*** Official THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Paul W]

We had fun booing all of the trailers (except the HP trailer, for some reason).

 

[Alvin.G.]

Scott, great story. Malcolm, great comic.

You guys are really making it hard for me to wait a whole freaking week before I can see this. But, my brother and I have watched FOTR and TTT together, and that's the soonest we can meet up. And from the most recent (ie Wednesday morning and beyond) posts, it looks like enough of you are now conscious and lucid to post details of the film that I have to start *cautiously* scanning as to not read spoilers. Well, Happy post-Trilogy Tuesday Wednesday to you all and I'll be joining in the discussion in seven days time. Cheers


acg

 

[MikeRR]

Wow.

None more needs to be said.

But I'll say more anyway .

I'll start off by saying that the biggest weakness for me was that it seemed to take a while for things to kick into high gear. I went to the midnight showing, so I was expecting the audience to go nuts from frame one. But, for the first hour or so, there was little audible reaction from the crowd. Don't get me wrong, I was captivated from the start, but the main reason I went to the midnight show was for the crowd. As the battle started, there was some activity in the audience, but no huge cheers or anything like that.

Then, came Eowyn vs. Witch King.

She not just defeated the fell beast, she walloped the hell out of it. The whole audience simply ERUPTED, and I let out a cathartic cheer, because I finally got a chance to let out my emotions that had been building to that point. I knew that it was going to be a ride from that point on. I don't think I've ever seen such a long strech of awe-inspiring moments coming one after the other. Any one of them by themselves would have made the movie.

Before last night, I had never cried in a movie theater. Sure, certain films have produced tears in my eyes before, but they were in the privacy of my own home. When Sam is on the slopes of Mount Doom with Frodo telling him about the Shire, I could feel the tears coming, but I didn't break. But, when Frodo sees Gandalf, I lost it. It was simply too much. Just a perfect, sublime moment.

Having read many reactions to this film, I have seen hyperbole taken to new lengths. It's all well deserved. It may seem ridiculous to some how some people say this has changed their lives, etc. But, just let me say this.

As I'm writing this, I am 19 years old and I just finished my first quarter of film school. I consider myself extremely fortunate for these films to have been released at this point in my life. Knowing all of the factors that go into the making of any film, and seeing the efforts of all those involved in the making of these films, makes the final result that much more amazing. If I ever get to a point where I can make a single moment that has the visceral and emotional impact of the ones mentioned above, it would make all of the effort to get to that point worthwhile.

Just my thoughts

 

[Ricardo C]

I'm on the same boat as you, Alvin :frowning: No ROTK for me till NEXT weekend :frowning:

After TTT, I was actually dreading this film. And now from reading the reviews and discussions, it looks as though it's more FOTR than TTT, if you follow me, which re-awakened my excitemet and anticipation to unbearable levels. And just as I made plans with friends to catch the first showing... DELAY CITY!!!

You know, I've never minded my little third-world country. All in all, quite a nice place to live. But I've never wanted to live somewhere else more than I do today

 

[Matt Stone]

All the tickets are sold out at my theater for the day! Dammit, I want to go see it again :frowning:

In any event, I went to sleep thinking about it and I woke up thinking about it. I absolutely cannot wait to see this film again.

One thing that amazed me was how dark the film was...which I suppose I should have expected. When the Witchking sent up the beacon and all of the troops emptied from Minas Morgul, I was crapping my pants. Very, very good environmental horror. Same goes for pretty much anything with the Nazgul.

I was also amazed to see how close to the book PJ stayed. It seemed like in TTT that every time there was room for a change from the book, Jackson made it. This was not the case in ROTK. Excluding the cut of the Scouring, I think this was more faithful (at least in spirit) than Fellowship.

Speaking of the cut of the Scouring...boy do I feel bad for bitching about the exclusion over the last couple of years. I can completely see where Jackson was coming from now, and he was right. Same goes for the Saruman cut. It will be nice to see it in the EE, but it didn't bother me one bit.

More later...

BTW, Seth...I looked for you at about 10:30. We got an hour break between TTT and ROTK (TTT ended at 10:00, ROTK started at 11:00), and my buddy and I went to Steak 'n Shake during the break. There was one line on each side of the lobby when we got back, but I didn't see you.

 

[Steve_Tk]

I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. I try to go in as if I have not read the books, and just take the film as is. After that I remind myself that the EE will come and add some stuff in.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Saw it, loved it. I did wish that Legolas and Gimli showed up at the Gray Havens but maybe that will be added back in.

The bonfire sequence was incredible.

Minas Morgul looked great with that eerie green light glowing from the earth.

 

[Holadem]

ROTK is best described as effortless. That's how it felt for me.

A few sob moments in FOTR and TTT always felt forced to me, like the very "I am glad you're withme - cue sappy music" ending of FOTR. I could never quite reconcile with what I have always felt was one heavy handed bit of filmmaking.

Well, ROTK had many such sob moments, with similar dialogue, mainly from Sam, and for god knows what reason, this time it never ever felt forced. All the talk about "emotional crescendo" had me very worried about PJ trying too hard to bring tears out of us, as I think he is guilty of at the end of FOTR, rather than letting events speak for themselves - the Fellowship is broken, everyone is devastated, we get it... but it didn't happen. No tears were undeserved, right down to the multiple endings, which I know are a cinematic gaffe (less "effortless" I might say ), but never overstayed their welcome for me.

BTW, I saw some negative comments about it, do people REALLY have a problem with the extented laughter and pillow fight scene?!! I don't get it, it was so cathartic, so deserved! And when they were all in the room at last, I turned to my friend and told her, "I miss Boromir, he belonged in there with them"...

This will be a very rare occurence among fans because it isn't possible for most to you to think more highly of Sam than you already do... but this movie actually elevated my view of the character. I never felt much of an emotional connection to him, and he was never a favorite (eh... please understand we all got different things from the books). This movie dramatically changed that.

Obviously just my opinion.

--
H

 

[Seth Paxton]

Matt, I forgot that your showing started at 11 and not 12. We didn't walk in till about 11:10, my friend had 2 of his friends in holding seats. Not sure if they were in line at 10:30 themselves.

That also explains why so many cars were gone by 3:30 when we left. Your group was already gone. How about the TV crews covering it. They were live when we showed up and walked over behind the guy (I saw inside the truck as we walked up and you could see him on TV with graphics and whatnot which is how I figured they weren't just taping). My buddy wanted to go act the fool and say things like "We came dressed as Gollomir and Borofim", etc, but we didn't.

I wanted to go in my Gollum loin cloth. Figured my costume would be unique.


During this I said to my friend "Worst job ever". Just think of sitting on the top of a moutain waiting for who knows how long for a stinking fire to go up. It's not like you could take a break from watching either. "You want me to do what for how many years?"


Well, maybe not worst job ever. That job belongs to the guys that Gandalf told "no matter what comes through that door...". I joked about them taking one look at those monsters and doing the "uh, yeah" excuse me thing in an Adam Sandler voice.


The film was definitely the most "popcorn fun ride" of the three, like having Moria extended into some 100 minutes or more right in the middle.

 

[DavidBL]

Trilogy Tuesday aftermath:

I wasn't sure what to expect from an audience like this, since I consider myself a "fan" but not a "fanatic." I think there was a mix of both in our audience. Surprisingly (or maybe not for some of you), about 80% of the people who dressed up were females under the age of 25. Lots of Arwens and Eowyns. There were two of them right in front of me. When the trailer for "Hidalgo" came on and we got our first shot of Viggo, I said something like "He's so dreamy" in a falsetto voice, and they turned around a bit and said something like "Yeah! Right on!"

There was a bit of the original magic seeing FOTR on the big screen again. Wide awake, lots of fun. The only problem was two guys directly behind me who felt the need to repeat half the lines and make wisecracks about the other half. I didn't go "post #86" on them (see post 86 from this thread if you don't understand) but I was tempted. Had it been ROTK I might have done so (minus the profanity).

TTT was enjoyable, but the main problem was that it was getting a bit fatiguing and the anticipation for NEW material was growing. The peanut gallery was mostly quiet here.

Then at last, the payoff. Great film. It's a bit difficult to assess objectively at this point since I'm not sure if some of the minor issues I had with the film were from being tired, although I felt quite alert throughout the whole thing. For example, I just wasn't as scared by Shelob as I expected to be.

But in my opinion the biggest cuts left on the editing room floor (that I hope will be restored on the EE) deal withDenethor. A non-book reader who watches this film will assume that he's just a one-dimensional jerk who loved one son more than another and tried to take out his grief on Faramir. There is no indication at all that his mind has been corrupted by Sauron through ill-advised experimentation with the palantir. In one scene he tells Gandalf something like "I have seen a lot more than you think" but there are no other hints as to what he has been seeing and how.

I would love to see more Army of the Dead in the EE.

I'm going to hold off any further commentary until I see it again today (work "team building activity.")

And we also got the collectible film cel thing. Pretty cool.

 

[Peter Kim]

One small aspect of the film that really carried weight with me - when I got home at 4 am, I had to build a great roast beef and swiss sandwich with honey mustard...the lembas bread scenes really whetted my appetite something fierce.

While there were always inferences (especially by Sam) that the lembas bread was dry, stale, and styrofoam-like in its lack of flavor, Sam & Frodo's (even Gollum) condition successfully conveyed a profound sense that the bread was valuable & nourishing. Even a nominal crumb sprinkled on Sam's robe got my saliva flowing.

My hunger was also exacerbated by the steward of Gondor's feast while Faramir was being slain in battle...had to throw some sliced tomatoes on my Dagwood Bumstead roast beef sandwich in order to completely satiate my hunger.

 

[Matt Stone]

That explains it, Seth.

Yah, I saw the TV crew. In fact, they showed up first during Fellowship and brought a camera into the theater to film audience reaction as the movie was rolling. They interviewed people outside the theater after Fellowship and TTT, and then they were swarming after ROTK. Too bad you didn't show up in your loin cloth

When we left at ~2:30, the whole damn lot was full. I don't think I saw a single open slot until people started leaving.

How in to it were the crowds at everyone's shows? Our crowd was fantastic. They broke out clapping just about every 5 minutes . We had no problems with cell phones, talking, etc.

Another thing regarding the film itself. I was worried that the Army of the Dead would come off too childish and un-realistic. Thankfully, I was dead wrong. I really hope we get to see more of these dead bad-asses come EE time.

 

[Robert Anthony]

this is probably THE worst review I've read.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet...=1031772656840

What is up with Richmond Virginia?

 

[DustinLC]

And what about accidents? Surely lightning strikes those high points quite often .

My biggest dislike of the film:

THE ORC LEADER. I don't know, he just don't fit in with the movie. He's not badass, just, well, very ugly..... in a goonies kind of way. He really took me out of the film.

The goodbye scene between Frodo and Sam was way too long. S L O W M O T I O N....the audience started giggling because it look almost as if they were so deeply in love with each other that a big long kiss was coming .

Overall, I think it's the best movie I ever seen.

 

[oscar_merkx]

saw it at last today

easily the best of the three yet going in I knew about the fact that there was an hours worth of deleted scenes cut out. that didn't stop me enjoying Return of the King

From the opening scene with Smeagol to the ending, what a ride it has been. so much stuff going on and the audience was really laughing when Merry & Pippin met up with Gandalf & Aragorn and the rest at Isengard.

Gollum was just incredible with his screen presence and you could really feel for Sam as Gollum was destroying his friendship with Frodo.

truly enjoyed it and I will go back for more

 

[Holadem]

Same here. Again, I must REALLY question the filmmakers jugement sometimes, when they screw up such easy and obvious things.

On another note, I am a bit surprised at the relative lack of activity in this thread. It should have started blowing up this morning. Probably the technical issues we've been experiencing?

--
H

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Read me fools

Just a MSNBC interview with PJ. The key comment being the 65 minutes cut (painfully) from ROTK. I imagine we'll get 45 minutes of that at least

Not much else in there, but that tidbit was key.

Shelob looked great, but didn't scare me a lot. It was a brilliant executed sequence however.

I missed a few things as well, but you have to let go of favorite scenes and moments from the books...I say that all the time.

- I wanted Sam to put the ring on just once at Cirith Ungol. Just because I loved the effect in FOTR. I understand why they didn't let him however.

- MY FAVORITE MOMENT - Gollum watching Sam and Frodo sleep, but not killing them. For a moment, Gollum realizes the tragedy of his life, and wishes things could have been different. Heart-wrenching in the book.

- The Mouth of Sauron

- Houses of Healing - Faramir's conversation w/Eowyn in Minas Tirith

- I wanted to see Gimli and Legolas at the Harbor, but not Sam. The film ended the way it should...like the book.

- More Aragorn and Eowyn...their post War appendices stuff is very touching.

But what we got was wonderful. I also teared up when Frodo awoke to Gandalf. And much of that stuff will be on the EE.

And I liked the ending. Frodo and Sam shared a deep friendship and commitment...and I appreciate the filmmakers allowing us to see that, and their deep love for one another.

Take care,
Chuck

 

[Chris Will]

Where exactly was PJ cameo? I missed it.

My trilogy Tuesday crowd was perfect. Not one cell phone rang, no one talked and the one baby in the audience only cried in between FOTR and TTT.

Oh one other thing HP is for dorks!!!

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I've just got back home after seeing the first public performance at the Odeon Leicester Square, London.

In all my years of movie watching, I never seen a film so utterly exhilirating and so utterly exhausting. It didn't drag at all (unlike bits of TTT) but watching it is an energy-sapping experience.

I was gobsmacked at how well some of these scenes have been handled and PJ put in some extra embelishments which at times were truly jaw-dropping.

It's been a long drive home and I'm still somewhat numb from what I've seen today.

 

[Robert Anthony]

PJ was stomping around on one of the boats. While Elrond is talking to Aragorn about how it won't work, before he presents him with the sword, they show the boats that are coming, the boats they hadn't planned on. Then they push in on one of the boats, and you see this chubby guy looking mean and striding amongst the workers. That's PJ