Return of the King- yeah, it was bound to be a topic

[MixedMyth]

Havn't seen it yet. Without spoilers, what say you who have? Please say it was better than the last one. Did they alter the story more than they had to?

Oh yes, and I can't wait to see what the Very Secret Diaries will do with this one!

[Grabmygoblin]

uh, it was...

[Jim North]

Yes, it was a good deal better than The Two Towers . . . but then, that's not saying much, neh?

Ah, yah, they had to alter the story a fair bit. They had their own junk they had to stick in, just like they did with T2T, as well as what parts of T2T they didn't get to do in the last movie wedged in as tightly as possible. In fact, I'd say it was just a fair bit after the first hour that they actually caught up to where the Return of the King should have actually started.

In what seems both a very good yet very sad move, a few bits and pieces were unexpectly jammed in, one would think only in order to placate those of us who were in such an uproar about how badly mangled T2T was. For example, Gollum finally utters his trademark gollum, gollum from time to time, something they neglected in the previous two films. Faramir actually acts like the wise, decent guy he is instead of the Boromir-clone he was in T2T. And so on.

EDIT: Oh, just want to say that I do fully realize that they filmed all three movies consecutively, so they would have actually had little chance to fit these in later, but if the deleted scenes on The Two Towers are any indication, Jackson and his crew probably would have cut these sorts of things during the editing process and put in the stuff that they made up on their own and filmed. At least, I wouldn't have put it past them. :EDIT

Some people were probably happy about this, and it did, in fact, make me feel like they were at least trying a little to make the movie a bit more palatable to the fans of the books, but it still seemed like too little too late to a great degree.

Personally, I think that Peter Jackson and his crew should have gone and created a fantasy movie trilogy that was 100% originally crafted by them instead of screwing around with a literary masterpiece like Lord of the Rings. But, ah, well. It's worth at least one watch, which is more than I could say about The Two Towers, but it's still not as well done as Fellowship of the Ring was.

[Evil Jamie!]

Yes, it was a good deal better than The Two Towers . . . but then, that's not saying much, neh?

From my stand point, that's saying a LOT.

[Rkolter]

I saw it last night... was looking forward to starting a topic about it, dammit.

Anyhow, my review was this: "Absolutely go see it on the big screen if you're a fan of either of the first two movies - this one is EXCELLENT. That said, you won't want to see it more than once on the big screen, because as excellent as it was, by the time the commercials, previews, and nearly 3:30 movie is done, I was exhausted."

[Warren]

3:30?!?!?

Damn.... at least you get your money's worth.

[Rickzki]

All in all, as a fan of the books as well as the movies, I personally feel that they did a marvellous job of translating the massive amount of story that Tolkein wrote to the big screen. There is simply no way that this movie could have been done as a page for page interpretation. Rather, it was a wise move to go back and hit the characterizations and themes, throw in as much detail as possible, and give a few nods to the hardcore book fans. Though it doesn't feel like it to me, this is of course a commerical endeavor and as such it has to have a large appeal in order to make money. You can tell, though, that Jackson and crew tried to do the best they possibly could to lovingly recreate middle-earth beneath these constraints. When a movie trilogy such as this can impact somebody who would never in their life read the books (example: my girlfriend) and impress them to the nth degree, then it my opinion they have succeeded in slipping the mickey.

This movie, taken as a trilogy, is simply one of the best films in history. (In my opinion of course). I simply can't wait for the 4+ hour extended edition!

[Chrismills]

I didn't think it started off all that well. TT started with a bang, ROTK started with a whimper. It took me about 45 minutes to really get into it. After that, though, whoo!!! Good stuff.

There is one major scene towards the beginning (fans will know which one, the one between Gandaldf and...) that was cut, but I hear it will be on the extended version in a year.

[Nishichi27]

I absolutely loved it. Can't say much else.

[ZOMBIE USER 17021]

Ask Ronald about <i>his</i> opinion on the Lord of the Rings franchise. He's got a few good ripping yarns based off of those movies.

[Orion]

I saw it last night, and definitely enjoyed it. It's been way too long since I was able to read the books so I didn't spot any of the errors others might have. Still, true to the book or not it was a good movie I was impressed.


The movie did show me that the ability to endure punishment is inversely proportional to a being's size. Sam and Frodo both literally went through hell getting to the mountain. But I was most impressed with Gollum he was an ancient little creature who lived on raw fish and was beaten on the head at least 20 times, thrown off a cliff, starved, and cut up but he still kept going, he even survived for like two seconds down in the lava.

[ZOMBIE USER 17021]

Don't say that! You're spoiling it for those of them that haven't even read the books yet!

Poor Smeagul . . .

[Mr.Bob]

I haven't watched it yet, but I can't help but feel extremely curious as to which point Jackson is going to choose to end the movie.

I mean, it would make the most sense to movie-goers to conclude the story with the destruction of the ring and the coronation of the king and the wild parties and drunken elven celebrations that ensue

[YarpsDat]

Return of the King- yeah, it was bound to be a topic

Elvis? Where?


I'm just kidding... haven't seen the movie yet, I don't have plans yet, but I am going to.

[ZOMBIE USER 16849]

I saw it, and it randomly became kind of my FAVORITE MOVIE EVER!! I haven't read the books since I was ten, so I remember nothing, and I have no reason to get pissy about the changes made. The movie inspired me so much that I drew this:

http://pele.keenspace.com/comics/20031220.jpg

[Guyara]

It rocked! Ther was especially one thin that was cmpletey unexpected for me, and I just loved tha part SOOOOO much! (For those who'v seen it: "Green" and "partly invisibe" should tell you what I mean...)

[Guyara]

Oh, and here's a list of things you should do at the cinema, while watching Th Lord of the Rings:

1. Stand up halfway through the movie and yell loudly, "Wait... where the hell is Harry Potter?"
2. Block the entrance to the theater while screaming: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" - After the movie, say "Lucas could have done it better."
3. At some point during the movie, stand up and shout: "I must go! Middle Earth needs me!" and run and try to jump into the screen. After bouncing off, return quietly to your seat.
4. Play a drinking game where you have to take a sip every time someone says: "The Ring."
5. Point and laugh whenever someone dies.
6. Ask the nearest ring-nut if he thinks Gandalf went to Hogwarts
7. Finish off every one of Elrond's lines with "Mr. Anderson."
8. When Aragorn is crowned king, stand up and at the top of your lungs sing, "And I did it.... MY way...!"
9. At the end, complain that Gollum was offensive to Ethiopians
10. Talk like Gollum all through the movie. At the end, bite off someone's finger and fall down the stairs.
11. When Shelob appears, pinch the guy in front of you on the back of the neck.
12. Dress up as old ladies and reenact "The Battle of Helms Deep" Monty Python style.
13. When Denethor lights the fire, shout "Barbecue!"
14. Ask people around you who they think is the next "Terminator" sent from the Middle Earth of the future to assassinate Frodo Baggins
15. In TTT when the Ents decide to march to war, stand up and shout "RUN FOREST, RUN!"
16. Every time someone kills an Orc, yell: "That's what I'm Tolkien about!" See how long it takes before you get kicked out of the theatre.
17. During a wide shot of a battle, inquire, "Where's Waldo?"
18. Talk loudly about how you heard that there is a single frame of a nude Elf hidden somewhere in the movie.
19. Start an Orc sing-a-long.
20. Come to the premiere dressed as Frankenfurter and wander around looking terribly confused.
21. Dress like Elvis. Then stand up and shout "THE KING IS BACK!" everytime you see Aragorn.



(Don't remember where I found this, though...)

[ZOMBIE USER 17021]

Now I want to see the movie just so I can try those out.

20's the best.

[ZOMBIE USER 16849]

I saw it, and it randomly became kind of my FAVORITE MOVIE EVER!! I haven't read the books since I was ten, so I remember nothing, and I have no reason to get pissy about the changes made. The movie inspired me so much that I drew this:

Okay, obviously that didn't work. If you REALLY want to see the picture (yea, whatever lol) though, just click on the link below. I have it posted as a filler.

How do I go about linking images...and actually having them show up?

[ZOMBIE USER 17021]

(This message has self-destruct because I got paranoid.)