I just got back from the Two Towers

[Wicht]

1) Gandal's horse is grey not white

Actually Shadowfax shines like silver according to the first description of him in the Two Towers. Cinematically I think white might be less distracting than an actual horse that glistens in the light like flowing silver.

 

[Bastoche]

Actually Shadowfax shines like silver according to the first description of him in the Two Towers. Cinematically I think white might be less distracting than an actual horse that glistens in the light like flowing silver.

Maybe that's just a french gripe. In french, the horse is named "grispoil" which means roughly "greyfur". The horse is "vaire" (in french again, I don't know how it translate in english) which is a tone of grey.

 

[Piratecat]

To tell the truth, as much as I loved the film, I could have done without Aragorn's plunge over the cliff and his mystical life preserver... both Arwen and horse. That struck me as gratuitous, and not especially necessary.

A lot of folks thought the flashbacks to Arwen were a bit odd, and the conversation between Elrond and Galadriel felt a bit strained. Interesting, the elven archers were from Lothlorien, not Rivendell, although the presented compliments of Elrond.

It was fun to see the elven cloak working!

 

[EricNoah]

I haven't seen the movie, but ... I'm doing a little jig of glee in my heart because I think I've figured out the big "why" of the whole Faramir change and the encounter with the Nazgul. It's a "why" that to me makes perfect sense and feels right. I'll share after I see the film on Friday.

 

[Piratecat]

Noooo! Tell us now. Please?

 

[Halma]

I haven't seen the movie, but ... I'm doing a little jig of glee in my heart because I think I've figured out the big "why" of the whole Faramir change and the encounter with the Nazgul. It's a "why" that to me makes perfect sense and feels right. I'll share after I see the film on Friday.

I am truly holding my breath because I would love to be enlightened.... I found Faramir's change one of the most annoying things in the movie so please enlighten me. He is by far my favorite character in the books, and for PJ to change him makes me very sad.

Also if you can explain Mary and Pippin to me from the movie I will be truly a happy man.

Your humble listener......Halma

 

[EricNoah]

Noooo! Tell us now. Please?

Well, I haven't seen it so I can't say for sure. But ....

I think the whole "capture the ring-bearer and start moving toward Minas Tirith" bit is a plot device, and even moreso is the encounter with the Nazgul. That Nazgul, I'm betting, will report back to Sauron that the ring was last sensed in Osgiliath (or wherever the encounter takes place, but near Minas Tirith, right?) and thus Sauron, unable to conceive that the ring could be on its way to Mordor to be destroyed will naturally assume it's on its way to Minas Tirith.

It's a different route to the same place, and to me it gets us there. Now we don't have to bother with trying to convince the audience that Sauron is kinda-sorta guessing that the ring is on its way to Minas Tirith because of various circumstantial evidence (Aragorn taunting him through the palantir, etc.).

Faramir, in the meantime, will also arrive to his "character place" along a different road, but he will get there (I'll bet he's practically already there by the end of TTT, that's another thing I will be looking for).

So it's a bit of a detour, but for a slightly truncated plot I think it does the trick. We'll have to see how it plays out in film three...

 

[Lord Zardoz]

I had only read the trilogy once, and I was not as aware of the deviations from the original book.

Then again, a movie need not be a word for word, scene for scene, recreation of the book. The deviations can be there, and still make for an excellent movie that is true to the spirit of the original story.

The Sum of all Fears is very different in its book and story incarnations. However, I still liked the movie a great deal. In my opinion, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies will do the same (it has so far).

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Desdichado]

I had only read the trilogy once, and I was not as aware of the deviations from the original book.

Then again, a movie need not be a word for word, scene for scene, recreation of the book. The deviations can be there, and still make for an excellent movie that is true to the spirit of the original story.

The Sum of all Fears is very different in its book and story incarnations. However, I still liked the movie a great deal. In my opinion, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies will do the same (it has so far).

END COMMUNICATION

Those deviations aren't as big a deal as everyone's making them out to be. I'd bet that if anyone took time to line up the plot deviations from FotR and TTT, they'd actually find that TTT is much closer to the book than FotR was.

 

[maddman75]

3. The Elves showing up at Helm's deep. In the book the elves from Elrond arrive after the battle and it is Elrond's sons who show up. I am assuming there is a story line/time constraint reason for this somewhere - I am just hoping they do not cut out "The Voice of Saruman," from the next movie - its one of my favorite chapters in the Two Towers.

I can almost guarantee it will be. When Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are looking about in Fangorn and suspect Saruman, one of them (I can't remember who) comments to beware listening to his voice, lest you fall under his spell.

Sounds like foreshadowing to me!