WotC's RotK review

[Hypersmurf]

From Tolkien scholar John D Rateliff's review of Return of the King on the WotC site:

"And as for Miranda Otto's Eowyn, there's no justice in the world if this role doesn't launch her on a successful career as a leading lady. While she might look a little goggle-eyed while wearing the helmet, everywhere else she shines, eliciting a response from male viewers to match the female audience's swoons over Bloom's Legolas. A pity the theatrical cut had to drop the whole "Houses of Healing" scene so that she only appears in one brief crowd shot after her dramatic, climactic battle against the Witch-King, but at least that encounter -- one of the most often illustrated scenes in Tolkien's book -- was all any Tolkien fan could ever have wished. Bravo."

So there you go. If you didn't like the Witch-King fight, apparently you're not a Tolkien fan

-Hyp.

 

[Mark]

So there you go. If you didn't like the Witch-King fight, apparently you're not a Tolkien fan

-Hyp.
(moderate)

Perhaps he's not asserting what you suppose. Maybe he is claiming that Tolkien fans do not have the ability to wish for more than what what given; setting a ceiling limit on wish-restrictiveness. He may be in contact with those in control of wish-hearing and have the inside track on the guidelines they use for granting same.

 

[Hypersmurf]

... perhaps

Um... what's with the addition to the quote?

-Hyp.

 

[Vocenoctum]

So there you go. If you didn't like the Witch-King fight, apparently you're not a Tolkien fan

-Hyp.

While I can understand if your favorite line of all time was the "begone foul (whatever)" that you'd be disappointed, I really don't see how the scene is essentially different than the book...

But then, I still think the hobbit is the one that Felled the Witch King

 

[Hypersmurf]

I really don't see how the scene is essentially different than the book...

I just didn't like the fight. Eowyn looked clumsy and awkward.

-Hyp.

 

[Vocenoctum]

I just didn't like the fight. Eowyn looked clumsy and awkward.

-Hyp.

But, she wasn't very good in the book either!

 

[Chain Lightning]

The reason why I thought that fight was disappointing wasn't because they didn't follow the book. It wasn't because of when which actions happened and so on. For me, its how it was the acting and the way it was shot. Kind of stale and un-majestic.

I guess all the imagination and mental energy went into more important things like Legolas vs. the Mumakil

Okay, I like the Legolas vs. the Mumakil scene...its just that it shouldn't visually upstage the Eowyn vs. Witchking fight.

 

[Klaus]

The Witch-King got the shaft in the theatrical edition. The whole "I'll break him" bravado, but then, no show!

He needed to see some more action before chewing up Snawamana and falling to the girl with the pointy sword. I've heard from lots of non-readers that this villain came across as a disappointment after all the build-up. And the Mouth of Sauron was needed to add more climax to the Black Gates fight.

 

[Chain Lightning]

The Witch-King got the shaft in the theatrical edition. The whole "I'll break him" bravado, but then, no show!

Yes, there is that too. I understand the contraints of the theatrical version. Some things needed to be edited out for time. But if you have to edit out the confrontation between the Witchking and Gandalf, then why leave in the dialogue where the Witchking says, "I will break him"?

Odd.

By the way, nice pic of Gil-galad as your icon Klaus. You barely see him at all in "The Fellowship of the Ring". Which is a shame considering how much work went into his personal costume. There were enough quick moments to establish a good look at Elendil, Isildur, and Elrond....but Gil-galad is only seen really in one brief upshot of him spearing an orc. Which, I thought a while was Elrond. It wasn't until I saw pics of Gil-galad show up in other movie related products did I find out that was him in that shot [where he delivers a killing blow to what must be an orc at his feet].

 

[Hypersmurf]

Gil-galad is only seen really in one brief upshot of him spearing an orc. Which, I thought a while was Elrond. It wasn't until I saw pics of Gil-galad show up in other movie related products did I find out that was him in that shot [where he delivers a killing blow to what must be an orc at his feet].

Definitely an orc at his feet - he sweeps the orc's legs out from under him with Aeglos, kills another couple of orcs, and then stabs the swept one on the ground. Of course, only a split-second of that shows up in the film.

I rehearsed that fight with Mark Ferguson (as the swept-to-the-ground orc) down at Ruapehu, but unfortunately by the time they shot it, I was back in Auckland working on Xena, so it's someone else on film (or, rather, someone else just out of frame ).

-Hyp.