02-10-2006, 11:00 AM | #21 |
Elf Lord
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Here's a review totally germane and too long to reprint here. Check it out.
http://www.exile.ru/2004-April-22/kino_korner.html I think the reviewer catches up the majority opinion posted so far. Some of it is hilariously accurate to ya'll's complaints. Let me know your opinions!
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04-10-2006, 01:00 AM | #22 |
Hobbit
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"Are you deliberately trying to be obtuse, or does it come naturally?"
Possibly, ...a little of both. Anyway, It's not the scenery alone(ie birds and trees and hills) but the way he incorporated the visionary work of some very respected artists into it. Lets consider Minis Tirith. Shining white but visibly fading, i could see the erosion of the race of men right in the erosion of the walls. Maybe you couldn't, i don't know. I was amazed the first time i saw Minis Tirith and then PJ proceeded to sweep me around the city for some great scenes, including but not limited to battles. And the lighting of the beacons, WOW to me. I've heard some say the scene is too drawn out. Hello, you just bought the extended version of a movie thats already over 3. Of course thats not at you Wayf, just typing thoughts. Then i consider the history i felt when Gandalf and the Took hail Denethor. Yes, some of the casting is poor. But to me Denethor, Gandalf, & the Took are pretty good. And that scene made me think about the history Tolkien created. I thought Ar-Gimilzor may have been acting a bit like Denethor back in the day. And how Minis Tirith has sunk very low indeed. So the movie actually made me think new thoughts. I consider that a plus since according to you i may need them . I just wanted to point out a couple parts i liked and why. I could list off a bunch but i guess that would just bore you all by the general tone of the responses. In that "review" linked above he goes on about how PJ completely shafted the elves in his depiction of them. He thought the elves should be more grand maybe? "Reviewer" does not really come out and say exactly how he would have done it(which is usually the case). But i think the elves are depicted fairly... they do become less divine(for lack of a better word) the longer they are apart from Valinor right? Legolas was shown to be very skilled, though in sometimes corney ways. The sliding down the steps on a shield while killing 4 orcs with his bow was a tad much. Galadriel, though some despise PJ's choice of actress, is shown to be fairly powerful and wise. Also very cold... which she should have been. The reviewer would have done better to highlight logical inconsistancies in the script like... The scene where Aragorn, Gimli, & Legolas meet Gandalf The White. Now if Merry and Pip had met Gandalf "the day before yesterday" why did he not know his name when the 3 called him by it at first? Merry and Pip would have alrealy called him by it... Now if "reviewer" came up with something that made PJ look the idiot like that does... instead of spouting off jibberish, i might be impressed.
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04-10-2006, 07:26 AM | #23 | |
Domesticated Swing Babe
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Quote:
This sums it up perfectly for me. I never expected the movies to be more than just movies. I was/am very pleased with them, of course they're not perfect...they are little movies! I also believe the movies stirred up a ton of interest in Tolkien, and caused many to pick the books that would have never done so.
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04-10-2006, 12:06 PM | #24 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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But most of those tons will see Viggo Mortensen whenever they think of Aragorn, and Sean Astin whenever they think of Samwise, etc. They'll read it as a novelization of the movie. That's why I'm against watching the movie before reading the book (refering to a general principle here, not LotR specifically); you will be influenced and to a degree even formed by the adaptation, instead of the original.
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04-10-2006, 12:44 PM | #25 | |
Fëanáro's Fire Mistress
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04-10-2006, 03:53 PM | #26 |
Domesticated Swing Babe
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Gee guys....all I can say to that is "so what" ..... life is full of influences, I think most people will be able to deal with books and movies, I mean, not everyone is going to have a major religious experience over LoTR anyway. I'm sure some people that read the books because of interest stirred by the movies will be deeply moved nonetheless.
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04-11-2006, 06:13 AM | #27 |
of the House of Bëor
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*raises hand* Y-yes, I am one of those. I read it before the movies, but scarcely before... I read the books in December 2001, the first movie was here in January 2002. But, I believe, without the movies no flood of cheap-edition LOTR & Hobbit in the bookstores, no Tolkien Christmas pressie for the family, and no reading in secret ang getting hooked.
And - I haven't seen any of the HP movies, and I don't intend to. It might be a good adaptation, but even the appearance of the actors clashes so violently with the images in my head, I don't want to risk them getting stuck and driving my own ideas away, thankyouverymuch.
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I'm good in bed - I can sleep for days Last edited by littleadanel : 04-11-2006 at 06:28 AM. |
04-11-2006, 07:00 AM | #28 |
Domesticated Swing Babe
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Why did you read "secretly"?
I haven't bothered keeping up with the Harry Potter movies...the books are just (currently) coming out and they are plenty good enough for me ....who needs a movie? I have a very difficult time being "trapped" in a chair for 2 or 3 hours to watch one anyway. The Tolkien situation was different (for me) After intially reading the books in 1970/71....there wasn't much cultural/media fuss. You read the books, most likely (if you finished them) deeply loved them, and unless you had a real life friend or snail mail penpal that had the same Tolkien experience as you, that was it. No internet forums for unlimited global discussion no cool stuff, no fantastical displays at your state museum....zip. (ok...they did make some calendars.... ) When I read that someone was going to do movies of LoTRs (practically 30 years after discovering Midle Earth), I was thrilled! Also...as an artist, I was keenly interested in seeing someone else's interpertation of the lushly described visuals. Middle Earth is a beautiful place, with literary celebration of already deeply moving real life natural beauty. The Potter series, (while a great read!) doesn't tease my visual imagination the same way as the Hobbit or LoTRs. Once again...the LoTRs movies weren't as great as my imagination, but I never expected them to be. Actually, they exceeded my expectations in many ways.
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Happy Atheist Go Democrats! Last edited by Lizra : 04-11-2006 at 07:05 AM. |
04-11-2006, 07:24 AM | #29 | |
of the House of Bëor
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Quote:
But I'm afraid I was terribly off topic. So, the movies: I must second everything you said, Lizra. I never expected them to be perfect - nothing can be perfect for everybody. But I was curious, and watched all 3 as they came - I might have been disappointed or even angry at times, but on the other hand there were overwhelmingly good moments too. We like 'em movies, yes we do.
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04-11-2006, 07:35 AM | #30 |
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Oh that's funny! You poor, tortured, (fast reading) soul! Such sublime pleasure so rushed.....
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04-11-2006, 07:40 AM | #31 |
of the House of Bëor
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Oh, I took my time later on. I snatched it back after mum & granny read it. And now I have my own, English copy of LOTR - all for myself. (I'm still not quite finished with it... )
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04-11-2006, 02:31 PM | #32 | |
Dúnedain Ranger of the North
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Initially I though tthey got alot of stuff fairly right in my opinion, like the Shire, the countryside that Frodo and Sam set out in, Bree, Helms Deep, Amon Sul, Medesuld, Minas Tirith. I think they missed it with Lorien, the terrain of Rohan, Mordor, the distance aspect ratio, and I'm neutral with Rivendell, Helms Deep, Isengard, and the Ents. The story started ok, but it went south with Farmer Maggot, and worse yet with the Arwen catching a Ranger in the wild, etc. Now, as time goes on, the movies become evermore irrelevent to me in light of the true story presented in the books.
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04-12-2006, 05:23 PM | #33 |
Magnificent Master of Buckland
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Although I saw the movies before reading the books, I had read The Hobbit before watching the movies. As far as appearances go, Gandalf looked exactly as I imagined him, Bilbo was fairly close, and the dwarves and even the Shire looked similar to what I thought they would.
When I first saw the movies, I was completely obsessed with them. Then, for some reason, when I joined Entmoot a few weeks after reading the books (which I read in 15 days), this obsession waned. I still love the movies, though, despite the fact that they are not entirely like the books. The Fellowship of the Ring: I absolutely love the introduction and Frodo before he inherits the Ring. After he gets the Ring, a worried look is forever plastered on his face. Merry and Pippin are slightly too comical. Arwen is... ugh. Gandalf, Strider/Aragorn, Sam, Boromir, Gimli, Galadrial, and Bill (the pony) were great, in my opinion. Rivendell and Lothlorien were picturesque. My second favorite of the trilogy. The Two Towers: Merry and Pippin finally grew a little more mature in The Two Towers, although they are still not my favorite. Treebeard was very Entish, but maybe a little too bendy during the destruction of Isengard. Arwen was... bleh. She's not even supposed to be there! The only thing that bugs me about Theoden is that he suddenly gets a haircut when Gandalf cures him. Eowyn. Now, that was one character that Jackson did well. Smeagol/Gulom was excellent. Helm's Deep was overly long, in my opinion. My least favorite movie. The Return of the King: What an amazing movie! It added Pippin looking into the Palantir, thankfully. Merry and Pippin are even better. The Nazgul were... I don't even know how the describe them! They were so good, especially the Witch King. Sam, as always, played his part well. Five scenes that should have never been there: The Drinking Game (E/E), Frodo telling Sam to "go home", Sam and Frodo being picked up by the Orcs in Mordor (which, by the way, I thought looked fine) (E/E), Aragorn freaking out when he sees Arwen in the Palantir (E/E), and Denethor's leap of doom. I know, it's not a great review, but at least I did it.
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04-20-2006, 02:16 PM | #34 |
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FotR EE: by far the best of PJ's efforts (...JD*stern look*), it might have changed some things yes, especially the over amped Arwen, but the "cuts" it made at least made sense (i.e. Tom Bombadil). It also has a decent sense of pace, and this is the only one of the films where I am completely satisfied with all of the actors (as much as I can be).
TT EE: Still good, but nothing has changed my opinion of the rotten Theoden and Faramir (and that whole fictional segment), not to say Suaron The Literal Flashlight. RotK EE: the Extended scenes did as much good for the film as Hitler did to improve the reputation of egotistical maniacal fanatacism. The famous Saruman on the spiked wheel ended up being true. That whole "voice of saruman" scene was rotten and fake. Especially Gandalf.
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04-20-2006, 02:38 PM | #35 | |
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04-20-2006, 02:47 PM | #36 |
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Theoden was my favorite movie character. Of course I had the hots for Boromir and Aragorn, but King Theoden in RoTK melts me. Ahhh!
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04-20-2006, 02:48 PM | #37 | |
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04-20-2006, 04:21 PM | #38 | |
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Then Huor spoke and said: "Yet if it stands but a little while, then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men. This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and me a new star shall arise. Farewell!" The Silmarillion, Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Page 230 |
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04-22-2006, 08:14 AM | #39 |
Elven Warrior
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With the passage of time, the plot changes and especially the "who spoke which line in the book versus the movies" shifting has come to bother me more. However, in terms of capturing the overall feel of Middle Earth, with the passage of time, I have come to appreciate the cinematography more.
We always end up in the same place on this discussion: the books are what they are and the movies are what they are. The sure way to be disappointed with either is to expect it to be the other. |
04-22-2006, 08:24 AM | #40 |
Elven Warrior
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OK, just read John Dolan's review. All I can say is, I'm not sure if that man's paranoid, seething, megalomaniacal, or all 3 but that is the stupidest, most worthless review of the LOTR movies I've seen to date. 99% of the views and opinions you all write right here in this forum surpass Dolan's nonsense (and I say this noting that I often disagree with the views expressed here).
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