Right now, it has a metascore of 100 at www.metacritic.com (one of my very favorite websites.)
I remember watching the old Rankin-Bass Return of the King cartoon back when I was about 10... and then seeing the old Ralph Bakshi cartoon movie shortly after that. I was enthralled! It just seemed like such an amazing world.
Later on, my first semester in college, I read the books for the first time, and I knew that I had found a work of literature that spoke to me like few others have ever done. The good in these books is SO good... and the bad is SO bad... sometimes, living in a world of grey, we need that clarity to help us through life.
Anyway, I've been waiting for these movies all my life, it seems. Those of you who chat on AIM weekly know that I'm going to be at the Lord of the Rings special event all day Tuesday... TRILOGY Tuesday, we're calling it... watching the extended versions of Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers in all their cinematic visual amd aural splendor, and then watching Return of the King.
I expect to be more emotional on Tuesday than I have been any day since my wedding in August. What's crazy is how much I really have it bad for this movie. I spent a lot of time with Frodo and Sam in my dreams last night... and it just hit me when I woke up how much I love this stuff, and how grateful I am to Peter Jackson and co. for making it a reality.
[ December 14, 2003, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: Kid Prime ]
Posted by DrakeB3003 on :
Have a *great* time on Super-Tuesday! From the early reviews, it seems like this third film totally lives up to the anticipation -- can't wait to see it!
Posted by LABRADORIAN on :
i am going thursday at 5pm i wanted to see the trilogy, with the special editions, until i saw the price. 50 fucking dollars, i dont think so, i will sit at home wednesday night and watch LOTR and TT extended editions at home for free and then go to the movie the next day. 50 dollars is a JOKE!! i love the movies, but not that much, that works out to roughly 17 dollars a flick, FLICK THAT!!
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Didn't your theater offer specials with that ticket price Lab? Here you got all day pizza, drinks and popcorn and a gift card to one of the shops. Made the deal a lot better. Still couldn't get it though as they sold out 2 minutes after the box office opened.
Have a great day Jeff. We'll be thinking about you. Probably won't go myself until the crowds die down a little.
Posted by Kid Prime on :
quote:Originally posted by LABRADORIAN: i am going thursday at 5pm i wanted to see the trilogy, with the special editions, until i saw the price. 50 fucking dollars, i dont think so, i will sit at home wednesday night and watch LOTR and TT extended editions at home for free and then go to the movie the next day. 50 dollars is a JOKE!! i love the movies, but not that much, that works out to roughly 17 dollars a flick, FLICK THAT!!
Lab, it was 35 dollars here. Still a little bit more than what you would pay for a regular ticket, but not much.
Posted by the boy with UltraPowers on :
open's in the UK on the same day !!! for a change !!!
Matthew.
Posted by the boy with UltraPowers on :
quote:Originally posted by the boy with UltraPowers: open's in the UK on the same day !!! for a change !!!
Matthew.
and that's means i get to see it before all of you guy's in the US ...... !!!
Matthew.
Posted by the boy with UltraPowers on :
...... although !!!
i don't actually have plans to go see it on Wednesday !!!
i'll probably wait till the weekend !!!
Matthew.
Posted by Suddenly Seymour on :
Dude! You're actually going to Trilogy Tuesday? With what you could get for those tickets on ebay , you could fly to England and see it with Matt!
Naw, seriously, I wish I was going. It's going to be a blast. Now I'll have to wait til one of the weekends the hubby is home (away on business during the week for the rest of the month) to catch RotK.
Eric
Posted by He Who Wanders on :
I'll catch it this weekend, I'm sure. I'm not much for fighting off crowds as dense as orcs.
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
KP, I hear you about being emotional when reading these books, I'm the same way. Since I read them in seventh grade, I've tried to read them every two or three years since, and I can't get through part six without shedding a few tears for Sam and Frodo! I can't wait to see the Return of the King!
I'll be thinking about you on Tuesday, I hope you have a great time!
Posted by Greybird on :
I can empathize with everyone feeling anticipation and excitement about "The Return of the King," even though I never was a Tolkien reader. I'm glad you have such a mega-event to draw you into the cinema. Do take my word for it -- many of us would like to have a similar cause for excitement.
I saw "The Fellowship of the Ring" and was highly entertained, but not last year's epic. Looking back, I think it's a foible entirely unrelated to the movies as such that is pushing me away: the difficulty, as I inch toward that mythical "middle age," of sitting for three hours or more at any movie. (And they've sadly abandoned the practice of an intermission, by and large.)
The sheer limits of the human organism, that's really it. It's not only one's bladder, it's also the difficulty of keeping attention focused on the screen without some sheer break for the eyes. And a break for the mind's eye, to pause and absorb what has happened. I've long had the same difficulty with plays, but again, it's been mitigated by having "acts" as subdivisions.
Not at all limited to the preferable scope of the big screen, either. I've passed on the two three-hour pieces of HBO's "Angels in America" this past week for the same reason -- and since I have neither TiVo to "pause" it nor VHS blanks long enough to tape it. (Standard Play only, I can't stand to re-play it otherwise.) I'll take it in via the one-hour-at-a-sitting version.
As for the Tolkien epic, I'm going to just wait for two developments:
~ The "TRotK" extended-footage-within-it version coming out on DVD, about a year from now. (I have my own issues with Peter Jackson holding so much detail back from the cinema, even with the economics of it all, but that's another matter.)
~ Finding a local Tolkien fan who's willing to show some newbies through this epic -- all three parts on extended DVD -- on a series of nights. With keeping the characters and settings straight for me, having a bathroom readily at hand, and allowing us to bring modern versions of mead to toast Frodo's successes and Ian McKellen's acting.
Posted by STU on :
Trilogy Tuesday: TOMORROW!
Have a blast, Jeff! Posted by Kid Prime on :
quote:Originally posted by STU: Trilogy Tuesday: TOMORROW!
Have a blast, Jeff!
Woo Hoo, Me!
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Yeah Jeffy. Have fun tomorrow.
I'll be thinking about you while I'm stuck behind my desk all day. Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Enjoy your day today KP!
Posted by STU on :
So... how was it? Everything you expected, and more?
Posted by Kid Prime on :
I want to avoid spoilers for the moment... as for the event, it was absolutely brilliant. The cineplex brought in free Subway and Pizza Hut for the breaks, and the biggest surprise was the incredible keepsake New Line Cinema and WETA Workshop gave each of us... it was a stone-finish vinyl sculpture, fitted with 3 unique frames of the trilogy, one for each of the movies. I got Frodo from the very beginning of Fellowship, Legolas as he looks over the cliff for Aragorn from Two Towers, and Gimli from I-don't-know-where in RotK (I'll have to see it again and find the shot.)
Okay, as far as Return of the King... it lasted 3 hrs and 20 min, right? I have been in 90 minute films that seemed incredibly longer than this film was. It FLEW.
For the first time in my life, I wish I had been able to see a movie with no foreknowledge of the story. I wish I had been able to respond seeing everything unfold "for the first time," as it were.
It's not a perfect film. It does end 6 times. The first 5 endings were awesome. OH HOW AWESOME. #6 was... tacked on. At least for me. Return of the King is hugely more dependent on CGI than either of the other 2. This has good effects and bad... most of the effects are incredible, a few of the shots look like they're airbrushed in.
I can't wait for the extended edition. There's much more to say, mainly good and one or two things bad, but I'm going to wait until several of you have had the chance to see it so as not to give away any spoilers.
Posted by Faraway Lad on :
Was it good KP was it!!!!!!
I want so much to see it today as it opens that I was seriously considering missing the office christmas party to go along.
Still i decided they already think I'm weird enough without giving them that.
These films as about as close to my imaginings of the book as I think modern cinema can get. I am re reading the book now and every time I hear Gandalf it is with Mckellans voice.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Glad you had fun Jeff. And I first heard of the special gifts last night on CNN. Pretty damn cool if you ask me. Makes the price of admission so worth it.
Posted by Kid Prime on :
Faraway, the more time I have to reflect on it, the more the sadness that it is, at last, finally over diminishes. I think that is the only bitterness in the whole thing for me. I loved it. And also, avoiding spoilers for now, I have decided that it was only one scene of CGI which irked me. The first such scene in 3 long movies... and it's only because the effects have been so wonderful thus far that it stuck out. I won't give away spoilers yet at this time, but I'll just say that it involved Legolas.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Okay, I have to share the latest Dork Towers with you guys, especially as it relates to the sadness fans are experiencing now that its over.
Here's the first strip:
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Posted by Juan on :
It was just awesome. I have never been in a "midnight showing" before, and boy, was it ever fun. Screaming fans, people dressed up, the whole deal (except that we didn't get any presents! How come?). The movie is excellent, it really pulls the right strings, every single character just shines and you are happy to like them all. Problems? Yes, a few, but very few, not enough to distract.
I actually envy you, you can still look forward to go watch this for the first time. Enjoy!
Juan
Posted by Kid Prime on :
I agree. I'm also actually envious of all of you who haven't yet seen it.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by Juan: It was just awesome. I have never been in a "midnight showing" before, and boy, was it ever fun. Screaming fans, people dressed up, the whole deal (except that we didn't get any presents! How come?). The movie is excellent, it really pulls the right strings, every single character just shines and you are happy to like them all. Problems? Yes, a few, but very few, not enough to distract.
I actually envy you, you can still look forward to go watch this for the first time. Enjoy!
Juan
Juan, did you attend the Trilogy Tuesday like Jeff did or just the midnight showing of Return of the King? The gift was for those who bought tickets for the Trilogy Tuesday showing.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Posted by Juan on :
quote:Originally posted by Lightning Lad:
quote:Originally posted by Juan: It was just awesome. I have never been in a "midnight showing" before, and boy, was it ever fun. Screaming fans, people dressed up, the whole deal (except that we didn't get any presents! How come?). The movie is excellent, it really pulls the right strings, every single character just shines and you are happy to like them all. Problems? Yes, a few, but very few, not enough to distract.
I actually envy you, you can still look forward to go watch this for the first time. Enjoy!
Juan
Juan, did you attend the Trilogy Tuesday like Jeff did or just the midnight showing of Return of the King? The gift was for those who bought tickets for the Trilogy Tuesday showing.
Oh, I see. No, I just went to the Return of the King. I wish I had thought about going to the marathon, though, the idea just never crossed my mind. Oh, well.
Juan
Posted by Kid Prime on :
$34 million on its opening day! WOW!
This busts the previous record for a Wednesday opening (held by the Phantom Menace.) To put it in perspective... does anyone remember the frenzy of that day? All the showings every hour on the hour? People standing in line for weeks? Well, Return of the King just kicked The Phantom Menace's butt!
Here's the link (another one of my very favorite sites)
$8 million just from the midnight showings. I think they are predicting RotK to surpass Titantic and hit the $1 BILLION mark worldwide.
Posted by Star Boy on :
Hopefully these movies'll inspire today's kids to pick up a book instead of a PS2 controller.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
I forwarded that on to my housemate at work... Posted by Lightning Lad on :
THAT was COOL! I don't know how you found it Jeff but I'm glad you did.
Posted by LABRADORIAN on :
i saw it yesterday, it was AWESOME, was it just me or was there a a very certain part of the book missing, a certain battle? i thought i saw the "battle" part in the ad, or at the least the beginning of the "battle"
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
Posted by Kid Prime on :
Largest worldwide opening ever. 226 million! Take that, Matrix: Retarded! Posted by Faraway Lad on :
Grrrrrrr Grrrrrrrrr
Rassin frassin real life. mumble grumble mumble
I cant belive I STILL have not got to see this yet. I see the adverts and it looks Who double booked this damn stoopid christmas thingy anyway Posted by Caleb on :
It was AMAZING.
SPOLIERS-------------------
Legolas and the giant Elephant was great and his and Gimli's dialogue was entertaining as always. Gimli is the obvious comic relief. Merry and Pippin shine and Eowyn gets to redeem herself to me when she confronts a certain super-baddy. I didn't like her from part 2 because she was putting the make on Arwen's man.
Beginning to end -I thought it was BRILLIANT!!!
Posted by Semi Transparent Fellow on :
I saw Return of the King yesterday. It was amazing. The LOTR trilogy has now supplanted Wizard of Oz as my favorite movie(s). I just want to go back and see it over and over and over.
Posted by STU on :
Posted by Faraway Lad on :
Finally seen it and I was absolutely blown away. This was a film which lasted over three hours and yet it seemed to just fly over. The special effects were, well, special. It was almost impossible to see where the computer generated fx joined the real world. This was promoted as the best of the three and boy were they right. I hope (but don’t really believe) that this one sweeps the board at the Oscars. At the very least Andy Serkis deserves an award for Gollum. I was totally swept away forgetting that Gollum was not “real” just a load of pixels, and most of that is down to Serkis voice performance.
I do wonder how non Tolkien fans reacted to the ending. There were any number of points where a film maker would have ended this story, none of which would be anywhere near the true ending of the book. But as a fan I was glad to see all those little vignettes which just helped to wrap up the story. I was particularly pleased to see Sam’s last lines just as they were in the book.
Perfect.
Posted by LABRADORIAN on :
well ya know all those movements that gollum does are actually Andy Serkis making the movements. He has a suit on that has tiny electrodes in it that basically send the movements to a computer, so its actually him doing it, just an animated character doing the parts on film.
Posted by Faraway Lad on :
Lab
I saw that on the DVDs How they changed the look of Gollum to match Andy's face because he put so much into it. Just another reason he should get an award
Posted by Ger on :
Caleb and I were like little school girls when we came out of the theatre. We thought about seeing it again but we went out. Andy Serkis was amazing. After seeing the "Gollum" extra feature in the 2 Towers DVD, I really looked at Gollum in this one and I saw Andy's face. It was unreal. His origin was creepy but it helped to explain what Frodo was going through. I'll be seeing it again. 3 and a half hours? Maybe, but it didn't seem like it.
Posted by STU on :
The only disturbing thing about the movie was finding out that even little hobbit girls have hairy feet...
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
You do know that dwarf women have beards don't you Stu?
Posted by saturnrings on :
I laughed, I cried, I told my friends!
It has been years since I read the trilogy and frankly, I'm glad I didn't remember the details from the books. I was free to enjoy the trilogy on it's own merits and it was wonderful! I very rarely buy DVDs or CDs but I can't wait until this comes out in a box set. I can watch it over and over again!
Posted by STU on :
quote:Originally posted by Lightning Lad: You do know that dwarf women have beards don't you Stu?
Well, they did say that in The Two Towers. We didn't see it, though!
Posted by STU on :
I just watched the extended version of The Two Towers, and I thought it improved the theatrical release immensely.
There were lots of little bits of exposition here and there that explained events and various characters' motivations from both the first movie and the third movie, thus rendering this version of Two Towers a much better bridge between Fellowship and Return.
In particular, I thought the added material really helped flesh out the characters of Eowyn, Boromir, and Faramir, and also clarified the relationships of Eowyn and Theoden, and Boromir/Faramir and their father.
The only thing I didn't care for much was the additional material involving the ents. I didn't think a lot of it was necessary, and thought it detracted somewhat from the other storylines in the movie. (Plus, every time I heard Treebeard speak, I couldn't help but think of Gimli.)
One thing I realized, though -- Andy Serkis's voicing of Gollum reminds me of Gurgi from Disney's animated version of Lloyd Alexander's The Black Cauldron! Only instead of his "Precious," Gurgi was forever craving "munchings and crunchings"...
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