RotK won the Oscars, but which of the LotR movies is really the best?

[nikolai]

I voted for fellowship. For a variety of reasons:

• I think it was the closest to the books. And the most cohesive in terms of plot and structure.
• In spirit it's closest to the Tolkein. I like the aura of menace that gradually builds up. There's a sense of evil that you don't quite get in the other two.
• In terms of craftmanship it's better. The shots are better as are the sense of the journey. It also has the least use of devices like voice-overs, to explain what's happening, while you get wide shots of armies of the move.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Fellowship is my favorite. I like the mystery and intrigue of the developing story, and the introductions of characters and events.

It also contains my favorite sequence of the books/movies: Moria.

 

[replicant2]

They are not word for word the books, but they are the spirit of the books intact, and for me that counts above all.

Thanks for saying this, it bears repeating again and again. Why can't more people feel this way? The books and movies are different, but I can't fathom the arguments of Tolkien purists who despise the movies. The details are different, new elements are added and subtracted, but the spirit of Tolkien is there and overflowing.

 

[milotha]

I voted for the Two Towers. I think that the seige of Helm's Deep is simply amazing, and I loved Sam's speach at the end of the movie.

 

[James Heard]

I am voting for The Two Towers for one reason and one reason only:

Gandalf vs. the Balrog

Oooooh yeah.

Oh yeah, that's my reasoning too. That's the only scene that still gives me scary goosebumps still.

 

[Pants]

Fellowship is my favorite. I like the mystery and intrigue of the developing story, and the introductions of characters and events.

It also contains my favorite sequence of the books/movies: Moria.

Totally agree. Moria and the Balrog sequence are some of my favorite parts of literature and film. So FotR for me.

I also happen to think that FotR (both Theatrical and EE) was the best 'crafted' of the films. Good pace, good editing, good storytelling, remains fairly close to the source material.

 

[Endur]

I voted for ROTK, but I understand what you meant.

I thought Faramir's charge, Arwen's choice, the lighting of the beacons, and the charge of the Rohirrim were the best scenes in the trilogy.

I think FOTR was closest to the novels. But ROTK had the most emotional impact. I thought Two Towers was definitely the weakest.

 

[Zappo]

I was struggling between FotR and RotK, then I recalled Moria and the Balrog.
Back when FotR had that disappointing oscar night, some people (not me, damn) said that probably the academy was holding out until the last movie. I think they were right. It's not that RotK is much better than the other two, but the goodness to be rewarded has sort of accumulated.

 

[diaglo]

My hat for dLotR movies know no limit

but the RotK had my attention the most.

 

[Joshua Randall]

That [Gandlf vs. the Balrog] was in FotR.

To clarify, I meant the very beginning of TTT, where we see Gandalf battle the Balrog while they are both falling an incredible distance through the bowels of Moria. It was the perfect way to open the movie: with an action scene that grabs the audience's attention, surprises them (because they assumed Gandalf simply fell to his death), wows them with an incredible fight scene, and then surprises them again (with Gandalf's actual death on Zirak-zigil).

Also, every time I watch the scene, I am reminded of one of the comments in the "Two Towers as Bad D&D Game" thread:

PC #1: I cast a stilled, silent mage hand to retrieve Glamdring.
PC #2: What the f---? Why wouldn't you prepare a fireball or something?

That cracks me up.