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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

The Entirety of... The Lord of the Rings

  
  

Page: (1)23

 
 
Seth
12:55 / 25.11.04
I was just thinking this morning about exactly where I was in my life when I saw these films for the first time, and about how much has changed for me between the cinematic release of The Fellowship of the Ring and the imminent DVD release of The Return of the King: Extended Edition. Given that it’ll be out in a couple of weeks, I thought it’d be timely to discuss how the trilogy holds up as a whole.

My immediate thoughts relate to the Boromir/Faramir/Denethor family tree, as they seem to be the characters that benefit most from the extended treatment. So far the additional sequences in FOTR added depth to Boromir’s breakdown, while the extended TT material saved Faramir from being almost entirely removed from the cinema version, and gave him two of the movie’s best scenes. According to advance reports The Return of the King’s new scenes seem set to give Denethor a lot more scope.

It’s sad that the importance of these characters isn’t given enough opportunity in the cinema versions, and it highlights one of the most controversial aspects of the making of these films. The marketing of the trilogy makes out that the extended versions are fan editions and that the original theatrical cuts are capable of standing alone… which sadly isn’t supported by the marked reduction in the quality of story telling between the two formats. Although we can’t yet comment on The Return of the King, the Two Towers cinematic cut alone short-changed us with a nonsensical Ent uprising (only the additional scenes made it clear that Fangorn had only recently been targeted for destruction, as the cinematic cut seemed to indicate that Treebeard knew of it and was bought to his senses only by witnessing it first-hand) and a portrayal of Faramir that left the character almost entirely lacking in personality and motives.

These edits are understandable given the constrictions on running time, but are evidence that gives lie to the marketing that both versions are complete films: clearly we’ve had to wait a year to see the full story in the manner that Peter Jackson intended.

There’s a lot more new material in the extended cut of the third instalment, including a new scene at the Black Gates that would seem to give the line “For Frodo” a substantially different meaning. Here’s hoping that the extended cut will follow improve the movie as much as with the second instalment…

Who’s going to do the full marathon run?
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
13:15 / 25.11.04
Me, certainly.

Apparently Saruman's back in the DVD RotK... given that I didn't think they ever filmed the Scouring of the Shire for either version, I'm interested to see the importance of his character here, seeing as how (it's a long time since I last read 'em, so bear with me) I seem to remember that was his only real significance post-Two Towers. (However, bear in mind that I also thought the Scouring was the pivotal scene in the entire trilogy, as evil makes its mark, not on somewhere far away and exotic, but right in the hobbits' own back- and indeed front- yards, not to mention the hearts and minds of their erstwhile friends and neighbours, so maybe I'm biased).

That said, I'm always up for a bit of extra Christopher Lee.
 
 
Seth
13:24 / 25.11.04
Yeah, the absence of the Scouring is one of the spoilers that I don't mind giving. It means people can have their disappointment now and watch the film with the knowledge that it won't be there.

It seems that they've opted for a Gandalf/Saruman deathmatch instead. Comment reserved until I've seen how it plays out.
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
13:45 / 25.11.04
I'll be doing a marathon run! Bit of a family tradition here, to watch the new extended edition over christmas and all.

I shall return in due course.
 
 
Loomis
14:42 / 25.11.04
I've ordered mine (£17.99 at www.dvd.co.uk) so I'll probably be doing the marathon at some point over xmas. As someone who thought the story telling was screwed to the point of ruining my enjoyment of the cinema releases, I'm really looking forward to seeing how much better the full cut of ROTK is, and how it all hangs together in the marathon sitting.

I'm a bit scared of the extra discs for this one ... watching them play with spiders to prepare for the Shelob effects.
 
 
Keith, like a scientist
15:22 / 25.11.04
I'm personally looking forward to the Black Gate scene. For some reason, The Mouth of Sauron was always one of my favorite bits from the ROTK book.

I'm certainly gonna do a marathon. I just have to.

As a whole, I think these movies changed the scope of what science fiction and fantasy have to live up to now...the sheer volume of these movies, how much land mass, how much emotion, how high the stakes are now... it will be interesting to see what the next epics will be (Narnia and His Dark Materials are in production...can they even compare?)

Jackson truly went above and beyond with these and it's obvious it was a labor of love. I've been following the progress of this production almost from day one when PJ did 2 long Q&As on AICN. This was before the actors were hired, the first one was before it was approved as a 3 movie trilogy. Just his answers, his dedication, and his ideas about the feeling, atmosphere, story, characters convinced me that he was the person to finally do the books justice.

And let's not forget Gollum. That completely revolutionized how CGI characters will be created from now on.

Favorite scene so far is Frodo and Sam on the rock at the end: "I'm glad you are here with me, Sam...here at the end of all things." Total tear-jerker, that one.
 
 
Scrambled Password Bogus Email
16:34 / 25.11.04
Yes, I think herbs, a little beer, and maybe some pro-plus for a sitdown over Chrimbo, precious.
 
 
Our Lady Has Left the Building
17:42 / 25.11.04
I was crying at numerous points in the last half-hour, I was disappointed at the removal of the Scouring, but when Aragorn says "my friends, you bow to no one", I was gone.

I really hope the extended version does right by Denethor. He's a bad 'un about ten seconds into the cinema version which I regretted, hopefully we can have a bit more of the slow disintegration, in the book Gandalf rightly gives Denethor his respect at first.
 
 
Seth
22:39 / 28.11.04
There's a review of this on Empire's website, and another one the One Ring site. I'm so excited!
 
 
Hieronymus
01:54 / 29.11.04
The trailer (yes the trailer) for the Extended Return of The King is here

And I want it in my grubby little paws NOW!
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
08:25 / 29.11.04
I've ordered mine (£17.99 at www.dvd.co.uk)

Loomis, I think you may want to look at that again, and possibly cancel your order - that, I think, is the theatrical release trilogy, which is why it is so cheap - it's being replaced, in effect, by the extended edition trilogy, which is released on the 10 December. The extended trilogy is this one, which is a couple of quid cheaper at Amazon and Sendit.
 
 
Loomis
08:57 / 29.11.04
You just gave me a heart attack Haus! I checked my confirmation email though and all is well:

Order Details:
Lord Of The Rings, The: The Return Of The King (Special Extended Edition) (Four Discs), Released: 10/12/2004, £17.99
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
09:24 / 29.11.04
OIC... sorry, thought you were talking about having ordered the entire trilogy, which was being offered for the same price, rather than just the Return of the King. Phew!
 
 
Seth
10:00 / 29.11.04
I have issues with ordering it. It might not arrive on the day of release. That would make me angry. Therefore I must be at the shop when it opens...

Neurotic much?
 
 
Rawk'n'Roll
10:09 / 29.11.04
"The Scouring" being dropped was explained in the directors commentary in FOTR. However well it works in the books (it's always been my favourite part) it just craps all over the dynamics set up in the movies.
In the books it's close and personal as opposed to vast and terrifying like the final battles in the film. In the film it would have been an anti climax and I agree. Unfortunately!
The only homage to Scouring was in FOTR when Galadriel shows Frodo the "possible" future should they fail in their quest.

Back to the ROTK goodness...
After being incredibly disappointed in the TT ext ed (I fell asleep, I think the cinema cut had it right really) I'm a bit concerned that ROTK ext ed will be the same. But it's always good to get more Middle Earth for your money.
 
 
Rawk'n'Roll
10:12 / 29.11.04
Oh... and is anyone considering the marathon at the Imax in London?
All three films back-to-back as a fantasy all-nighter.
I would do it but having spent two hours at the Imax for Spidey 2 I know just how unforgiving those seats would be after nine hours!
 
 
Scrambled Password Bogus Email
14:04 / 29.11.04
"This is my houuuuurrrrrrrr......" *flaming sword*

dribble
 
 
Loomis
14:08 / 29.11.04
So who's going to watch ROTK first, then do the marathon and who's going straight for the marathon?

I think I'll be watching it separately first, so I can enjoy the extended bits without being fatigued by eight hours of viewing.
 
 
Brigade du jour
20:49 / 29.11.04
I saw ROTK twice in cinema, FOTR and TT once each, then once each again on DVD, so my mathematical balance is about right.

Twelve-hour sesh it is. But nobody seems to want to come round to my flat and watch it on 42-inch plasma with 5.1, so I'll probably be doing it alone, sigh ...
 
 
Keith, like a scientist
21:07 / 29.11.04
i'll come.

that's a conundrum, though. i don't think i could wait to see the EE of ROTK after buying it...
 
 
madfigs #32, now with wasabi
21:45 / 29.11.04
Oh... and is anyone considering the marathon at the Imax in London?
All three films back-to-back as a fantasy all-nighter.

I don't know the particulars of this screening, but I would HIGHLY recommend something like it to anyone who has the opportunity. Back when ROTK was first coming out here in the US, they did a promo screening of the entire trilogy in about 100 theaters on the day before the release. It was especially cool because there hadn't been a theatrical release of the Extended Editions until then.

Anyway, it was quite a marathon to sit through but it was definitely worthwhile. You know that a crowd that's dedicated enough to spend over 10 hours in the theatre is going to be about the most enthusiastic group you can find. I suppose there's something to be said for watching the movies back-to-back on DVD, but something this epic definitely benefits from being on the big screen.
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
22:52 / 29.11.04
If you mean a viewing benefits from being in bed, then you are right.
 
 
Seth
17:06 / 30.11.04
Six minute trailer! Wheeeeee!
 
 
Seth
06:21 / 11.12.04
So...

Who's seen it, then?
 
 
doglikesparky
09:20 / 11.12.04
I watched it last night.

And inevitably, it was very good. There seemed to be more extended scenes rather than whole new scenes but there were one or two excellent new additions.
As with the previous extended versions, I think the film is a lot more balanced plot wise and a number of moments from the theatrical release where the assumption is that the audience have read the books have been tidied up nicely.
That said, I do think that ROTK is the weakest of the 3 films (them having been getting progressively worse - although that's a bit like saying Return of the Jedi isn't as good as Star Wars. It's not, but it's still great) but this version is an improvement on the theatrical release imo.
 
 
Seth
14:05 / 12.12.04
I saw this on Friday night, and have been watching the documentaries over the last couple of days.

I’ll have to see it again very soon. To begin with, the sequence of existing scenes has been significantly re-edited in places, which threw me. One familiar scene following another familiar scene, but not in the expected order!

First thoughts after an initial viewing:

- The death of Saruman plays brilliantly. It’s quite shocking in its nastiness (for the certificate): two stabs to the back, a fall from Orthanc to be impaled on a spike. The slow crushing beneath his own wheel was a fantastic image, a very fitting end to the character.

- The restored footage in the Paths of the Dead sequence was miles ahead of the theatrical cut, in which the recruitment of the army was far too quick and easy. Here we see Aragorn’s sense of failure, gazing in despair on the ruin caused by the Corsair fleet. We see how much was at stake to him personally and to Middle Earth, how much the decision cost him.

- Jesus! I wasn’t expecting the Witch King to hand Gandalf his ass.

- Enjoyed seeing Eowyn and Merry kick a lot more shit.

There’s a lot more on my mind, but I want to save that until I’ve seen the new version at least once more.
 
 
Yotsuba & Benjamin!
14:38 / 12.12.04
Yeah, the Houses Of The Healing threw me for a loop and, I may be wrong, but didn't that cause them to re-color the Merry Pip reunion to be later in the day? Or am I just crazy? Seeing Big Blonde Jack Black lose it over Eowyn was pretty devestating.

I also loved the extra battle bits at the Black Gate, seeing everyone kick severe ass one last time.

And, yeah, I was not expecting Gandalf to be so rocked by the Andrew W.K.

I pretty much loved every extra little character moment, Merry especially. Also Faromir and Pippin. And Aragorn's "I have wished you joy since the moment I first saw you." Just really fantastic stuff, along side all the extra ass kicking. And Smeagol and Frodo at Mount Doom? "Smeagol lied"? Best CGI ever? Yeah-huh.

Definitely my favorite of the three. Jedi in reverse.
 
 
DavidXBrunt
14:57 / 12.12.04
Didn't see this thread earlier but I'll add my retarded ramblings here so the other thread can be erased from history like a thing that's been erased from history so that no-one can quite remember what it was thus making similies that use them as comparisons harder to make than you'd otherwise have expected them to be.

By der Crikey but yesterday was an odd day for me. A mate and I watched the Lord of the Rings extended versions back to back (15 minute breaks at the end of each disc) and I've lived to tell the tale. Renting a honking great projection screen and with a couch load of snacks made for a memorable day.

Great films, I knew that, but watched in one sitting it's an extraordinary experience. Time took on no meaning, I know logically that it took us the best part of half a day to get through them but it didn't seem like time was passing.

The extended versions are probably the only versions I'll ever watch again. Glad to see the cinema versions because of the experience of watching them on those honking great scenes in the Filmworks in Manchester but there's more heart to the longer versions, more time spent on the details that make Tolkeins book more than just an academic work. The scenes with Merry and Pippin sacking Isengard stand out for me as the only bit I was saddened by their absence from the theatrical versions so I'm glad they were filmed.

I still dislike John Rhys Davis, I still think Brian Blessed should have been Gimli or Treebeard, I still think Sean Astin is not quite right as Sam, and I still prefer Micheal Hordern, John Le Mesurier and Ian Holm to Ian McKellan, Ian Holm (again), and Elijah Wood but there's no doubt in my mind that Andy Serkis is just extraordinarily good as Gollum. Best performance by a mile. And it's actually a gloriously well put together ensemble cast, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are particularly good.

It's odd for me to think that after a lifetime of associating him with Hammer that this is probably what people will remember Christopher Lee for. And I have to wonder if maybe Peter Cushing would have had such a glorious renaisance if he'd still been alive...

Favourite moment? Probably something as simple but beautiful as the beacons being lit one by one as we fly over the mountain tops following them. Breathtaking.
 
 
Our Lady Has Left the Building
15:58 / 12.12.04
Am I the only one that thought Elijah Wood was a lot better in the first and second films than the third? Maybe it was a script weakness, but for long periods of time he was just a little lad staggering about. He didn't really give much of a sense of the inner struggle between his Frodo nature and his Smeagol nature. Possibly a drawback of casting so young, compare him with what Ian Holm achieved through sound only in the BBC version.

Otherwise, big yay. I'm glad that the restored material helped make Theoden and Faramir more heroic, shame that Denethor was still as loony as a bag of ferrets. The scene at the end of disc one with Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli in the cave of falling skulls was a bizarre image. I do disagree with what someone else said, the fact that the writers make every step a struggle doesn't automatically lead to double plus good, Aragorn finally accepts his role as King-in-exile, the oathbreakers are bound to fealty, whether they like it or not, they have to serve him. They should have just got on with it.

Legolas on the Oliphant. Squeeeee!

The Mouth of Sauron. Could have done with a bit more from the book, this is the point of Gandalf's utter defeat, as he sees it he has failed, Sauron has the Ring and they are all going to die, but he decides to fight on any way. I can see why they decide to allow Aragorn to take charge of the situation but still...

Andy Serkis. Squeeeeee! Despite the ridiculous 'breaking up Frodo and Sam' bit, Smeagol is a true star. I just hope this experience doesn't get Gollum typecast as 'skinny bad guy'.
 
 
Seth
09:51 / 14.12.04
I've never seen Serkis play a single decent role outside of Gollum. Even his portrayal of Smeagol at the start of ROTK was ridiculously hammy. He overacts atrociously, and needs layers of CGI to take the edge off his gurning.
 
 
Our Lady Has Left the Building
10:33 / 14.12.04
Well, the only other stuff I've seen him in was '24 Hour Party People' where no-one acted 'realistic', but I actually thought he was very good out of the CGI at the start of RoTK, so diffrent strokes I suppose...

Seeing as how I don't like spiders I was surprised how unscary the Shelob scenes were, tense yes, scary no.
 
 
The Natural Way
10:51 / 14.12.04
But, come on, the snapping manidibles bit's just wrong. Evil and wrong.
 
 
Seth
08:05 / 15.12.04
For my money, the performance that makes the trilogy is Ian McKellen's. For example, my favourite shot in Fellowship is the moment at the Council of Elrond where Frodo accepts the quest to destroy the ring. McKellen's reaction shot is one of the most subtle, precise, nuanced expressions I've seen, simultaneously depicting gratitude and great sorrow. It lasts for a second. That's all.

As for when he and Pippin talk about death in besieged Minas Tirith... I bawl my eyes out.
 
 
Our Lady Has Left the Building
10:13 / 15.12.04
Aye. But I love Hugo Weaving when Arwen and Aragorn kiss at the end. A really well-played mixture of joy at the overthrow of Sauron, joy that his daughter is getting married and sadness because of what she's given up. Excellently played.
 
 
Yotsuba & Benjamin!
10:43 / 15.12.04
McKellan also gives the exquisite go ahead to Aragorn's "For Frodo."

Yeah, he's the best.

"Not all tears are an evil."

*sniff*

You bet, champ. You bet.
 
  

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