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| Lord of the Rings | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 11 2007, 06:06 AM (437 Views) | |
| Laughing Gravy | Aug 11 2007, 06:06 AM Post #1 |
Revered in the UK
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My history with this property: Never read the books, saw the first movie in theatres and thought it was too long, saw the first half of the second movie on DVD before losing interest, never saw the third (Oscar-winning Best Picture) one, have obtained the three 4-disc Extended Editions and have vowed -- since watching Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is kinda like visiting Paris or reading Moby Dick, something that is obligatory before you die -- to watch them this summer. Watched Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings last night. Kid Gravy kept me apprised of what all the new, added footage was; there was a lot of it, mainly early in the film, as we learn more about the Hobbits, li'l creatures with big, hairy feet. There's this ring, see, and it's filled with unspeakable evil, and it should've been destroyed centuries ago, but it wasn't, and now it's back, and young Frodo, a Hobbit, has it and with his friends, several other Hobbits, a dwarf, an elf that looks like David Bowie, a couple of human guys who are good in a fight, and a wizard, are off to drop the ring into the volcano of Mt. Doom from whence it was forged, but evil Goblins and Auks are after 'em, and so is Christopher Lee. There's a really stupid battle scene between the good wizard (Ian McKellen) and Chris Lee, and when Kid Gravy didn't get my "Magneto vs. Dracula" joke, I realized we haven't seen a Hammer Christopher Lee picture on FNF in years, and maybe I should schedule Horror of Dracula for this season. Anyway, the film also stops dead whenever there's a romance scene, so thankfully there aren't many because you do NOT want your 3 1/2 hour (or whatever) movie stopping dead very often. All that aside, it's good, imaginative fun, with really scary Goblins and nice costumes and swords. Lots of action, too. It's fun to watch with The Adventures of Sir Galahad. |
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| The Batman | Aug 13 2007, 06:00 PM Post #2 |
Charter Member
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I also never read the books, but saw all three movies in the theatre and enjoyed them. Have all three extended versions on DVD, and enjoyed them even more, with the added details. Yes, they are long, but for me, not unnecessarily so. A satisfying epic, like the first Star Wars trilogy was (before Lucas went and ruined it with that new series of disasters...I mean, prequels). |
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| marlin lee | Aug 13 2007, 08:30 PM Post #3 |
Charter Member
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That is one sentiment I've never understood. If a prequel, sequel, or remake is bad then it is bad. But how does that diminish the original? The only way I see the original trilogy is diminished is by Lucas reediting them into the special editions. |
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| The Batman | Aug 13 2007, 08:54 PM Post #4 |
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Before Lucas actualized the background stories laid out in the original trilogy, they were just that, tantalizing tales of the past that each of us could interpret in our own minds. Now our personal versions of these background stories have been pushed aside by an inferior reality. And, yes, Lucas did go one further by ruining the original trilogy with the “special editions”. |
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| marlin lee | Aug 13 2007, 09:15 PM Post #5 |
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Charter Member
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They still are. When I watch one of the original films, that is what I am watching. Any subsequent films only come into play if I let them.
Only if we let it. Maybe my DVD player is broken. But when I watch Obi Wan training Luke in A New Hope I don't see a popup comparing his midi-chlorian level to that of his father. I still see the same film and I still look at it the same way I always have. |
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| The Batman | Aug 13 2007, 09:20 PM Post #6 |
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Charter Member
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I'm glad you're able to, Marlin. The original trilogy was always a fun watch for me, hopefully I can forget what came after and enjoy them like I used to. |
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| Laughing Gravy | Aug 20 2007, 07:19 AM Post #7 |
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Revered in the UK
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Kid Gravy and I watched LOTR: The Two Towers last night. Nearly four hours' worth. Yikes. I won't recap the plot, because (a) it's too convoluted; the Fellowship has gone its separate ways, and some of them are fighting thousands of evil monsters, others are wandering around arguing about food and trying to get to Mt. Doom, and still others are hanging out with trees -- no, not IN trees, WITH trees; (b) I don't understand it, but there's an awful lot of good guys fighting an even more overwhelming number of bad guys, but winning 'cause they've got goodness (and elves) on their side; and © you already know the plot, probably, and understand it better than I do. Anyway, nobody cares: I'm sure we all watch these movies for the special effects, which are terrific. I've told Kid Gravy, though, that I'm not going to be ready for the third part for at least a month. Maybe nobody in these marathons has to go to the bathroom, but *I* sure do. |
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| Greypilgrim | Aug 26 2007, 05:36 AM Post #8 |
"Zarkov to Flash Gordon....Come in Flash!"
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I recently caught 'The Return of the Jedi' on whatever priemium channel was running it. I was appalled to see at the end when Luke sees the spirits of the 3 major influences in his life, Obi-Wan, Yoda and his Dad. In the original, it showed the older guy that had been in the Vader suit. THIS version showed the YOUNG guy that BECAME Vader from Episode III instead!!!  !!!This retro-history crap has GOT to stop!! It's like re-writing history books because somebody discovered something new about Lincoln or the Declaration of Independence or something. :angry: ....................................................................... And about the Lord of the Rings.... I did read The Hobbit and the first two of the trilogy. Still trying to find time for the third volume. The breaks between the movies don't follow the books, so that kind of throws you off. But DO NOT ever,ever,ever,ever,EVER watch ALL three movies in a marathon-- especially the third part which is probably a good 80% CGI--at least it seemed that way. I did and wound up with a severe case of Hobbit burn-out and CGI overload that made me nauseous.  :ph43r: Truth. Too much CGI's will do something to you, like motion sickness. Your brain is playing games as to what's real and not real, your body is just trying to adjust to what your brain is picking up, and it throws your whole chemical balance off. It feels as if you're swaying back and forth on a ship in a bad storm. Took me a while to get my "land legs" back. Never again. After that I haven't watched the movies even when they're on cable...Can't do it. Maybe in another year or two. :lol: 
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| Laughing Gravy | Aug 26 2007, 05:58 AM Post #9 |
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Revered in the UK
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Well, my two cents on the Star Wars saga... The first new one, The Phantom Menace, was so gawdawful that I've never seen the next two. Just out of curiousity, I probably will some day. As for Lord of the Rings, I don't want to get Bored of the Rings, but... the special effects in these films are what I'm enjoying most. And let me just reiterate, if you want to see a terrific film trilogy that forms a cohesive whole and advances the art of filmmaking, check out the Criterion Eclipse collection with Raymond Bernard's Les Misérables, mentioned elsewhere on these boards. A masterpiece. |
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| Sgt Saturn | Aug 27 2007, 07:43 AM Post #10 |
Charter Member
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Actually, you do want to get Bored of the Rings, the Harvard Lampoon take off in the books that is almost as old as the trilogy itself -- and still in print. :lol: |
| The Ol' Sarge | |
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| Chandu | Nov 16 2007, 02:33 PM Post #11 |
Knowledge Seeker and rascal at large
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Shoulda read the books! I read 'em two or three times and when I walked out of the theater after seeing The Fellowship of the Ring, I thought it was quite possibly the best movie I'd ever seen! The movie had brought the books to life almost exactly as I'd imagined them when I read them. I've never seen a movie do that before. It's always, "Well it was OK, but it wasn't as good as the book", or words to that effect. There were even some who had read the books who were disappointed the character Tom Bombadil had been left out of the movie, not complaining about it's length at all. They wanted more! 
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| Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just little ol' me... | |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Nov 16 2007, 11:34 PM Post #12 |
Mouth Breather
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Exactly. I read the books in 1957. I was alone and afraid in a weird religious boarding school, and I can honestly say they changed my life. When they finally made a movie of 'em I felt like my life was kind of, um, vindicated in some way. One of my son's best friends does CGI for a living, and he's a dedicated guy. Let us try to realize that someday they'll talk about some of these folks the way we talk about Chuck Jones and Tex Avery. |
| We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater | |
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| Black Tiger | Nov 17 2007, 03:17 PM Post #13 |
Charter Member
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Actually Paul, top CGI guys already have a degree of fame. Post-production editorial facilities that create many of the commercials you see on tv have staffs of young tech guys who talk about which CGI guys did what amazing effects in new films. Also they have arguments as to who is the best. Sound familiar? The next generation of special effects fans has landed. |
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