I havent seen it yet, but I'd like the general opinion of normal people and not strange people from newspapers. Please criticize if necessary, don't just jump on the bandwagon.
Was it better or worse than the book?
Of course it's not going to be better than the book. I haven't finished reading the book though, so I can't make any comparisons.
I loved the movie. One of the best I've ever seen. It has a sort of old-film feel to it, without the poor image quality and outdated special effects.
It sucked.
Just kidding, actually, I really really really loved it. I haven't read the books (yet) but it was one of the best films I've seen in quite a while. Can't really say anything bad about it. And it had the Goonies kid in it.
It was awesome..and...breathtaking..and i have read the books and it followed the book rather well.
It was great. I was already a huge Peter Jackson fan from his films The Frighteners and the excellent Heavenly Creatures. I haven't read the books, but I knew the film was in good hands. I can't wait to see future films by Jackson, not to mention the next two LOTR films.
I loved it, it doesn't look like they lost much in translation. Special effects were great, too. I like how Aragorn's accent just randomly disappeared sometimes...
It was very well-made and acted,
even Liv Tyler did a good acting job!
Although they got a lot of little things wrong from the book,
it all came together well, and it was never going to be a straight transition from the books.
Also, the scenery and sets are excellent, with CGI being blended in very subtlely.
I definately recommend it.
Originally posted by Flirbnic
Of course it's not going to be better than the book.
OK, stupid question, If you put an emphasis on the WAS though, then youll see that Ive heard it is better, but of course, I didnt believe it, and Im babbling now...
The Daily Star said it was bad....so it must be good.
Liv Tyler shouldnt really have been in it though... but I'm not the kind of person who'll get outraged over this. I remember the Spiderman fans got really angry because in the movie Spiderman shot the webbing from 'him'. They said that the web shooters showed Parkers scientific prowess ... That made me laugh, and now Im babbling again...
Im quite pissed off that Ive seen the same scenes from the movie aroundd 200 times.
Barry Norman gave it 7/10 and Harry Potter 8/10, BTW
It was a good adaption of the book. If you enjoyed the book, you'll probably enjoy the movie. IF you enjoyed the book...
This will get me flamed, but I am one of those that only liked the book. Yes, when I was young, it was the thing to say that you've read "Lord of the Rings" and "The Simillarian" (sp?). It was a pretentious attempt to sound smart. I did it, too.
But on reflection, it's not a great book. It has an interesting style, but it isn't a literary masterpiece. It's unnecessarilly long, and parts of "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King" are incredibly tedious...all those names...those tired battle scenes.
I have read the book ONCE all the way through, but I could NEVER do it again. Some parts I have re-read over and over (specifically, Sam and Smeagal scenes), but it's not a real page-turner, over-all.
So ...if you enjoyed the book, the movie is pretty good. I would rate the book 7.5/10. Incidently, "The Hobbit" gets an 8.5/10. I can re-read that book over and over and over.
(they left out one of my favorite lines from Gandalf, though)
Quoted from The Fellowship of the Ring:
Do not try the patience of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger
Yeah, the thing I noticed when I read the book was that Tolkein dragged the end on for way too long. The climax to the series is right in the middle of the last one, yeah? Sometimes it seems more like a history book than a fantasy novel.
When I went to see LOTR on opening night it was one of those great experiences you rarely get at the cinema. The kind of experience only great movie adventures like Star Wars, Indy, and Back to the Future (to name only a few) can claim. The kind where the audience claps for the heroes, even if some of us only met them 2 hours earlier. :D This is the kind of experience the cinema-fans live for. Lord of the Rings was a fantastical adventure that will not be remembered by me for years to come because of the infamous books it was based on, or the infamous cult of fans that followed it, but because of the unparalleled experience it was to watch it - and for three hours, be swept into a fantastical new world.
The movie kicked ass... the ending left me so open that they HAVE TO GET the next one out ASAP or else I'll go insane!
Yeah, I know what you mean. I could've sat throught the the next two films right then just to see what happens (haven't read the books, y'see...). It was a pretty great film. :D
Haven't seen it yet, will go after I finish the book.
Seems it's great, but I'll try not to get my hopes too high. ;)
Having read both The Hobbit and LOTR several times, I really liked the movie. Even though no movie can ever catch _all_ the details and history laid out in the books, The Fellowship manages to keep the story easily approachable while still retaining the sort of epic quality of it that keeps you in awe. The audio-visual presentation is top-notch and acting for most parts great, if not excellent. Middle Earth was presented on screen pretty much the way I imagined it, thanks to Mr. Tolkien's verbal skills (overly verbal, if you prefer...). And I really liked Liv Tyler, I thought she was the most elvish elf in the whole movie!
I don't feel like repeating myself over and over again (this is the third forum to which I'm jotting down my thoughts already), so I'll just skip to the bottomline which is that The Fellowship is a tremendous film which I've seen twice already and plan to see several times more in the weeks ahead. I'm looking forward to the sequels with great anticipation!
Legolas was the most elvish elf in the movie:cool:
Whoa whoa whoa speaking of Legolas (long blond haired elf with bow) that scene with him shooting down 4 or 5 orcs in a row is SIMPLY AMAZING. :D I couldn't help from clapping it's so cool.
/me steps off soapbox
Yea. Movie was dope. I have am currently reading the books and am on the last one. I think a person who read the books will undoubtedly enjoy the movie more. The only thing I found somewhat odd is the soundtrack. At some moments the score just didn't do it for me. Seems like it didn't match the scene at some points. Go Figure, maybe it's just me. Anyways, I'm going to see it again for sure. If you haven't seen it i recommend you get your ass going.
Originally posted by JiveMonkey
Whoa whoa whoa speaking of Legolas (long blond haired elf with bow) that scene with him shooting down 4 or 5 orcs in a row is SIMPLY AMAZING. :D I couldn't help from clapping it's so cool
The scene near the end? Oh yeah, babe! That was so cool! I actually missed it the first time around but on the re-viewing catched it and cheered in my solitary state. :D
Yeah, the score wasn't very interesting. It did its job, and there were a few moments that I noticed particularly nice music, but I wish Peter Jackson recalled the Frighteners and got Danny Elfman to do the score.
It may be the finest movie I have ever seen.
I read the books years ago. I liked.
I saw this film the day after it was released. IT IS THE BEST FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN.
Go, and see little one.
A superb film, it held true to the books for the most part, the only parts when it didnt was when it had to cut sections but there wasn't really any alternative - even with 3 hours of reel
i thought it was a much better adaptation than harry potter, i dunno what you lot think about that
Originally posted by scabb
Barry Norman gave it 7/10 and Harry Potter 8/10, BTW
Barry Norman sucks ****
Bah, I have so much to say on the matter, I don't ever remeber half of it. Oh, and I haven't read the entire LotR yet, I'm currently in the middle of The Two Towers.
Now, in no perticular order...
Why the heck is Frodo twenty years old? They never mention anything about his age, or about the fact that seventeen years pass between Bilbo's departure and his, leaving him exactly the same (as well as the other Hobbits).
Legolas wasn't quite like I imagined him, a little too childish for me, but he does the trick, I suppose. Liv Tyler... I hated the stupid scratch on her face, and the fact that she looked like she wore lipstick (like in most of her roles), but I'll live. Not very nice of them to just throw out Glorfindel, but hey, it's a movie. But Elrond... Elrond is just freaking scary. I mean, this is supposed to be a good guy, and he looks like he's about to cackle manically at any moment. And Celeborn and Galadriel are too stuck-up. And there's a great deal of irony in the fact that when Galadriel tells Frodo what she'd do with the ring, saying they'll have a queen, something and beautiful, she looks like a mummy.
Pippin kicks Boromir in the balls. Legolas grabs Gimly by the beard. The bit where Butterbur talks about Gandalf. Wizard Kombat. Bah. I have to keep telling myself it's just a movie.
The Shire is cool. Rivendell is also cool, but not perfect.
Tom Bombadil is gone. It's juuust a movie...
The Ring is great. Everything it does (although not strictlyby the book) is scary.
Aragorn seems too much like a Harrison Ford character at first. And his accent does disappear. In the end, though, he's cool.
Gandalf is great. The only complaint I have about him is that 'fly, you fools!' didn't sound grand enough.
Gollum kicks ass, as well as the Ring-Wraiths.
That's all I can think of now. I know there are more negative than positive things, but I really did love the movie. It's just that I'm in that phase where if it's not completely true to the book, it seriously bothers me.
All in all, movie-wise, it is a masterpiece. I just wish it could've been longer.
I've read the books countless times, and the film really did kick ass... although (here we go again) i thought they fiddled too much with the bigger deatils, such as getting to rivendell...
But hey, at least they concentrated more on Moria...
Some of the scenes in the film really blew me away visually though.
It's a shame that they got the small deatils right, but tinkered too much with the bigger details...
Still one my favourite movies of all time though, i doubt a better job could have been done.
Originally posted by JiveMonkey
Whoa whoa whoa speaking of Legolas (long blond haired elf with bow) that scene with him shooting down 4 or 5 orcs in a row is SIMPLY AMAZING. :D I couldn't help from clapping it's so cool.
/me steps off soapbox
Legolas should have been renamed Badass, its that simple!!!
The movie never gives any indication about the passage of time between scenes. For example, it takes the Fellowship 18 days to get from Rivendell to the Redhorn Pass, and nearly two days to get from the pass to Moria; but someone who doesn't know the book might get the impression from the movie that this all took place on the same day. The movie compresses events greatly. Can't be helped, given the scale of the book.
As for Frodo's appearance...Hobbits age more slowly than humans. They don't reach full adulthood until age 33. Frodo is 50 when he begins his journey; still fairly young by hobbit standards but there is another factor in Frodo's appearance. Don't forget that the Ring prolongs the life of it's posessor. At 111 Bilbo looked only middle-aged but he aged swiftly after giving up the Ring. So it's appropriate that Frodo be played by a young actor.
I agree.
Originally posted by raVen_image
Yes, when I was young, it was the thing to say that you've read "Lord of the Rings" and "The Simillarian" (sp?). It was a pretentious attempt to sound smart. I did it, too.
But on reflection, it's not a great book. It has an interesting style, but it isn't a literary masterpiece. It's unnecessarilly long, and parts of "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King" are incredibly tedious...all those names...those tired battle scenes.
I have read the book ONCE all the way through, but I could NEVER do it again. Some parts I have re-read over and over (specifically, Sam and Smeagal scenes), but it's not a real page-turner, over-all.
It's: The Silmarillion
and not "sp", but "qs", because it was originally called "The Quenta Silmarillion".
The LOTR is a fantastic book, and it is not unnecessary long (although the last part of the 6th book in the Shire could have been left out).
I love learning all the names and languages, so that differs. I thought the battle scenes also were very cool (although the movie focuses too much on them), remember that Tolkien has been in a real war! I don't think that you can say that. :p
Whenever I am bored, I'll take one of my Tolkien books and I start learning from them. For fun! It's a history, and every little detail is perfect.
From all Tolkien's notes, they could even publish TWELVE books!
Furthermore, some people hate Bombadil, and some love him. I am in between, I love him because he's an enigma (intended that way by Tolkien!), and I hate him because he's an enigma :D
It's ok that they left him out of the movie, but they should never have altered the dialogue as much as they have :(
Originally posted by Trapezoid
Yeah, the score wasn't very interesting. It did its job, and there were a few moments that I noticed particularly nice music, but I wish Peter Jackson recalled the Frighteners and got Danny Elfman to do the score.
The soundtrack is great! You have to keep in mind, that the few wonderfull themes in this movie will be expanded in the 2 others. It has so much potential!
My friend saw an interview with the actor... Evidently, his head is completely shaved except for a line of multi-coloured spikes in the middle... He said that in his opinion, the elves are natural born killers.
I thought he said assassin. Anyway, both are untrue.
I think that Legolas looks great in the movie, like a calm and wise elf.
But I saw the actor for real in some specials, in which he went Parachute jumping, snowboarding, etc.
and was yelling loud...
this made me really wonder... :D
I also read, don't know where, that he once had a discussion with Vigo (plays Strider/Aragorn, son of Arathorn). In which he said: "oh yeah? I am an elf! that means I'll live forever! Got that? Forever!"
quite disturbing and funny :D
Incidentally, check out The Self-Made Critic's review of FotR (
http://www.brunching.com/selfmade/lotrfellowship.html)... Quite enlightening, if you ask me. And he managed to turn Liv Tyler's pumped-up role into a good thing.
The only thing that scares me about the next two movies, is how the hell will Peter Jackson tell the story? Because the fellowship breaks up and the characters have different events going on at about the same time.
Did you know Lord of the rings was directed by a New Zealander and is filmed in New Zealand?:D
excellent movie. eeeeeeeeeexcellent movie. the thing i probably least agree with is the soundtrack. don't get me wrong - i have the tracks (on mp3) and listen to them obsessively. yet too often i am reminded of the titanic s/t ::shudder:: and the music just doesn't set the magical scene as i'd like it to. my favorite track is "concerning hobbits", the music played from the opening scene and through hobbiton. but most of the music is compiled of generic movie-tunes that can be found in any action/suspenseful/sorrowful scene. oh well.
HEY! QUESTION: for those of u with a good memory or whoever is planning to see the movie again. There's a scene way early in the movie when Gandalf is looking through Bilbo's maps. He picks one up, and a detailed sketch of a red dragon is shown at the top of a map. This is a redrawn version of the dragon on a map in 'The Hobbit'. Anyone know where I can find a drawing of it? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
In my opinion, It was one of (if not) the best films of the year. It was so well-done and it was so involving. The cinematography. It kept you in the whole time. In other words, it kicked Harry Potter's sucky little ass.
You're the man, Murray Dude.
I HAERD THEIR WAS A SCEN THAY CUT 0UT WEAR GADNOLF STEPED IN HOBIT CRAP IS TIHS TRUUE????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????///////////////
Yeah, the soundtrack...
I love it, really do, but I getcha about that 'Titanic' bit. Its right at the start; the Shire theme. Starts off, and you're terrified Celine Dions going to turn up. Not that I like Enya - track 13 is the best.
I also love it when Legolas is pumping arrows into orcs, but I only spotted it the second time I saw it.
I hear you about Elrond, he's freaky. i read a version of the Council of Elrond scene on the internet that cast Jerry Seinfeld as Elrond - very, very funny.
What I really love is the ending. Everyone is just sat there, like 'what do you mean its finished? I gotta wait a whole 'nother year now??' I think it rocks, cos its like the Empire strikes back - not a happy ending.
Best line? Gandalf furious with rage screaming 'You shall not pass!' at the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad Dum.
[/QUOTE] You're the man, Murray Dude. I do what i can.:)
Damn J.K Rowling for discriminating the U.S.A actors
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"You liah-hiha-hiah"- Boy who played Harry Potter *maturing on screen*
I don't think he stepped in hobbit crap. I'd think the hobbits were matured enough to crap in their own hobbit hole....OH DEAR GOD..... *has a sudden urge to become a trekkie* NO.
No, I'd kill myself before that. (no offense to all trekkies) *snickers*
*Snickers*!? Surely you mean *s******s*?