The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) (1 Viewer)

[Pete D]

One last question. What's the Moria? Is that the evil shadowy thing? Sorry for my lack of knowledge on this movie.

 

[Kami]

One last question. What's the Moria? Is that the evil shadowy thing? Sorry for my lack of knowledge on this movie.

The Mines of Moria was once a great underground kingdom built by the Dwarves. They basically carved out a mountain.

By 'evil shadowy thing', I am assuming you are talking about Gollum. Gollum bore the ring before it came into Bilbo's posession.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

For those that have seen the movie what is the audience like?

Is it absolute silence throughout? Are people audibly reacting throughout the movie? Do you hear people sniffling etc during the appropriate times?

Does the movie get applause at it's conclusion?

Thanks

Seeing it in 4 hours!

 

[John Berggren]

I posted this in the review thread, but perhaps it belongs in discussion:

I have never read the books, though now intend to. I went to the midnight showing last night with an open mind, and moderate expectations.

In the beginning, I feared cheap graphics and cheesy special effects. It took but ten minutes for me to be completely enveloped in the story. I enjoyed the entirety of the three hours, and can't wait for the next film. Enough so that I'll be picking up the books.

Although I'm confident I know the ending, I really will enjoy getting there.

I would place this film in the category of Best Picture without reservations. I don't know if the Academy would be so inclined, but I feel that it's deserving.

I do not, however, beleive that this film will play to the mass market like Harry Potter does. There was more than one person to walk out, and a couple who groaned "that sucked" at the credits. I would have wonderred that they were watching the same film as I, but I do think that everyone appreciates what the film is.

The main problem with the film is that there was no death star that got destroyed. Essentially, this film, and the book from which it was based is the first act in a three act epic. There wasn't a clean beginning, middle, and end - there was just the beginning, and a bit of the middle.

I'm thankful that all three films were made at once. If the first is not well received, the others will still exist. And perhaps when all three can be viewed together, others will find the work as wonderful and beautiful as I did.

Time alone will tell.

 

[David Mill]

Could someone provide me with a link to one of the more prominent LotR forums. I'd like to see what the real 'hardcore' fans are saying about the movie.

Thanks.

-Damillster

 

[PhilipG]

I pretty much agree with Roger Ebert on this one, except that he is perhaps a little more forgiving... See the other review thread for my thoughts.

 

[JonZ]

A glowing review from James Berardinelli
Link Removed
Looking foward to it.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Good review by James. Every week, I check he, Ebert, and Mr. Cranky out. On HTF, Scott W. is my man. I am only waiting to read Cranky's review...which doesn't matter to the film, of course, but is an entertainment to itself
Take care,
Chuck
P.S. My theater cheered when Aragorn whacked Lurtz and clapped when it was over (and booed the commercials). I expect this movie to be poplar with repeat business. I plan on helping that!

 

[Dan Brecher]

My review is over in the official thread. What can I say, there's stuff cut that I miss, and elements added that I feel were perhaps a bit too much, but I still find myself absolutely overwhelmed by the whole experience.

Our audience was a strong one, despite one to many suffering from flu and failing to have heard of such things to help combat it. The screening drew a strong round of applause at beginning and end, indeed, much deserved on both counts.

The Balrog bit, dare I say it, was one scene I was left a little underwhelmed with. This may partly have something to do with the fact that it follows the cave troll attack in the tomb which is just an absolutely STUNNING cg creation, not to mention a fight that has you on the edge of one's seat. The Balrog looks fantastic, don't get me wrong, but its face off with Gandalf felt lacking. I certainly miss the cry of "A Balrog is come!" that's for sure.

This Orc leader, Lurtz, threw me somewhat, his birth just felt odd. This, for want of a better descritpion, felt very "Hollywood" to me, not even sure if that makes sense. He's great in battle, a real evil son of a gun, but Saruman speaks before this creature as if it's like a flying monkey from Wizard of Oz. I just got the sense of ("fly my pretty!") from the whole moment. I don't know, it may tie in with my thought that there is too much Saruman. This, I can only see being so for want of a more physical presence of nemesis on screen. Lee is superb regardless...

Even the faults I feel within the film are not enough for me to rate the film as anything less than a four out of four. As I've stated in my review, the changes are even more reason why the film and book will co exist together in future. Both exploit their mediums to the fullest extent!

Dan (UK)

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Dan,
Excellent points! I too LOVED the Cave Troll scene, the best CGI usage in movie history to my mind. He had a personality among other things. The Balrog I loved from a design standpoint, but the movie mirrored the book. The bit with the Balrog was there and gone instantly, with little description of the battle. The build-up was quite effective in the film, though. I hope when Gandalf recollects their fight at the bottom, we'll see some good flashbacks. I have great faith. I loved Sauron's brief look as well. Love his EYE even more.
As for Lurtz and Saruman...

This, I can only see being so for want of a more physical presence of nemesis on screen. Lee is superb regardless...

Probably exactly right. Lurtz is there precisely for Hollywood reasons in my opinion. But it does not detract in the least, so I don't mind.
The Cave Troll wins it in my book! Great stuff
Take care,
Chuck

 

[Dan Brecher]

That troll...jeez...I've got to elaborate on that, sure.

You could sense it's pain as it got hurt. It is an incredible beast! I knew it was a computer effect of course, yet not once did I look at it and think "CGI beast." You see that thing smash through the door and you're as shocked as the fellowship are in its strength and size. Good grief!

I've never seen such seamless visuals as presented here in this film. As a film it is many triumphs, among them a stunning visual one. Nothing dare touch Fellowship's visual effects Oscar next year.

Dan (UK)

 

[Rob Gillespie]

Well, I've just got back having spent most of the day with Dan, Iain and Chris. I'm most impressed with this film, though I have some reservations.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The Prologue
Fantastic opening section, though personally I would have preferred a much longer 'Shadow Of The Past' scene between Gandalf and Frodo to explain most of what goes on here. The vista of the Last Alliance army, with hoards of orcs attacking was an absolute stunner. Sauron, in all his spiked-armour glory was one serious badass. I loved the way he crushed everything in his path with the power of the ring.
The explanation of how Gollum came to possess the ring was, IMO far too truncated.
The Shire
Perfect visuals. I felt rather cheated in the way that Merry and Pippin kind of 'fall into' the journey and the way in which farmer Maggott is demoted to nothing more than a voice. I'm a big fan of the Maggot scene and though this has obviously been snipped due to time (as have many other sections) I was a bit disappointed at how it was handled.
Bree
Well, the gang do get there a bit too quick, but everything in Bree I found wonderful. Again, time seemed to have been the enemy here but the way PJ changed the Prancing Pony scenes, I thought was very well done. Butterbur, another favourite secondary character of mine, was particularly well cast.
To Rivendell
What no Midgewater Marshes? Oh well, the scene at Weathertop was terrific. That 'wind rush' effect when Frodo slips on the ring provides some of the most memorable images I've seen in any film, ever. Absolutely stunning work there. The Nazgul, in their uncloaked form are brilliantly realised.
Arwen changes
...didn't bother me at all. The way PJ has worked those scenes is logical and I though Liv was rather good. Her voice especially. The scene at the Ford was just masterful. The "If you want him..." line I thought would come across as really corny, but it seemed to work OK - but then followed by the Nine raising their swords in defiance - pure brilliance. Then the water. Wow.
Rivendell
Several big 'wowowowow' moments. Amazing visuals. I loved the Bilbo and Frodo scene. Not too sure about Bilbo's 'eyes' thing but that's a minor point. I thought Elrond was great, much, much better than I expected.
The Council scene lost some of the gravitas it possesses in the book. It worked fine but I thought it could have been a little better.
The Ring Goes South
No warg attack, and I was not impressed with the additional Saruman scenes. I felt PJ took the implication of his involvement - which is highly subjective anyway - way too literally. Nice detail of Legolas walking on top of the snow while the others wade through.
The scene at Moria gate I liked, but was on the brink of thinking "Where's the watcher?" when one of it's tentacles grabs Frodo. A nicely done scene, though maybe Frodo spent a bit too much time up in the air. Not sure why the create didn't just slam the doors shut as in the books, but I suppose PJs method is a bit more dramatic on film.
Moria
Gorgeous stuff. The grandeur of the visuals is uparalleled really, however I felt the inclusion of Gollum here to be perhaps the film's single biggest mistake. I just didn't like it and felt it was giving the audience too much.
A bit more time in Moria would have been good, perhaps with Gimli giving more of the history. However the scene in Balin's tomb is one of the most visceral action scenes I've ever seen. The troll - good god.
The Balrog scene seemed short to me, and I would have liked to have scene the orcs/trolls stuff mentioned in the book. As for the big creature himself - most impressive. Stunning design and realisation but after seeing the troll the smashing through everything in the earlier scene, the Balrog seemed to not actually do an awful lot. In fairness the actual Bridge of Khazad Dum scene was pretty faithful to the book while the troll scene was hyped somewhat. The scene following Gandalf's fall was one of the most heartfelt things I've ever seen in a film. The sense of loss is perfect.
Lothlorien
I don't like this section of the book, but as some of the other folks have mentioned, what is in the film is just too short and there's not enough explanation. Only Bilbo gets a gift. Another 5 minutes in Lorien would probably have been enough.
The Anduin
Again, we're back to stunning visuals, but the boat journey does seem a bit quick. No orc attack or flying Nazgul.
Amon Hen
It seemed to me that the final twenty minutes or so were flawless. The fighting between what's left of the Fellowship and the Uruk-Hai is just fabulous. Sean Bean turns in a magnificent performance here, very moving.
The scene between Sam and Frodo here was one of those lump-in-the-throat affairs.
Overall
Wonderful stuff. The negative feelings I have for some bits are overwhelmed by how superb the bulk of the film is. It's been a very long wait for this movie, but PJ has delivered the goods. Job done.

 

[Danny R]

what is the Balrog?
A Balrog for the lay person is basically a very powerful demon.
To be more specific, in the Tolkien universe they are Maia... The Maia were basically lesser angels underneath the Valar. During the first age, the Valar Morgoth was the first Dark Lord, and Sauron was his lieutenant. The various Balrog and dragons were his elite warriors.
When Morgoth was defeated, the Balrog who served him fled and hid. One lay sleeping far below the Misty Mountains, till the dwarves of Moria dug too deep and awoke the old evil.
To get an idea of the Balrog's power, consider that the Dark Lord Sauron is also a Maia, but he didn't take such a fire and brimstone form. So if Sauron is so feared, the Balrog is only slightly less so.Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast are also Maia, sent by the West to help in fighting Sauron, but they are under orders not to use their powers directly against Sauron, but to only help others in the fight. However proof of Gandalf's power can be found in that he was able to survive the fall from the bridge and defeat the Balrog ... but he was killed in the process.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

A bit more on the effects, if you will allow me
I fully expect the Visual Effects award to be awarded to WETA! Oscar voters prefer a special effects movie that's good to one with "just" good effects. See 2000. I loved Gladiator, but the CG effects were quite poor. That being said, LOTR will likely be Hollywood's "pride and joy" the next few months for it's critical reception and (expected) box office success. So, even if they were only decent, LOTR would win.
They are not decent however, they are tremendous. There was great work done this year:
HP - haven't seen it, heard it's great
A.I. - The only other movie with a chance at the award, great effects
Pearl Harbor - great effects, but they were the highlight
Mummy Returns - I think ILM did this one on their lunch break (just kidding, I know a lot of people worked hard to make this happen, but the effects weren't up to par, and the "storyline" didn't help)
Evolution - not many saw it
Planet of the Apes - I expected it to get makeup b/c Rick Baker is a genius...in any other year...it would be a cinch
Jurassic Park III - won't even be noticed, although great stuff in here
Lots of work by ILM...A couple of years ago, they did one or two BIG movies a year, this year they had over 5! But...thanks for coming out, see you next year with AOTC.
The effects in FOTR weren't just neat. They were awe-inspiring. The filled the spaces and gaps in the story. While the CGI work was a little up (Cave Troll) and down (the cool birds/spies - down being relative) in places, their effect on the viewer (the real measure of an effect) was constant and real. More than any other movie, their effects were an ACCOMPLISHMENT.
And the Cave Troll alone deserves the award, for all the reasons Dan said.
As for the scene after they exited Moria, easily the most powerful in the movie. I simply felt like I was there.
Take care,
Chuck

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

My showing of the film begins in exactly three hours, however my local paper posted Ebert's review, and there was something interesting about it... They put it down as :star: :star: :star: 1/2 stars, instead of just three. Can't wait.

 

[Jim_C]

I don't have time at the moment to give a detailed commentary. I will say that I thought it was brilliant. I was at the 12:01 show and the 11:00am show. Impossible as it may seem but it was better the second time.

My current favorite part of the movie is when Frodo slips on the ring at Weathertop and we see the Nazgul in their otherworldly form. Stunning.

My current minorly disappointing moment of the film is the portrayal of Galadriel during the mirror scene. I thought she came across as way to close to the dark side. I can see that it's a representation of what can happen to even the best of us when given the ring but it was still a bit too much for me. I suspect that I'll get used to it.

Finally, I didn't expect to like the Arwen substitution but I have to say that she did a wonderful job. Very convincing.

 

[Jeff Rogers]

I was lost in paradise for 3 hours.
But,,,,,
Did anyone else have people leave the theater? I could have sworn I saw 10-15 people take off halfway into the movie. I would like to say it is because they were tired last night....
I dunno:frowning:

 

[Chuck Mayer]

To discuss the Galadriel part at the Mirror, I thought it was very well done. Here's why?

1) It is very close to the book (she does agonize over it, and ends the response with something to the effect..."don't ever offer me that again."

2) Most importantly, it will help most viewers (who haven't read the books) to (VISUALLY) understand why the powerful elves, or more importantly Gandalf, should never handle the ring. It illustrated the drastic repercussions of such an act.

3) It was creepy and frightening, and I hope it will lend more power to Galadriel's further appearances.

Another nod to Liv Tyler. Great work in this installment.

Take care,

Chuck

P.S. I saw no one leave.

 

[Pete-D]

No one left in my theater, but I did notice a lot of complaining from the "regular joes" in the lobby afterwards, especailly from a lot of the females ("when will it end!" was a common complaint it seemed).

Understand that my screening was actually at 10:15 PM on Tuesday night (advance screening, seems like they only did this in Canada), so a lot of people who were at the theater for half-price Tuesday ended up seeing LOTR when they got to theater, so it wasn't exactly die-hards fans only.

I dunno, I guess some are just not ready for such hard-core fantasy. For them I think maybe a 2 hour version of The Hobbit would've sufficed, but on the flipside I think Jackson did a great job in satisfying the loyal fanbase.

I was pleased with everything mostly except the Saruman character was a bit off. Not showing his own personal aspirations for the Ring ripped a layer off the story and I think those who hadn't read the books may think Saruman is merely a physical incarnate/slave of Sauron, which is absolutely not true.

I think it'll do about $200 million, which is good enough to ensure the next two get proper FX budgets and pull in a good profit. Unfourtunately this film may be too long and plot-heavy for many to follow -- the funny thing is I was telling some of my weary friends afterwards that Jackson could've easily added 20-30 minutes extra to this film.

 

[todd stone]

on the suntimes, it seems as tho EBERT dissed the movie.