn't show more of them, but in the book they all die after the ring is destroyed. Frodo did not build up any real courage until the very end, Bilbo did build up a lot throughout the Hobbit, though. I think that blonde guy was Eomer, the King of Rohan's nephew. I agree with you there if that's who you're talking about. He was pretty odd looking too.

 

I really enjoyed that. The part with the cavalry charging during the battle of the fields was great. The one thing they didn't have that i kinda wanted to see was the mouth of sauron, i know its not major i had just wanted to see him.

 

That's what it was!! I kept thinking that there was something at the Black Gate other than just fighting. Thank you for easing my mind. Yes I wish they put that in there.

 

Well i wouldnt go as far as to say it was the greatest movie i have ever seen... but it was cool...

me not reading any of the books didnt feel like i missed anything so that was nice.. I freaking love Sam.. i always thought there should be more to him than in the previous 2 movies.. so thats cool.. the hobbits really step up in this movie, yay for them...

i have to agree with talon though, there were times i just wanted to sleep, and i kept shifting uncomfortablly because it felt like forever.. i, unlike gerson, felt like i was in there for 6 hours, not 3...

good movie.. great trilogy, i still like the first one best... i probaly wont watch it again in the theater only because i probably wont be able to stay awake a second time around...

one more thing... had i read the books i might like this part, but i found the part with the ghosts SO CHEESY... again, the books probably leave a lasting impression on you so when you do see the movie its a memorable scene, but i thought it was so freaking dumb....

 

Having read the books I though they did the paths of the dead great, I always had trouble getting a picture of that in my head and I liked how it was done. One thing I didn't like was how the eye was done. I never though of it as a physical thing. I think when someone has on the ring I think they should see the eye, like the eye is in the spectral world just like the nazgul, but when the ring is off you don't see it just like you can't see the nazgul.

 

Was reading the lotr forums and I saw this, its good for a laugh, here

 

The movie was ok. Not the end all be all of movies, but it was well worth the moeny I spent to go see it.

I would have to agree with Gerson that it felt like abn hour max went by by the end fo the film. There was hardly a dull moment throughout. But I felt the end just dragged along, and thats the way it was in the book. It felt like they had an ending, then another ending, then another, and another. on and on and on. by the time Frodo was writing in the book i wanted a Wraith to appear and kill them all just to end the movie.

The path of the dead was pretty cool. After seeing Pirates of the Carribean it seemed cliché, but I know that this story has been around a LOT longer than that movie. I wish they would have shown more of them fighting. It just kinda came out as a green mob swarming the fields. I needed more close ups of ghosts killing things. that would rule. Also, why wouldn't Aragorn try to get them to attack Mordor as well? You can't kill them, they are ghosts. They could have taken Mordor over without even destroying the ring. I guess that would have been anticlimactic.

One thing I loved in the movie was the trolls. For the first time they were portrayed as semi-intelligent creatures which was awesome. They wore armor, had warhammers and swords/shields. This is a far cry from the usual "troll with club" mentallity. Plus they looked awesome.

The Smeagol/Deagol thing was als very cool. It explains a lot about the evilness of the ring.

There were also a lot of parts which I found really funny, but no body else did. Like when frodo was captured and brought to the orc tower. I thought it was great that when Sam got there, there were only five orcs left alive. too funny. and Shelob:the girl I went with is afraid of spiders . I had fun with that.

I am tired of typing, so I may put more input in later. bleh. Back to work!

 

As great as these movies have been, they still are not as good as the books themselves. I think everyone should read them, unless you don't know how to read. The biggest thrill for me seeing the movies is the seeing what I imagined while reading come to life. I can see where the ghosts would be cheesy, but you're right when you say its a huge thing for those having read the books.

I truly wish nothing was changed from the translation from book to screen, but that's just impossible. There are so-called 'Tolkien purists' all over the internet bashing these movies because they don't follow the books exactly and I think that's just stupid. I don't see how they could have been made any better and I hope Peter Jackson continues to make movies of this caliber.

 

I thought the movie was a great relief from watching the Matrix. Wow. that is all. WOWesrs.

I also looked for the mouth of Sauron, Sam. In fact I was mightily disappointed when they didn't show him. Maybe in the extended version.

The ghost legion was VERRRRRY awsome! I was so excited when they met in the paths and Aragorn swished off the ghost king's sword with Isildur's sword that was reforged (also, that sword was wicked!)!!!

I think that they didn't use the ghost legion to destroy mordor because the ghosts were getting pretty ticked at Gimli!! He was pretty funny.

Also, the Oliphants were so cool! oh my gosh! They needed to show Legolas killing more of them though!!

Shelob. Wow. When frodo got out of her lair and started to walk up the steps, me and Shea were freaking out because we thought that they were going to end it right there with him getting away! Like Gerson said, totally in suspense.

Oh, Darkstar, I never heard you say "I feel like poop," the entire time of the movie. There were plenty of quiet times in there that you may have interjected.

 

If they had Trolls riding Oliphants dragging seige towers and ballistas, then this would have been the best movie EVAR.

 

totally!

 

One reason the dead probably wouldnt attack mordor would be the nazgul. Since they are also in the spectral realm they could probably destory the undead. Also Sauron isn't a mortal being, he to could probably kill the dead, so I would think the dead would have feared going to Mordor and not gone.

When I say the dead enter Minas Tirith I was thinking all the gondorians would have heart attacks, I mean a horde of undead swarms the city and they had no way of knowing what side they are on.

I also heard that the mouth of Sauron and Sauramons death scene might be in the Extended version. Hopefully so cause that was two parts I would like to see.

Gerson, I totally know what you saying abou the bashing, the lotr forums I read there are so people that just go off about every little thing that isn't exactly like the books. I think the movies where great and they have exposed alot of people to Tolkien that probably wouldn't have been otherwise.

 

I was really disappointed that we didn't see Frodo and company go back to the shire at the end of the film, only to confront the evil Sharkey.


just kidding.

 

How come all of the free people of Middle Earth are white? It's worse than the original Star Wars universe. They at least had Lando.

 

good point.

 

The Third Age is a 'dark time' for Middle Earth, thus the lack of sun caused by this 'dark time' has caused everyone's skin to be white, yeah thats it

Actually though the location of Gondor/Rohan just gives more to white skin just like Europe, cause I believe the races in the South had darker skin just like Africa.

 

Darth Vader was black! :-D

 

Actually, NO! The dude that was driving the Oliphant that that was speared was black!

 

well, the closest thing to a non-white person was the wildmen from the east. They looked like they were perhaps middle-eastern, but still. Also why was it in the second movie you couldnd't see Minas Theras (forgt how to spell it) from um, that one river town (forgot the name now, no sleep can do that to a guy)? Yet in this movie we can see MT from freakin everywhere in middle earth. Also, when they decide to march on the black gate, it apparently only took them 15 or 20 minutes to get there. They decided to go and BAM! there they were. It should have taken them days to ride there.

 

I was thinking he should have been dark skin but I couldn't remember thanks steph, yeah he was one of the evil men from the south (aka haradrim) Sauron had called for.

 

hmmm...perhaps he was middle eastern. He was darkskinned and bald with lots o war paint.