[Quasar]

Me right now after just seeing it....

( SPOILERS BELOW ) __________________________

The film for me is perfect in everyway. As an artist it is without equal in it's sheer detail and mastery. It is truly the first film to do true hardcore fantasy jutice in my opnion. The acting was brilliant. The set design was absolutly masterful and beutiful. I cannot think of one thing that could have been improved on. The baalrog scene is going to inspire me for weeks. The troll was also amazing. The orcs where awsome. The armor and props where amazing. They did a great job with the ring wraiths. The hobbits where convincing. Everything that I imagined in the books came to life today in the movie. The baalrog actually surpassed my imagination it was so f-ing amazing!! Go see it.. and then tell everyone you know to see it, as this is what every fantasy movie should be!!!

[ December 19, 2001: Message edited by: Quasar ]

[SporQ]

agreed man, i loved it so much, right as i was coming out of the theatre, i almost bought another ticket

they left some stuff out that i would have liked to see, but i think what the left out only improved it as a story.

and i almost cried in delight when i saw that balrog. woooooo.

time to do some painting, lol

[Fredrik Svensson]

Visually, LoTR is probably the most stunning movie I have seen to date. The painted feel, the colors, the settings, the weapons and armor.. Incredible!

The script tho.. so-so. They simplified some things a bit too much for me, but I can live with it.
The choice of actors (and the actual acting) was flawless to 95%. Some things really stood out and brought the experience down for me tho, for example I couldnt shake the impression that it was Agent Smith from Matrix impersonating Elrond.. and I do believe they hired Diablo (famed from his own line of games) for the part as Balrog?

I do agree that it is the best fantasy film to date tho, but then again, what does it have to compete with? Willow is the only one close IMHO..

[Enayla]

Willow has nothing on this movie, as far as I'm concerned.

I thought my expectations would be too high, and that I would be disappointed - but I'm still all dazzled by the experience.

Probably my new favourite movie.

Minus the scene with Galadriel showing off her 'evil' side. Which is the only part I don't like.

Still gets a 12 out of 10 possible, though.

[Gort]

Y'all are crazy! The Beastmaster rules!!

[Affected]

I really liked it too, except for Galadriel's bried power trip sequence, which was just plain badly made. And the pathos-level at the very end grew a bit high for my liking.

[marcuslm]

Definititely awesome!! All of the environments were complex, detailed, and beautiful. There was so much to visually take in that I need to see it again. The parts were all well cast and I thought all of the acting was wonderful. I also thought the elvish language was spoken beautifully. It's one of those few movies where I couldn't find much that I would have liked to see done differently.

[lazydead]

Hands down winner for fanatsy.

I had a few issues with a couple of composites but as for the rest of it...I was shitting my pants!

I was floored during the cave troll fight. It was just so hardcore. The creature looked so frickin nuts that after the fight I thought that was it. That was the big creature effect and all was good...

WRONG
One word...

B A L R O G

The Balrog sequence is the absolutely most visually insane thing ever put to film.
This alone is worth the price of admission.

I was also really stricken with the landscapes. Everything was so perfect. Absolutely beautiful.

I can't wait to go and see it again.

[edit]
I almost forgot my one complaint...
not enough Liv Tyler <<< HOT!

Golem kicked ass too.
[/edit]

[ December 20, 2001: Message edited by: lazydead ]

[BooMSticK]

�...Within 3 hours I will be sitting in the theater souping it all up like the brainless dog I am... I have been waiting what seems like forever for this day... Best seats and most of the cazy fanboys out of the way (which I pressume went to see the film yesterday). And yes - my expectations have skyrocketed within the last few days... I just hope the movie can live up to about 23.34% of my hype...

I will leave an edit on how I thought of it...
,Boom

[Quasar]

That's wierd that you all didnt like that scene with Galadriel because for me it showed that even the evil corrupting power of the ring could effect even the purist heart and that if she where given the ring it would turn her into suaran ..well a girl version anyways. It was like her empathic vision of what she would become if she where to take the ring but she resisted the rings power even though she was offerrd it freely . It was on the level of what happned to bilbo when he seen the ring again.

[Norling]

I'm a huge fan of tolkien, i prey to him instead of to god before i go to bed and i thank him for my daily bread. I have read his books several times, and i find new stuff every time. Ever fantasy-writer owes everything to tolkien becouse he created the fantasy-gerne...But, there is something i will never do: Watch the damn movie. Why? Becouse it is'nt a tolkien-movie. I can hardly believe tolkien ever wanted this to happpen. Ofcourse, the tale about the ring will reach a lot more ppl this way, those who does'nt have the intellectual capacity to read the books can watch the movie...

There are a lot of evidence for how wring this is in the books...How is the balrog described? What pictures did he use when describing it? Same with sauron. How does he look in the book? You see? Tolkien did'nt tell much about how he wanted the creatures to look becouse he wanted the reader to use his imagination. Ony you know what makes you afraid. Only you can create a creature as scary as posible.

What happens when you watch the movie then? Your pictures from the book are replaced with pictures from some damn conceptual artist. The magic in tolkiens words are lost.

One thing that seams very strange to me is that you people (you are supposed to be creativ, this is an art-forum, right?), are ready to replace a big piece of your imagination with someone else's. Or maye i missjudged you from the beginning? Maybe you're just kids without the ability to read and analyze books?

[Jabberwocky]

Saw it twice and it was just as good the second time. I liked the part when you did the head dive off the tower following that moth. That was cool...

[SporQ]

norling, does that mean that we shouldnt paint an apple cause somebody else has painted an apple already? i think its pretty narrow minded to think that a movie could rob somebody of creativity.

looking at somebody else's art doesnt destroy any creativity in ourselves. if anything, it only challenges us and makes us better.

i agree that the movie wont come close to being as good as the books, movies never are. but they are two different mediums, and i think this movie is closer to the books than anything i could have done.

example, the cave troll. not very close to how i imagined it. but it was cool as hell. and guess what, i still have my image of the troll in my head when i think of the book. it doesnt replace or destory anything in my mind. i just view it as somebody else's work of art. somebody else's interpretation of the book. im not gonna stop looking at other people's art cause im afraid that it will steal my ability, cause thats not something that can happen.

[JoeKool]

an old friend of mine, Bay Raitt, was the head character artist on the project there..for all 3 films. havent seen the flick yet..sounds like it came out amazingly well. his website is http://www.spiraloid.com (which, imho, isnt that great a site..though he dioes have a forum there with some amazing artwork).

[Norling]

No. I enyoy to watch art and f/x in movies. But i don't do it when i risk loosing som of my own unique imagination. I won't put the pictures tolkien's books gave me in hazard. Maybe it would be different ith this particular movie if i was'nt such huge tolkien fan.

[J Bradford]

The movie was great, I was highly entertained.

Although I wish Gimli had been a little more, hmm, grim? They showed him maybe once in the fighting scenes, and I wanted to see some dwarf ass kicking. He was by far my favorite character from the book.

The dialogue was great IMO. Most people forget the majority of it was taken straight from the book, and this is old fantasy so it sounds too formal at some points.

Time to wait a year for The Two Towers, and and another for Return of the King. Grrr!

[SporQ]

yeah, you're right, i must not be a huge tolkien fan

[Blade]

Norling the only real way that could happen is if you read the books AFTER you saw the movies becuase they will probably have more influence on what your reading.
However if you, knowing you read the books, go see the movie and view it AS a movie not the book itself but an interpretation of the book than you may enjoy it. IF you are so worried about it destroying your own imagination than it will because you believe it will happen, its all will power here, you think it to happen therefore it will happen in this case.
You really shouldnt be so skeptical Im as nutty of a fan of this, I play D&D and all that shit but that doesnt mean that a movie is going to ruin anything.

[Jyashuwa]

Parden me! but I think we have all forgotten the masterpiece known as KRULL!


On the Serious side....Peter Jackson, better get an award for this. I loved every moment of the 2hrs and 45 mins.

[Norling]

If you read the book once more, will you be seeing the enviroments and characters from the film or will you see the things you once imagined?

[SporQ]

ill see what ive always imagined. thats just the nature of creative people. im sure some images will float in there, but i dont see the problem with that. every piece of art affects you in the same way. are you saying that we as artists need to avoid any influences if we want to be creative?

[Teyon]

I loved it myself but I was horrified at what I knew would happen when the end of it actually came to pass.

Society, well, American society anyway, has been raised on the StarWars tradition of Trilogys being seperate movies carrying a story over 3 films each having a clear and definite ending with time passing between each film's story. This was the first time we've had a big budget trilogy where the films actually try to convey an entire, single story over the course of three films as if you were reading a book...ie, each chapter wouldn't have a "definite ending".

I loved this idea, expected it too because I saw no other way for them to do it without compromising their integrity. I was also aware that most folk aren't ready for it. So why, I ask you after three hours of sitting through the film, was I stunned at the sounds of BOOs and What The F@#$'s?

Millions of people know the story. They know how the books, each in their turn, end. So did most of the people in the theater with me...these same folks who ooooed and ahhhed over the troll and the Balrog also moaned in utter despair at the anti-climatic non-end to the film. Having been bred to believe we should get a clear ending with each segment of trilogy, they were upset that this movie followed faithfully along with the way the book it spawned from ended.

It was a sad day for me because I was once again shown how pathetic and commercial we'd become. To moan at something we'd all known was coming and would've been ticked about had they changed it, seemed shallow. Where's the love for the deeper story being told? Where's the curiosity about the next film?
I was disgusted with my fellow New Yorkers and proud that finally, someone told a story through film, as if it were being read in a book. I hope the second movie holds true to this style of storytelling.

Norling, I AM a true fan of the books. I can't even touch the cover of the books without remembering how each one starts and ends. I can quote you half of Bilbo's riddle fest from the Hobbit or sing along about the road going ever on and still, I saw the film. Ruin my creativity? No. Destroy my love for the books? No. Ruin how my vision of Tolkein's world is in my mind? NEVER.

A true fan, if he be strong of mind, can overcome such simple things as an actor's face. I mean, c'mon, do ou think this is the first live action Tolkein film? You'd be wrong. Do you think this is the first movie adaptation of a tolkein story? Again, worng. If you've seen any of the cartoons, or the God awful live action/animated film (sort of a wannabe Mary Poppins) by your definition, you'd be tainted. So think long and hard about what you've seen and haven't seen before you think to point a finger at us. I find it difficult to think you've avoided glimpses of this in some way.

Heck, did you look at the cover of the book you read? If you did, your interpretation of the world was destroyed before you even read the first page. At least, if you beleive what you've told us.

---------------------------------------------

My personal wish was that they'd made four films, starting with There And Back Again but I will have to hope they do a *gasp* prequel.

[Icannon]

**i hope people who haven't seen the movie are not reading this thread**

I just came home from seeing this flick. It did my expectations justice .. and that's that. it is a very very wonderful film that stays true enough to the tolkien world, but.. there are parts that i cant imagine the reasons for being left out; more on aragorns sword, the gifts from the elves and lothlorien in general, sams peak into the future, gimli's addoration of the lady .. BUT, the dvd will contain extras that should make things even tastier than they are now, anyway.

norling: what sucks is that even if you decide to check out this movie, your attitude and preconceptions will eat away at what good is in it. sorry if that sounds mean as i dont really want to diss your decision, but, bah. you're not seeing it anyway.

[Gothic Gerbil]

Teyon: in my area (and we caught the absolute first showing, dressed up in period too tee hee aren't art students great!!) the audience applauded heartily when it ended. Actually they broke into applause several times during the film. And personally I can't wait to get my hands on the dvd. It will be a long haul til next christmas ... I missed Tom Bombadil though, sigh!

[ambient-whisper]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Icannon:
**i hope people who haven't seen the movie are not reading this thread**

I just came home from seeing this flick. It did my expectations justice .. and that's that. it is a very very wonderful film that stays true enough to the tolkien world, but.. there are parts that i cant imagine the reasons for being left out; more on aragorns sword, the gifts from the elves and lothlorien in general, sams peak into the future, gimli's addoration of the lady .. BUT, the dvd will contain extras that should make things even tastier than they are now, anyway.

norling: what sucks is that even if you decide to check out this movie, your attitude and preconceptions will eat away at what good is in it. sorry if that sounds mean as i dont really want to diss your decision, but, bah. you're not seeing it anyway.

---

you have to remember that its 3 movies, and that pete J still has room in the other 2 to tell the story of the sword. ( hell a part of it was shown when the slicing of saurons finger happened.

[BooMSticK]

I previously said I just would do an update in my original post, but other people have said stuff I really would like to comment on.

First off... The film lived up to my expectations... All of them! Only two or three times I felt the quality of special effects was a let down... and those were minor scenes. I wont point out where theses scenes were... unless you demand to know

on to the comments:

Quesar - yes. I feel the same. You guys must remember that Galadriel once held The One Ring - thus she has already felt its power and what we saw was a test to see if she could withstand the lust for the ring. Luckily for Frodo (and us) she did withstood the lust for power!

Norling - I feel pity for you my friend. I can understand your love for the book and all. But to neglet a movie of this caliber is just stupid... pure and simple. No matter how you argue. I loved the books. I love the film and I STILL love the books. And the way the Balrog is shown in the film is just how vague it is in the book. Sauron was not described in the book as he is in the film... but remember that the Sauron's part of the film is from an earlier tale - The Silmarils. Not from LOTR.

SporQ - I agree totally!

joe cool - the link isnt working for me... Would love to see the site, though!

Bradford - Yes, Gimli was not showing his potential but I'm sure he will in the next part where his character plays a much larger role!

Teyon - Good points. I did feel the endning was great though. Full of hope but again with promises of great danger depicted by the pointy mountains and the great swamp ahead.

Icannon - Yes, I firstly also did wonder why wait to give Aragorn the Legend Sword, but I bet we will get much more info on the sword in the next film. The Broken Sword has now been introduced and when it finally gets in the hands of the Heir of Gondow we will know it is very powerfull indeed (well, we know that already, don't we?)

Best Kick ass flick ever!
,boom

[SporQ]

Icannon, they did do aragorn's sword, they just didnt mention it. at least i think so. the broken sword hilt that he picks up in rivendell is the same one that he uses in the orc fight after he leaves lothlorien, at least i think so, i could be wrong. maybe thats me and just wishful thinking.

i was kinda disappointed that he wasnt carrying it with him all along though

[JoeKool]

Boomstick - ahhh..whoops..his site is down..but the forums are active at: http://cube.phlatt.net/forums/spiraloid/index.php

go to the "cave troll" message for info about LOTR, amongst other topics im sure..

[SporQ]

stuff like that makes me want to learn 3d

[lazydead]

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