rewatching Lord of the Rings

[Willie the Duck]

Since the Hobbit is the prequel and the same director who did such a stunning job with the first three made those mediocre movies I think you are being a bit sensitive about it. It's all the same story. Thus the unhappy fans at what Jackson who did something no one thought anyone would ever do with the LOTR, turning the hobbit into theme park ride.

I'm not being 'sensitive' at all. I simply would love it if we could get several solid pages on discussion about the LotR trilogy, and advocated for my preference. Who made the second batch of films, or whether they are distinct stories or not, do not change anything. Three very influential movies were released 2001-3, and a thread was made with regards to revisiting them. Yet very rapidly we aren't even talking about them. I'm suggesting we do otherwise, and people are free to agree to the proposition or not.

 

[nevin]

Problem is everyone who cares has had this discussion multiple times over the last many years and you probably aren't going to get more than a few pages before we start drifting in other directions.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Fellowship is great. I can absolutely leave the next two. Feel the same about the novels.

They suffer the same thing as super hero movies of late. At least for me I still love the hobbits being in fear of the ring wraiths et al. The dead mean running like a convenient green wave take me out of the battle later.

There was a more grounded and dramatic feeling early on which gave way later to CGI chaos.

I still liked them but they had much less impact…

 

[nevin]

They suffer the same thing as super hero movies of late. At least for me I still love the hobbits being in fear of the ring wraiths et al. The dead mean running like a convenient green wave take me out of the battle later.

There was a more grounded and dramatic feeling early on which gave way later to CGI chaos.

I still liked them but they had much less impact…

I don't think LOTR is perfect but I think it's closer to the source material than i ever thought anyone would be able to do for technical and movie production reasons. I do agree the later scenes, for me it's how they minimize Gandalf the white spending weeks fending off the Nazgul and make it seem like something he does for a day. The last movie the entire War at Gondor could have used a lot of love. As far as I'm concerned they could cut out half of Sam and Frodo's trek through mordor and add more of Gondor. or just added more of the war for gondor. And I would have loved to see the Elve's arrive there as they did at helms deep.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I don't think LOTR is perfect but I think it's closer to the source material than i ever thought anyone would be able to do for technical and movie production reasons. I do agree the later scenes, for me it's how they minimize Gandalf the white spending weeks fending off the Nazgul and make it seem like something he does for a day. The last movie the entire War at Gondor could have used a lot of love. As far as I'm concerned they could cut out half of Sam and Frodo's trek through mordor and add more of Gondor. or just added more of the war for gondor. And I would have loved to see the Elve's arrive there as they did at helms deep.

Yeah I think they were great. I am just starting to realize what impacts me most as a viewer.

I have see. Them all
Multiple times and in the extended cut too so I have that bias! They’re great. I was just less of a fan of return of the king. Their parting at the end though hits my like a hammer though. I always hide that I am getting choked up ha!

I actually like a lot of all three films. Bormomir’s last stand was great…

Hell I am almost talking myself into watching them again…

 

[nevin]

Yeah I think they were great. I am just starting to realize what impacts me most as a viewer.

I have see. Them all
Multiple times and in the extended cut too so I have that bias! They’re great. I was just less of a fan of return of the king. Their parting at the end though hits my like a hammer though. I always hide that I am getting choked up ha!

I actually like a lot of all three films. Bormomir’s last stand was great…

Hell I am almost talking myself into watching them again…

yeah, I don't often rewatch anything and i've watched those movies at least 4 times. The hobbit got once If I ever watch it again it'll be with grandkids or something that's the only way i can see that happening.

 

[Blue Orange]

I think it's about as good an adaptation as we're going to get and I don't have much more to say than that.

I'm probably never going to see an adaptation of the Elric books and that's just life.

 

[Clint_L]

My hot take (assuming one can have a hot take for a 20+ year old trilogy) is that they're better than the books because they cut out extraneous stuff (suck it Bombadil and Glorfindel, lol jk) and do a better job of making the Ring scary. That's why I like that Faramir is initially tempted, even Aragorn has a moment. Sean Bean kinda rewrites Boromir and it works, the chemistry between the cast is so good. There's a few moments of ... cinematic excess, but overall I really would rather rewatch the trilogy over rereading the books.

My hot take is that I would have let Frodo and Sam die together, in each other's arms, on Mount Doom, and the story finishes with them being honoured as the saviours of Middle Earth.

Yes, I know that it could not happen because Tolkien fans would absolutely lose their minds at that big a deviation from the plot. But without the Scouring of the Shire subplot it would have made for a much cleaner and more poetic ending. Also, I feel like Rosie is just a beard and we all know that Sam's true love is Frodo. At least, in the movies.

 

[Zaukrie]

My hot take (assuming one can have a hot take for a 20+ year old trilogy) is that they're better than the books because they cut out extraneous stuff (suck it Bombadil and Glorfindel, lol jk) and do a better job of making the Ring scary. That's why I like that Faramir is initially tempted, even Aragorn has a moment. Sean Bean kinda rewrites Boromir and it works, the chemistry between the cast is so good. There's a few moments of ... cinematic excess, but overall I really would rather rewatch the trilogy over rereading the books.

Agreed

 

[Retreater]

Well, this thread encouraged me to purchase the remastered Blu-Rays of the extended edition. They just got delivered this afternoon. I'm going to ask my wife if she'd like to start on Fellowship tonight.