Return of the king

[Handruin]

I found this link last night. The person who posted this said it was a prerelease, so I figured I'd download and share. If you already know about it...oh well. :)

For once, I'm looking forward to December...

Quicktime trailer (http://www.handruin.com/public-movie/rotk_trailer.mov)

(PS give this about 10 minutes to finish upload. By 8:35AM EST it should be done)

[Handruin]

guess no one likes lord of the rings.

[Mercutio]

I love Lord of the Rings. I just haven't had time to watch movies today.

I'm actually more excited about the marginally-sooner-than-RotK Extended Edition of the Two Towers though. If only because I'll get to see it first. :)

[Howell]

guess no one likes lord of the rings.

I watched it and re-distributed it to three people. :-?

[Fushigi]

Downloaded and forwarded the link to my gaming group.

[Clocker]

Looks pretty cool! I haven't even seen the 2nd one yet (two towers I think it was called).

C

[Howell]

Looks pretty cool! I haven't even seen the 2nd one yet (two towers I think it was called).

C

:o :o :o

You must see it first. I'm gonna try to watch the first two the night before I see the third.

[blakerwry]

i was just thinking something along the same lines

[Mercutio]

I am absolutely foaming at the mouth to see RotK. I tried for the midnight showing opening night, but the lines were way too long. Couldn't go tonight because of moronic local theater scheduling conflicting with stupid job.

Turns out neither local theater with showings is playing it in a theater that can do DTS anyway, so I'm driving into Chicago for a Friday-morning matinee.

Anyone seen the pinnacle of cinematic history yet?

[Handruin]

I planned on going tonight (for my b-day), but I wasn't feeling well. I might go Friday...

[Mercutio]

Congratulations on another year of not dying, Handy!

[blakerwry]

lol

[ddrueding]

Congratulations on another year of not dying, Handy!

Very much an LOL and hearty congratulations.

Just got back from RotK, it rocked. I did like my friend's comment, though:

"How are they going to extend that?"

[GMac]

It is a bit long at 3 hours 20 :D But the trailer's impressive, and being something of a late convert to the trilogy, I'll be sparing a day from my upcoming 2 week holiday to go see it. Of course, the cinema that'll get my money will be the one with the most comfortable seating ;)

GM

[Mercutio]

In lieu of any sort of review let me just say that I have never been in the presence of so many grown men weeping.

[ddrueding]

In lieu of any sort of review let me just say that I have never been in the presence of so many grown men weeping.

True enough, the whole row in front of me was crying for the last 45 minutes. But they were on shrooms at the time....

At least they gave me enough time to "dry up" before rolling credits ;)

[Dozer]

Absolutely, positively incredible. The three hours and twenty minutes went by way too quickly.

[Fushigi]

No spoilers, please. I've never actually read the books and won't be seeing RotK for another week.

I re-watched FotR this morning & will watch tTT Monday or Tuesday in preparation. Extended Editions, of course.

[e_dawg]

I thought it dragged a bit, especially near the end... a good 10 min could have been edited out of this movie to make it shorter. I could hear everybody in the theater shifting around in their seats the last 30-40 min, and a surprising number of people were complaining about it on the way out (I thought it was only me for a while). ... Then again, I'm not a big LOTR fan (never read the books), and I only saw a third of the first movie, so I guess I didn't appreciate some of the scenes as much as a hardcore fan would.

[Howell]

I ended up going to the midnight showing on the night it opened. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I'd already been awake for 18 hours (and I was planning to stay awake and then go to work) or the fact that this being the final movie there would have to be resolution that made it not as exciting. Maybe it was the lack of charater development since we already knew the characters. I think my greatest enjoyment came from the lessons in land warfare tactics.

As for the books, I made it half way through the first book before seeing the first movie (and then finished the book). I finished the second book before seeing the second movie. I read none of the third book before the movie.

<Keeping it vague for Fushigi> I prefer the book's explaination for a certain charater's behavior rather than the movie's explaination.<>

Odd for a trilogy, I know, but I think the second one was my favorite.

[e_dawg]

Just got back from RotK, it rocked. I did like my friend's comment, though:

"How are they going to extend that?"

Indeed. This reivewer captured the sentiment perfectly:


If only the whole picture were so good. But it can't sustain such power for a whopping 201 minutes, and has there ever been a movie with more endings?

Every time you think the final credits are about to roll, another scene lurches in, adding another chance to look at your watch in awe and wonderment at how much sheer footage the film has. How long will the "extended" version be when it arrives in a few months - as lengthy as the history of Middle Earth itself?
--The Film that would be King (http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1219/p16s01-almo.html)

[Fushigi]

Saw it Friday. When it started, and there were those scenes with slo-mo, I was wondering if the whole movie would be only 90 minutes at normal speed. :x But then it picked up.

I had no problem with the ending of the film. Unlike many films, it actually brought closure to the story. Most films have the action grand finale and basically roll credits immediately afterwards. It was nice to see the results of the conflict and not just the conflict itself. Anti-climactic to some, I suppose, but there are just so many characters and storylines to address. I for one am glad they did it that way.

The cinematography & choices of scenery continued to impress me, as did most of the CG work.

Gimli gets the best lines, I think. The whole audience laughed when he said "That still only counts as one!"

[Santilli]

ROFL!!!

Yes: Elves, when aroused, are TRULY scary. :excl:

The producer/director played around with a few things, like the dead coming up and clearing out Sauron's army, but, I will say that I could live with the director's changes in the movie, something I can't say about most of Clowntown's book treatments.

I really thought it was a beautiful scene when Gimili, Aragorn, and Legolas jump off the ships, followed by the dead. I like that a bit better then the rounding up of the scared soldiers, and the force coming up the river.

I would say I've read the entire book series about 200 times, or more.

It's my refuge from reality book series, great when I'm sick, etc. I've had at least 5 paper back copies of the books, and now have it hard bound.

Overall, a great rendition of the books, even though I have a few issues.

I don't remember Sam being turned by Gollum against Frodo. This part I did not like.

But, it was minor, compared to the overall great quality, and, even though different from my imagination, some of it was BETTER then my imagination.

Grond comes to mind.

gs

[Pradeep]

Watched it with the wife the other day, originally I went to watch it on Boxing Day but it sold out before I could get a ticket. Plus I much prefer to see a movie when there's only a handful of patrons. That way you can hear the silence, instead of everybody snacking. In anycase on the day we went it was still packed.

We sat in the third row, which was a mistake, but all the good seats were taken. At that distance, there were a lot of artifacts visible. In particular, dark shots had a lot of noise. And the lower rez of the CGI shots compared to the normal film was also apparent. The volume was also ear-splitting, especially with those dragon things screaming, you wanted to cover your own ears.

But on the other hand, I didn't find myself expecting the end to come any minute. Only right at the end where there is a long fade to black. My ass is in perfect form for sitting still for 3.5 hours. Wife on the other hand could hardly walk afterwards. I don't know how some people managed to watch the extended 1st and 2nd parts at the cinema before the theatrical 3rd part. That's dedication.

Awesome movie. Especially the battle with the elephants etc. Can't wait for the extended edition on DVD next year. I may go back and watch it at the cinema at a reasonable distance when the crowds have died down.

[zx]

Great movie! I've seen it twice already (because the first time I accidentally say it in French ugh!). The battle scenes are amazing. I liked the end, but it's a part I will skip when watching it again. It's a shame they had to cut a certain detail at the end (for those who've read the book). Also, RotK lacks a bit of background explanation about some of the characters (Denethor and Faramir for instance).

All in all, the LOTR film trilogy is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies.

[The JoJo]

OK, I'm off to see LOTR 3. I have to write this with only one eye half open so I don't see any possible info in this thread....:)

[jtr1962]

I finally saw the first two parts on cable when I had the flu. In fact, I probably watched them about five times each. I think I might break my self-imposed cinema boycott (last movie I saw was in 1997) and see Return of the King.

BTW, Gollum is by far my favorite character. I've even managed to do a fair imitation of him/it. The split personality reminds me of my sister.

[The JoJo]

GREAT movie, enough said.

I didn't even get bored ;).

[Handruin]

I finally saw the first two parts on cable when I had the flu. In fact, I probably watched them about five times each. I think I might break my self-imposed cinema boycott (last movie I saw was in 1997) and see Return of the King.

BTW, Gollum is by far my favorite character. I've even managed to do a fair imitation of him/it. The split personality reminds me of my sister.

If you like Gollum, I recommend viewing one of the two towers extended edition bonus DVD's if you can. There is a long segment on the voice character behind Gollum and how he played a crucial role in the making of the movie and the character. I found it to be very enjoyable and informative.

[Mercutio]

There's also a lot more exposition in the extended edition, and for me, the highest-end possible DTS-ES soundtracks are reason enough to put down the cash for the extended versions.

[jtr1962]

I finally saw it tonight. I didn't have the time until today thanks to a busy last two months, and was lucky it was still playing at a few theaters. This is actually the first time I've gone to the cinema since StarTrek: First Contact (which was in 1997 I believe).

Despite the length of the movie time passed very quickly. My eyes were literally glued to the screen for the entire time. Truly amazing movie which deserves to be seen on the big screen. I only wish I had gotten into the series soon enough to have seen the other two in the theater. I didn't quite get the reasons for Frodo needing to leave in the end but then I've never read the books. Gollum apparently dying about halfway through was also a bummer, at least until he popped up later on and revealed his true self, obsessed only with the ring.

I didn't cry at all during the movie, although I probably would have had I been watching it at home. I'll attribute that to my emotional self-control (I consider it beyond disgrace to cry in public). Yes, this is a very emotional movie on all levels, and in a sense very reminiscent of the great climactic battle going in the world now between good and evil. This is truly a movie and series for the ages. I know I'll be watching all three over and over through the years just as I rewatch many of my favorite movies again and again. Although in reality unchanging, each time you rewatch a movie it seems different because you're different. I wonder what I'll think and feel about this trilogy ten or twenty years from now....

[mubs]

I must be one of the few in the USA who hasn't seen any movie in the trilogy (haven't read the books either) :cry: Like jtr, I hardly see movies, at the cinema or on TV.

Someday I'll get hold of the extended edition DVDs and watch it at home. It won't have the grandeur of seeing it in the cinema, but I'm easy to please.

[Mercutio]

I didn't quite get the reasons for Frodo needing to leave in the end but then I've never read the books.

-Tiny Spoiler Space-





Bilbo and Frodo were changed from other Hobbits. They could never find peace or happiness in their pastoral homeland, having tasted the thrill of adventure and very possibly the corrupting kiss of the ring. The scene at the end of the 3rd movie conveys this very well, with Frodo sitting alone and quiet as Sam, Merry and Pippin fall instantly back into the routines of their old lives.
Perhaps they became creatures of magic, as were the elves, which necessitated the journey to the west, or perhaps it was a reward - I'm not sure an eternal life with Elrond would be my idea of a reward, but it's suitably iconic for such as the ringbearer to sail off into the sunset.
Whatever the case, neither of them belonged on the Shire any longer. Both had will to roam beyond, and it was stated repeatedly over the three movies that Hobbits aren't the sort of creatures to do that.

Did that make sense?

[The JoJo]

Thanks Merc. Yes, that made sense.

[jtr1962]

Yes, indeed. That did make sense. I had surmised something along those lines but wasn't entirely sure.

[time]

Look, here's a radical tip:

Skip the movie ...

Read the bloody book!

Or, wait for Merc to summarize it and spoon-feed it to you.

If that stung, it was meant to. Sheesh!

(continuation of bad mood)

[Mercutio]

Don't knock the movies, time. They really were excellent.
Were they everything the books were? No. But how could they be?

One of the things I find frustrating is that almost no one I know reads/views anything at deeper than surface-level comprehension. No one looks for symbol or allegory unless they're being hit over the head with it.

For example: the last two weekends I've had the opportunity to watch "the Sopranos" at my brother's home. After last Sunday's episode he started in with "Boy, these new episodes sure are boring..." until I started trying to explain #%^ing subtext that he was either too dense or too lazy to pick up on. After about an hour of that we watched the second episode of the new season (the one that'd just aired) again. He told me he had a totally different experience.

Don't get me wrong, I love to sit back and read a trashy novel or watch a trashy movie. But is active examination of media really so hard? Or do people just not know how to do it?

[The JoJo]

Since when do the movies always follow the books?
I try to watch movies as their own "piece of art" , and not as a second try at something tried in a book. The movie can never be like the book, we all picture the things a bit differently.

It's something like 10-15 years since I read the books, and I think if I had read the books just before the movie, the movies would not have been that impressive for me.

Cheer up, willya ;)

[Santilli]

I love the books. The movies are very good, and in someways better.

Lynch's version captures a few things better then my imagination.
The countryside he used, his view of Minas Tirth, the arrival of Aragorn at the battle field in front of MS, these I thought, while different then the books, in some ways better.

I hardly have ever felt that way about a great book, turned into a movie.
In the past, they usually screw the pooch...
:wink:

[Mercutio]

Lynch? Lynch who?