01-03-2004, 09:14 AM
I just saw the movie and have to say it is a fantastic movie! I'm going to go see it again this week! There were a few scenes I felt unresolved about and I hope are expounded upon in the extended version of the film. There were also some things that bothered me:
1.) Faramer (sp?) and his father at the very end. How did Faramer feel after his father tried to murder him and then got burned alive? There was such a freekin build up of that scene, that I was really let down that Faramer didn't do some type of self-reflection. The next and last scene you see with him is with Aowen (sp?).
2.) The undead soldiers (their racial/clan name eludes me) just seemed to "happen". The way the entire series had gone so far with so much detail and though put into each encounter it seemed a shame to waste it with a quick hello/leave you hanging the way it was done. Not to mention you didn't see how the pirate ships were taken over (which Iâm sure will be in the extended version). However, I really disliked the way they looked when attacking; they didn't look real at all IMO. Not to mention if you looked closely, the AI of the orcs was terrible when reacting to the undead; most of the time they just stood there or started to retreat then stopped, standing there with their back facing the undead â totally unrealistic!
3.) The scene with Gandolf and Merry sitting there in the highest and final part of the city knowing they were going to die was cheesily shoved aside when the undead ascended the walls of the human city and killed all the orcs on the way. Then suddenly you see Gandolf and Merry at the bottom of the city helping Pippen with no personal resolve as to the fact that they just narrowly escaped death. WTF was that? If they don't elaborate on this in the extended version I'm going to cry!
4.) The music was "epic" in tone, but not exactly anything memorable or awe-inspiring. I felt very let down by the music in this movie. I think were trying to make the old music sound better by basically "upgrading" it to epic status, such as the music for Gondar or the elves.
5.) I didn't get that epic battle/hopeless feeling I felt with the Two Towers in the battle for Helms Deep, yet this battle was suppose to be much more significant. When Aragon became king, I expected him to address the rest of the humans or for them to acknowledge him as king or something. When the knights of Rohan and Gondor gathered to attack the black gates and give the hobbits some extra time, I didn't think the knights of Gondor would just blindly follow someone they don't even know, so a little more personal interaction here would of been extremely nice, not to mention necessary. Also, in regards to #3, the battle scenes were beautiful, but the battle itself was less than extraordinary and felt more chaotic than anything. Other than catapults and Gandolf, I really didnât get a sense of an army versus orcs; it was more like Gandolf and the catapults versus the orcs with zero personality/actor paid emotion-lacking dummies doing the fighting.
6.) I really liked how in the cartoon version, when Frodo is atop mount doom contemplating throwing the ring into the lava, his face gets pail and when he turns around and throws his head back he looks damn evil! In the movie, he throws his head back and looks menacing, but not evil. I was slightly disappointed about that.
Some things I did like very much were:
1.) The general meaning behind this film: no matter what others think about you, if you try your hardest, it just may be enough to make a difference; i.e. Aowen (sp? - the Rohan kings niece) when she kills the black knight; Pippen and Merry when they battle; Sam for battling the spider and orcs; etc.
2.) The way they did the entire story was just magnificent! I give it up to Peter Jackson for a truly epic series that I will own on DVD and watch with my kids. He's got my money :D
1.) Faramer (sp?) and his father at the very end. How did Faramer feel after his father tried to murder him and then got burned alive? There was such a freekin build up of that scene, that I was really let down that Faramer didn't do some type of self-reflection. The next and last scene you see with him is with Aowen (sp?).
2.) The undead soldiers (their racial/clan name eludes me) just seemed to "happen". The way the entire series had gone so far with so much detail and though put into each encounter it seemed a shame to waste it with a quick hello/leave you hanging the way it was done. Not to mention you didn't see how the pirate ships were taken over (which Iâm sure will be in the extended version). However, I really disliked the way they looked when attacking; they didn't look real at all IMO. Not to mention if you looked closely, the AI of the orcs was terrible when reacting to the undead; most of the time they just stood there or started to retreat then stopped, standing there with their back facing the undead â totally unrealistic!
3.) The scene with Gandolf and Merry sitting there in the highest and final part of the city knowing they were going to die was cheesily shoved aside when the undead ascended the walls of the human city and killed all the orcs on the way. Then suddenly you see Gandolf and Merry at the bottom of the city helping Pippen with no personal resolve as to the fact that they just narrowly escaped death. WTF was that? If they don't elaborate on this in the extended version I'm going to cry!
4.) The music was "epic" in tone, but not exactly anything memorable or awe-inspiring. I felt very let down by the music in this movie. I think were trying to make the old music sound better by basically "upgrading" it to epic status, such as the music for Gondar or the elves.
5.) I didn't get that epic battle/hopeless feeling I felt with the Two Towers in the battle for Helms Deep, yet this battle was suppose to be much more significant. When Aragon became king, I expected him to address the rest of the humans or for them to acknowledge him as king or something. When the knights of Rohan and Gondor gathered to attack the black gates and give the hobbits some extra time, I didn't think the knights of Gondor would just blindly follow someone they don't even know, so a little more personal interaction here would of been extremely nice, not to mention necessary. Also, in regards to #3, the battle scenes were beautiful, but the battle itself was less than extraordinary and felt more chaotic than anything. Other than catapults and Gandolf, I really didnât get a sense of an army versus orcs; it was more like Gandolf and the catapults versus the orcs with zero personality/actor paid emotion-lacking dummies doing the fighting.
6.) I really liked how in the cartoon version, when Frodo is atop mount doom contemplating throwing the ring into the lava, his face gets pail and when he turns around and throws his head back he looks damn evil! In the movie, he throws his head back and looks menacing, but not evil. I was slightly disappointed about that.
Some things I did like very much were:
1.) The general meaning behind this film: no matter what others think about you, if you try your hardest, it just may be enough to make a difference; i.e. Aowen (sp? - the Rohan kings niece) when she kills the black knight; Pippen and Merry when they battle; Sam for battling the spider and orcs; etc.
2.) The way they did the entire story was just magnificent! I give it up to Peter Jackson for a truly epic series that I will own on DVD and watch with my kids. He's got my money :D
"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self." -Albert Einsetin