What people think of Two Towers (*SPOILERS*)

[Finrod Felagund]

I HATE FARAMIR!

But in all ahonesty, I thought the movie was fairly well done. Of course, he made bothe Elrond and the Ents much less noble. And Theoden was actually possessed by saruman instead of simply goaded into depression by poisoned words. Personaly I went into the movie dreadig Gimli's comic role, but, for the most part (not always), I thought that it worked. The elvesat helms deep. I don't think so. Very bad. The women and children didn't stay at Helms Deep, they went somewhere else and Eomer wasn't supposed to be banished just put in rison. gandalf shows up with Grimold and Erkenbrand in the book. Prsonally I once again loved the music. Although the music for FOTR was better, I really liked TTT music. The Rohirrim theme was very...well...Rohirric.

I loved Gollum, once again I dreaded his comic parts but they weren't too bad. And please forgive me but I thought the rabbits and fish parts were hilarious. Sam seemed somewhat too harsh with both Gollum and Frodo.

My biggest issue was Faramir, I thought, otherise, despite the many smaller flaws, it was pretty good.

Hey, in like 50 years, we can all get together and make a new LOTR. We'll divide it into six movies (six books). LOL!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I noticed that they gave the Rohirrim a Nordic afterlife belief; I don't think this is accurate, but then again, I'm not exactly an expert on the Rohirrim. Any more educated people able to tell if it is?

[ugo]

I wasn't sure about the thick Cockney accents of the orcs. Is PJ trying to say all Londoners are a pack of wild, scabby, savage, blood thirsty, witless shadows of their former selves?....

.......Actually in retrospect its quite accurate

[Nurvingiel]

Hey London is sweet! Anyhoo, I liked the Norse symbolism, because Tolkien himself drew on Norse mythology at some point.

[Huan]

I think the admittedly somewhat Cockney accents actually work with some of the orcs in the book itself. I don't know if that's what Tolkien intended.

[Entlover]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
I noticed that they gave the Rohirrim a Nordic afterlife belief; I don't think this is accurate, but then again, I'm not exactly an expert on the Rohirrim. Any more educated people able to tell if it is?

All I recall from the movie is Gandalf telling Theoden that his son would be with his fathers; was there something else I missed?

My understanding is that Tolkien tried to eliminate all religious elements from LotR. He didn't quite succeed but nearly, so any references to an afterlife in the movies would be incorrect. Tolkien was trying to express a religious viewpoint through events and "coincidences", but without any overt mention of it. He did have Faramir and his men face the West in silence for a moment before a meal, but that's about it

[LuthienTinuviel]

tolkien wasn't trying to express anything. he hated allegory, as do i.

ive thought about this before, how each of the races of middle earth would have thier own "religion" . their religions could be something as small as what happens after you die, not nessicarily (i know i can't spell) a huge bit like islam, which even dictates the clothing you wear (im talking head scarves, not taliban burkas)
so i think that is was right that pj put something in about the race of men having some belief in the afterlife, after all, men have been fascinated with it since the beggining of time, so it's just a given that something like that could be slipped in. No culture is completly devoid of a belif system.

[Blackboar]

I LOVE your signature Luthien!!

[FrodoFriend]

It was KICKIN'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

More detailed opinion later.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Luthien: I don't think that is accurate. Just because he disliked allegory doesn't mean he didn't have elements of religion; Whether you like it or not, an awful lot of Christian themes worked their way in. And actually, Men were not fascinated with the afterlife, but rather in fear of Death.

But what I mean is that there was no mention of them having Nordic Valhalla-type belief anyway in anything that Tolkien wrote that we know of, right? And since Tolkien kept overtly religious stuff to a minimum, then really having that there is partly detracting from the spirit of LotR.

Entlover, I think I just read in the Letters that that was more of showing respect to the Fallen than anything really religious.

[Christiana]

"the halls of his fathers"
Halls of mandos, timeless halls?(tolkien never really did say where we go.)

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I suppose that could be what he meant, but I don't think so.

I thought he said that Men go to the Halls of Mandos for a time, then pass out of the Circle of the World? Or am I wrong?

[LuthienTinuviel]

Originally posted by Blackboar
I LOVE your signature Luthien!!

thanks!

Entlover, I think I just read in the Letters that that was more of showing respect to the Fallen than anything really religious.

and my own quote:

No culture is completly devoid of a belief system.

respect for the dead..... the dead being held in some form of esteem...... honor of that sort = some form of belief in my book.

but hey tomato, tomato.. hehe that doesn't really work out with text does it?

edit: i thought that men could go to the halls of mandos.. but i can never get straight where elves go when they are slain or waste away... can anyone answer hat? once and for all?

[crickhollow]

the Elves go to rest in the Halls of Mandos. Tolkien never says where Men go after death. That's part of the reason that Melkor was able to instill in them the fear of death--it's unknown.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Hehe, the way that's worded it sounds like Tolkien told the Elves where they went after they die, but he didn't tell the Men, and so they fear death. Or is that just me?

[Earniel]

Well the elves are bound to the world so it's easy to find out what happens to them when they die because they ain't going far. Men on the other hand are not bound to the world and can leave it when they die, to where nobody knows. I bet that's since no one came back to complain.

[LuthienTinuviel]

Originally posted by Eärniel
Well the elves are bound to the world so it's easy to find out what happens to them when they die because they ain't going far. Men on the other hand are not bound to the world and can leave it when they die, to where nobody knows. I bet that's since no one came back to complain.

thanks!

[crickhollow]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Hehe, the way that's worded it sounds like Tolkien told the Elves where they went after they die, but he didn't tell the Men, and so they fear death. Or is that just me?

yeesh Tolkien never tells us where they go after death. nitpicker.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Yeah, somehow by the time I finished posting, I had the feeling it was just me...Ignore my goofiness.

[Elvedans]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Yeah, somehow by the time I finished posting, I had the feeling it was just me...Ignore my goofiness.

Does that mean I'm goofy too coz I agreed?