The scene I really want to see at end of Return of the King........

[Wormwood]

The scene *I* want to see:
The Ringwraith explaining to Sauron that the One Ring was within his grasp, but he fled because his Fell-Beast got stuck with a single arrow.

 

[Welverin]

Yeah, KenM, I'm curious to see how they 'interpret' the whole thing with the eagles at the end of RotK. If they do it like the book, then audiences will be thinking the exact same thing you have your Frodo say. But, Jackson, Boyens, & Co. haven't been sticking to the book exactly now have they? Let's hope their writing skills can produce something that makes it less of a plot hole. Or not one at all.

Oh well, we might as well learn to live with now then.

 

[rbingham2000]

The scene I really want to see I know they won't do, but here it is:

This is after the Ring is destroyed and Frodo is reunited with the other memebers of the fellowship.

FRODO: Gandalf, you mean to tell me with your allies, the giant eagles, we could have taken an army of eagles for protection, flew in on the eagles, and droped the Ring in? Instead you have me walk in on foot and I almost get killed? What were you thinking? You called an eagle to pick you up when you were captive on top of Isengard, so I don't know why they could not have helped out more.

I think the reason that the giant eagles only came after the One Ring was destroyed was that while the giant eagles could bail out Gandalf at Isengard, none of them would dare go into Mordor until Sauron's power was broken forever because that kind of stunt would be suicide.

Who's to say that The Eye wouldn't have spotted the Fellowship very quickly if they took to the air on the eagles for Mordor? Who's to say that Sauron wouldn't have at least several countermeasures to that course of action, like dispatching the Nazgul on Fell Beasts in front of a large aerial force to intercept them?

 

[KenM]

I'm not saying coming in on eagles would have worked, all they need is a line mentioned by Gandalf or someone saying why it would not work, or you have them try and fail. It's pretty obvious that would be the easiest way to go in, since JRRT has the eagles as a plot device to save the characters at other times, but no reason is given as to why they don't help out more. Like Merry and Pippin convenced the Ent's to help out because they are part of middle earth, so are the eagles.

 

[shilsen]

I'm not saying coming in on eagles would have worked, all they need is a line mentioned by Gandalf or someone saying why it would not work, or you have them try and fail. It's pretty obvious that would be the easiest way to go in, since JRRT has the eagles as a plot device to save the characters at other times, but no reason is given as to why they don't help out more. Like Merry and Pippin convenced the Ent's to help out because they are part of middle earth, so are the eagles.

I always thought that the question of Eagles (or Ents or the army of Gondor or anything like that) aiding in the quest was covered when Gandalf mentioned at the Council that their aims could not be achieved by an invasion in force. If Sauron could detect a single elf like Glorfindel accompanying the party, it's a fair bet that he'd notice a giant eagle flying into Mordor. The reason the eagles can enter Mordor when they do is that Sauron's completely distracted by the prospect of the RIng's destruction.

 

[Umbran]

The reason the eagles can enter Mordor when they do is that Sauron's completely distracted by the prospect of the RIng's destruction.

Hm. Almost, but not quite.

After the breaking of the Fellowship, much of the action in LotR has one main purpose - misdirection. It's well known that if Sauron knows where the ring is, there's pretty much nothing going to stop him from getting it. Even without the ring, he's the most powerful individual in the East. So, the whole point becomes to sneak the ring in, and keep Sauron from seeing what's actually happening.

If you put someone like Glorfindel in the fellowship, you get exactly the wrong effect, as you say. Such an elf walks into Mordor, and he'd show up like a neon sign, and get squished. Same for the eagles. Tolkien is pretty clear that they, in their way, are an old and powerful race. And in the air, one has even less cover on the ground. Send the ring over n an eagle, and you'll suddenly find a ringwraith on a flying mount hacking it from the sky, or somesuch.

So, when the eagles finally do come in, it isn't because Sauron is distracted. It because 1)they're needed for the battle and 2)they don't have the ring, so they don't care if Sauron sees them! They aren't trying to hide. Heck, the main point of taking the army to the gates of Mordor was not to have a battle. It's to distract Sauron! All the better if there's these great ancient powerful flapping birds overhead then! Let him see! Let them shout, "Yoohoo! Ugly guy with pointy helmet! Lookee here! Dangerous birds!"

 

[shilsen]

Hm. Almost, but not quite.

I'm not arguing, which is why I did say "enter Mordor", not join the battle. The eagles only actually enter Mordor when Sauron sends the Nazgul away from the battle to Mount Doom (when Frodo & Gollum are fighting within).

 

[Pylar]

And what if....

Ok, any of you that have read the books, or seen the movie, know how powerful the One Ring can be over the minds of mortals. If you were Gandalf, and knew that anyone remotly close to the One Ring had a chance of being taken ove, would you stake your life, and the lives of all that is good on Middle Earth on an eagle. Just think if the ring did it's dirty work, corrupted that eagle, and in a single second of indecision decided to let go of poor Frodo. Goodbye quest, goodbye world..hello evil dark king. Now do you still think it was a good idea to let the eaglesw carry Frodo all the way to Mt Doom?