Lord of the Rings
I've never read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I don't know if I ever will. Should I? Didn't the world get the gist with Peter Jackson's trilogy?
In each film I remember one part that sticks out. In Fellowship, I can't ever forget Gandalf shouting "You shall not pass!!!". In The Two Towers, it's the amazing battle sequence at "Helm's Deep"-awesome. Return of the King's truly scary giant spider attack scene is the third. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
I wanted these movies to suck so bad....I remember being at Anduril's house watching the trailer for Fellowship on the net and snidely commenting that it looked phony and retarded. (Those slo-mo shots of "the fellowship" walking over mountainous terrain, announcing their presence seemed lame). Anduril was more pumped up than a horny rooster. I was hating the hype. I consequently avoided the movie for 2 months.
With nothing else to see one day (and wanting my suspicions confirmed) I saw a matinee screening. My blood THC levels were off the charts and I had a joyous time at the theatre.
Knocked out by the sheer entertainment of it, I came out of the theatre feeling like an idiot for thinking the movie would suck. It was GREAT. I have to say that "The Fellowship" is my fave of the three. Gollum was conspicuously absent, and I'm a little tired of seeing him. Despite the long running times I was never bored. I also like the fact that it seemed like an earthy Excalibur, one of my all-time favorite movies. Nicol Williamson's Merlin could be buddies with Gandalf.
I admit I had trouble following all of the characters. I grasped "The Fellowship" alright (Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry & Pippin) but I don't really know what's the deal with Arwen, Eowyn, Denethor, Theoden or Saruman. Somebody help!
I know Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to ditch the ring. Duh. I know Gollum is a former Hobbit who went bonkers.
I know the Orcs are at war with everybody because of Sauron.
What I don't know is exactly how all of the characters know their precise missions. Is the ring really capable of altering the destinies of men, women, kings, hobbits, wizards, elves, dwarves, orcs, spiders and trees? Seems so. No doubt about it- Lord of the Rings is fantasy thru and thru. No plausibility whatsoever. At least Jackson allocates time for the viewer to get a reasonable handle on everything. Each character has a big scene where you realize what they stand for. Even if I require many more viewings to grasp the "big picture", I have a safe and secure feeling that the filmmaker left no stone unturned. However I do agree with Kim Newman of Sight and Sound, who talked about the movie having "the air of a soap opera playing Dungeons & Dragons". Lots 'o fantasy to feast your peepers on...
If I were to be the movie snob I can be, I would say that the series is good, not worthy of oscars, succeeeds at what it does but can't be considered anything more than chum for geeks and freaks with no lives.
But that wouldn't be fair. It's a hell of an achievement. And while I prefer the work of Kubrick, Fellini & Polanski, Jackson has made history. Like Titanic and Jurassic Park, LOTR is textbook success: the kind that comes with a satisfaction guarantee.
Last edited by Johann; 03-21-2004 at 07:22 AM.
"Set the controls for the heart of the Sun" - Pink Floyd
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