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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JeffB" data-source="post: 546691" data-attributes="member: 518">I saw it for the first time yesterday morning.I thought it was brilliant. While I am a big fan of Tolkien and the books (they still are my fave reads ever), I’m not adverse to changes fro the books for the sake of making a good movie (that does not mean that I don’t think some things could have been done differently or added however).1)    I didn’t see the gross mischarcterization (is that a word?) that others saw in Faramir. Perhaps a bit more forceful than the book portrays him, but I thought he was well done. He shows his greater wisdom than Boromir when needed.2)    I would have preferred Eowyn to be a bit more warrior-like, but I don’t think it detracts from the part of the story that is portrayed in this movie. 3)    Some of the CGI was bit “rougher” than the FotR (the Ents in particular), but not so rough I didn’t enjoy it. For what was lacking, I felt it was made up in other places i.e. The Balrog, all of the Battle of Helm’s Deep, etc4)    I though Grima and Theoden were VERY well done. Grima especially…creepy…Theoden was very well acted, and I did not find him so out of character from the books that I was dissapointed5)    Gollum…The actual look of Gollum surprised me…I thought he would be a bit more monstrous…but I was not disappointed..the acting and CGI was superb IMO (especially in the initial encounter as he fights Sam and Frodo ..and great interaction by the actors as well!). And he added a bit of (needed at times) comic relief….his little happy song as he caught a fish song was great. The rabbit scene was pretty good too.6)    Once again Peter Jackson has done for me what I thought impossible…totally capture the images in my brain on what I thought Orcs would look,sound , and act like. The “argument” over Pippin and Merry was spot-on AFAIC. And of course at Helm’s Deep in full armor waiting to charge as they roar in the general silence otherwise..fantastic…7)    The Haradrim or perhaps the Easterlings as they enter the Black Gate:  Armor and costume was excellent. As was with Rohan. One thing that is very cool about these films is the distinctions made between the various peoples and creatures. Gondorians do not look like the Rohirrim (sp), the Elves look otherworldly comparatively. The armor depicted at the end of the Second Age does not look like the armor depicted in the War of the Ring, etc. Most other films would likely have all the same armor with just a different flag or helm to differentiate between races or time periods. Excellent.I did not go into the Theatre expecting to be “blown away” like I was with the first movie. All I wanted was more of the same, and that’s what I got. One of the coolest things I noticed was the audience: Kids… Lots of kids. This is a great thing IMO. While these films may not have the impact Star Wars does or did in general, but if LotR has the same impact on the Kids of today that Star Wars left on me and my generation in 1977, this is a VERY good thing. And who knows, if they are successful enough, perhaps we shall see some of the 1st and 2nd Ages of Middle Earth brought to the Silver Screen! (who would not like to see Melkor/Morgoth, Gothmog and the rest of the Balrogs fighting the powerful Elves of the past ages?)I also noticed in the 3 times I saw FotR and yesterday at TTT, that the audience clapped as the movie finished. I don’t see many movies in the theatre (in fact I’ve been to the theatre more times in the past year than I have in the 12 years previous to it), but I don’t recall hearing clapping at the end except when I was a kid seeing the Star Wars films. Even when I saw AotC and TPM, there was no applause at the end from the crowd (and no snide comments about those movies please..hee hee).</blockquote>

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