ROTK Images
Now that we’ve got that pesky TTT thing out of the way, it’s time to initiate the final countdown to ROTK. And what better way to whet your appetite than with a dozen images, posted on the Web by some calendar company, then taken down again, but still available thanks to the tireless obsessives at theonering.net. Among other goodness we’ve got Frodo in Shelob’s lair, Eowyn radiant in the morning sun atop the walls of the Houses of Healing (or at Edoras, maybe, not that it matters; it’s still Eowyn), and Denethor tasting the bitterness in the cup he mixed for himself. Yes, it’s going to be a long year. Update: Hi-res versions of the some of the images now available (though not Eowyn, dammit): Aragorn, Gollum, Gandalf, Arwen, and Frodo & Sam
January 7th, 2003 at 11:56 am
The Aragorn image makes me
wonder… that must be him at the battle of the pelennor fields. So he’s
mounted on that horse they gave him in TTT (Brego), and they’ve got him and
the horse dressed up in gear featuring the tokens of his (Aragorn’s) royal
house (tree, seven stars, etc.). So does that mean he’s going to arrive at the
battle on horseback, leading the army of the dead, maybe, rather than doing that at
Pelargir, and then arriving in the Corsairs of Umbar’s ships?
That would seem pretty consistent with changes they’ve made in other places. They take the two separate climactic events (Aragorn’s arrival at Pelargir and at the Pelennor), combine them into one big event, and thereby get out of having to show/explain a city, a complicated set of political relationships (the threat of the Corsairs drawing off the support of the southern fiefs), and a hard-to-stage amphibious landing at the Harlond.
Yeah, I bet that’s what they’re going to do.
January 7th, 2003 at 8:14 pm
I was going to go see TTT when it opened, but the theatre was packed. I was invited by friends, and that was really the only reason I had any interest. Instead, we all went to one of thier houses and watched the first LOTR movie. It was the first time I’d seen it.
Now I’m the first to admit that I’m a geek. However, I’m not into your standard geek-reading. I never read LotR, WoT, or the Dragon Lance series. However, I do still know their story lines (it’s hard to spend literally years of your life playing D&D and various MUDs without picking it up).
I didn’t like the movie. Sure, it followed the story pretty well. Yes, the acting was good. Even the visual effects weren’t overdone. It had everything I usually love in a movie, however, it just didn’t do it for me.
Characters died. I didn’t care; there was no attachment whatsoever. Vitally important foreshadowing and battles took place. I wasn’t excited in the least. I really don’t know why, I have no reason not to, but I really don’t consider it a “good” movie. The feeling that it was just anything more than a puppet show wasn’t there. I’m not anxious to see either of the sequals.
Keep in mind, this is only my opinion, so I hope nobody goes all apeshit over this post — I hope those of you that DID like it support it for all your worth. As I’ve said, it had all the elements of a great flick, but just didn’t call to me. There should be more movies such as this which rely on story rather than visual effects.
January 7th, 2003 at 10:05 pm
As a fellow mudder/dork I stand with you, a_stupid_box.
January 8th, 2003 at 9:12 am
That’s okay. Not everyone can appreciate Tolkien. Without broken people like you, us fully functional types wouldn’t get to feel so superior.
John
January 8th, 2003 at 2:01 pm
Awww, jbc, where’s the love, brother? :D
January 12th, 2003 at 5:50 pm
Appreciate Tolkien? Perhaps a minority opinion but I find that an author’s work is never captured fully on film. Again, maybe it is just me, but a well-written novel coupled with the reader’s imagination is typically a much more fulfilling experience than sitting through a movie that was carefully crafted to present the perspective of the production entity. And of course produced for perceived commercial appeal to the masses (recognizing of course that many novels are aimed at the paying public also). Bottom line thought is that appreciation of an adapted novel would be of the film maker rather than the original writer. Not an attack, just a comment.
January 13th, 2003 at 1:54 am
that pic of aragorn could take place at the assault on mordor after the battle of the pelennor fields.
January 13th, 2003 at 3:02 am
kalreader, you have a very good point. However, as should be evident here, there are quite a few people going to see the movies because they’re such fans of the book that they want to see how it’s been translated. In fact, depending on how involved the original writer is with the production/direction, it’s fun to compare what you imagined with what they did.
It’s not nessessarily appreciation of the film-maker or the author, but just a kind of curiosity for some. After all, why did people bother to go see “Titanic”? Same scenario — they all KNEW how it ended.
You are, however, actually in the majority when you believe that films don’t stack up to the imagination involved when reading. Especially a lot of recent translations with all kinds of pointless visual effects that could really stand to be left out. Of course there are exceptions — case in point (although over 30 years old), “2001: A Space Odessey”. The movie was so wonderfully done the book wouldn’t hold a candle to it. Something… unnerving about the silence in the scenes outside the ship.
Anyway, I digress. Thanks for your support, kalreader, and I’m sorry to turn around and play devil’s advocate right away. However, as you mentioned, it’s nothing personal. Just bringing something to light you may not have considered.
— Clark
January 13th, 2003 at 8:56 am
v-
Yeah, you’re right. And that interpretation works better with the expression on his face (more “here I am, about to get munched,” rather than, “here I am, to save the day”), and the abundance of armor with Gondorian elements, and all that.
The more I think, and look, and listen to other people, the more my initial thoughts tend to turn out to be completely wrong.
January 18th, 2003 at 9:20 pm
That blonde chick’s got a mouth as wide as Julia Roberts!!! I thought for a minute a COMSat aerial of the Missouri River got mixed in.
April 10th, 2004 at 11:12 am
Aragorn is a great character… and very handsome actually :)) Just visit http://www.lord-of-the-rings.org/books/aragorn.html to learn more about him.