Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler *Official ROTK thread

I think its only customary that every board on the whole internet have its own ROTK thread. I am seeing it tonight at 10:30
Is it the greatest movie ever? We shall see...

Went to 12:01am showing...it was great! FOTR is still my favorite part of the story, but I'd have to say this was the best made film. I'll go again with my son on Saturday.

oops...I made a ROTK post in another thread. Saw it last night as well. Wowie, wow, wow, wow. I'll probably go again Saturday afternoon.

Oh...and how about that Spiderman trailer???

is it the same trailer found on yahoo.com and the spidey website? That one looks damn cool. Sound awsome on my speakers:) That kiss....:)

What Spidey trailer...searching...searchin....

NICE!

Yes, my preciousss, lots of nice trailers. Spidey, very good, and my precious wants to see Miracle too. Yess, yess!

Saw the movie too, must be different trailers though...no spidey here. I just got back from the movie. I'm still thinking about it, but I think I rate them:

1. FOTR
2. ROTK
3. TTT

I agree. Though the extended version of the Two Towers was certainly better than the theatrical version. (Though I guess the same could be said about part one as well.)

Regardless, this is by FAR the best adventure movie series I've ever seen. I'd put it far above Indy and Star Wars even. (just my opinion.)

I agree with your ranking, but FOTR just barely edges out ROTK.

I saw it this morning (and afternoon) at 11:30am. I think Minas Tirith was the star of the show (if you ignore all the actors...)

I'd agree with that as well.

This is going to sound like blasphamy to the big star wars fans out there, but people complain that the new movies aren't that good. I think if you go back and watch the first (middle technically) three they are good, but not as good as everyone makes them out to be. They have been hyped so much and been moved to an almost mythical status in some peoples minds that just nothing else can ever touch.

I'm sure the big star wars fans here will disagree, but that's my 2 cents anyway.

Nothing can put a candle to it (except perhaps that damned fool Denethor...).

Of course, it always helps stating out with a timeless masterpiece as your basis.

Star Wars is dead.
--Nietsche

I think it's totally ok to compare LOTR to Star Wars even though they are completly different films. Why? Star Wars sets the standard/ the bar to which only a a handfull of other films can reach. Since '77 films have been measured against SW and for good reason, they are some of the best films ever made, and it's what anyone who goes into making a sci-fi film hopes to achieve. Nobody measures films like The Matrix, LOTR, or Spiderman to say...Star Trek. ROTK was great, and worth standing an hour in line to see. This is the first LOTR film I have seen in the theater simply b/c I absolutely hate going to commercial theaters, they suck! While FOTR is still my fave of the 3 I thought it was wonderfully done, and cannot wait for the DVD, and the eventual EE.

You mean you buy both the first release and the EE? That's dedication.

I agree with you that it's OK to compare Star Wars to ROTK, but I'm in the camp that believes Star Wars gets just a little more credit than it deserves. Sure, special effects like that had never been seen before, and the Star Wars universe seemed pretty real, deep, and complete.

But nobody can hold a candle to Tolkein (and Peter Jackson, for that matter) for going much much much deeper in the realization of the world in which the story takes place. I sincerely doubt I'll see a movie that succeeds in sweeping me away into another world as successfully as the LOTR trilogy did.

Man, I have to see it again soon!.

Well, I'm sure there are a million Star Wars fans who feel the same way about Star Wars that you do about LOTR. For me, it's not about which is "better" b/c it's all a matter of opinion regardless of how many people feel about one or the other, but for me it's the entertainment value. Personally I find Star Wars more entertaining considering it's one of the few films I can watch over and over again unlike FOTR or TTT. For every one time I have seen FOTR or TTT, I have seen TPM or AOTC 10 times. They are all really good though and I love to watch all of those films in my home. You really have to love the time we live in with the trio of spectacular trilogies (Star Wars, Matrix, and LOTR) that make watching movies so fun.

Whoah, and this whole time I though you were talking about the old Star Wars movies. The new ones -- in my opinion -- are definitely watchable, but are severely lacking in acting, editing, asnd scriptwriting talent. Remember, it's just my opinion.

LOL! Yeah, even though I grew up with the Original SW Trilogy, I do prefer the new films. Like I said it's all good though.

I, too, agree with your ranking. FOTR has always be my favorite part of the book, so that might sway my opinion. It's a "warm and fuzzy" thing...before things get too dark. And PJ did a great job with that first hour making me feel like "Wow! I'm in Middle-Earth. I could live happily ever after in Hobbiton."

FOTR EE was better, but I was happy with the original. TTT was much better in its EE. It's original needed something more.

From a movie making POV, I think ROTK is technically the best. I really enjoyed it, but they'll have to put a lot back into the EE for me to like it more than FOTR.

As for SW, I like them all, but not because of the same reasons as LOTR. LOTR is an amazing story that was brought to screen in an amazing way...aesthetically, technically, and with great performances. SW is cool. It's entertainintg, always pushes the limits of SFX, and it's fun. But they come across as effects movies. I've never been upset they didn't get best director/picture nods.

LOTR seems like a retelling of epic history. It's "fantastical" elements are portrayed in a believable way. It's in a class by itself and should win every award! (Just one geek's opinion )

Incidentally, the LOTR movies are the main reason I'm on the Axiom site. I know a good home theater can do these movies better than my local theaters!

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I know a good home theater can do these movies better than my local theaters!

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Amen!

Whenever I finally get a BIG screen in my home, my days of going to the theatre will drop - big time.

Movie night at Craig's!

You'll need to upgrade your couch, too.

I already host "movie nights" on occasion due to the kick butt sound. Once I get the TV, friends will be coming over all the time!

I hear ya.

Do the quotes around "movie night" allude to something?

"Your wife, does she go to movie night? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, knowwhatImean?"

um..nope.

Yeah, just got done watching T3 for the first time in my HT. Sounds was good for the first half hour...then I had to turn it down because my wife came home. Still somewhat loud, just not at the levels I can listen to it when I'm the only one home. Good sound overall still though, and better then I would have had in the theater. Only the IMAX sound beats HT.

i just saw ROTK
in general there were to many closeups and the ending was too long

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Only the IMAX sound beats HT.

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You must have got there late and had to sit close to the front, right?

did anyone else think the soundtrack/musical effects to the first movie was substantially better then the next two? I remember while watching the first movie this was one good soundtrack. It was very moving and its timing was excellent. And the tune was catchy. The following two were alright. I think the lack of substantial music made the movie somewhat anticlimatic.

And yes i did sit up front. And the screen was blurry and that sucked

I think the music matched the drama on screen pretty well. The music in the first part was catchy because the world was still relatively safe. Everyone still had a lot of hope. As the trilogy progresses, things get darker and th music follow suit. That's my explanation for it, anyway.

I almost fell asleep after the the ghost were released from their curse. Everything after that seemed anti-climactic.

i saw it for a second time tonight but i walked out right 25 minutes before it ended. i liked it a lot better the second time. I saw the last samurai while i waited for my friends to see it

GREAT movie!!! My only question during the screening was: Do I need a new, or second subwofer?!?! The WAF was a whithering look...:) Soon My Preciousss.

Agree, they should end at the part where the men and the king bow at the hobbits. That's the best part.

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they should end at the part where the men and the king bow at the hobbits

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no, No, NO! The whole point of the movie was that Sam and Frodo were doing what they did to save The Shire. It had to go full circle...you had to see the intact Shire.

It's a good thing they didn't follow the book or there would have been another hour of "The Cleansing of the Shire"

20 minutes of epilogue for a 12 hour epic isn't such a lot. If LOTR:ROTK does not have a Ben-Hur like showing at the Oscars, then the Academy is just a joke.

Mark

what exactly is the revolution that occurs in the shire?

i just saw it again tonight with my dad and i noticed a couple things they should of done differently
1-smeegels voice in the beginning should of been more normal. the ring changed his life, his face and his body. why not his voice?

2-the humans should of been losing the last battle at the black gates of mordor. that way, when the ring is destroyed, the humans are saved. the last battle lacked a climax IMO.

3-take the last part out where sam goes back to the shire. when frodo leaves with the elves, the movie should of ended. very good ending right there.

4-the numbers of troops were off. 6,000 horsemen (rohan) looked like 10,000+ troops on screen. and then in the next scene it would look like there were 5,000 troops. then back up to 15,000 troops.
also, the number of orc troops on screen seemed to change. it didnt seem like the undead army was needed the way the rohan riders were kicking ass. they should of not done so well. that would have added more drama.

5-biggest peave is how when the rohan charge (the rohan charge at the white tower) aowyn gives her own battle cry. it just sounded wrong in comparison to the deep loud rumble of thousands of men(actually this sound was recorded at a new zealand lacrosse game). her high pitched voice made me notice i was watching a movie. kind of took me out of the movie
a little.
but, all this comes after watching it 3 times. its a good movie though and you wouldnt notice unless

1. Stand up halfway through the movie and yell loudly, "Wait... where the hell is Harry Potter?"
2. Block the entrance to the theater while screaming: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
3. After the movie, say "Lucas could have done it better."
4. Play a drinking game where you have to take a sip every time someone says: "The Ring."
5. Point and laugh whenever someone dies.
6. Ask everyone around you if they think Gandalf went to Hogwarts.
7. Finish off every one of Elrond's lines with "Mr. Anderson."
8. When Aragorn is crowned king, stand up and at the top of your lungs sing, "And I did it.... MY way...!"
9. Talk like Gollum all through the movie. At the end, bite off someone's finger and fall down the stairs.
10. Dress up as old ladies and reenact "The Battle of Helms Deep" Monty Python style.
11. When Denethor lights the fire, shout "Barbecue!"
12. In TTT when the Ents decide to march to war, stand up and shout "RUN FOREST, RUN!"
13. Every time someone kills an Orc, yell: "That's what I'm Tolkien about!" See how long it takes before you get kicked out of the theatre.
14. During a wide shot of a battle, inquire, "Where's Waldo?"
15. Talk loudly about how you heard that there is a single frame of a nude Elf hidden somewhere in the movie.
16. Start an Orc sing-a-long.
17. Come to the premiere dressed as Frankenfurter and wander around looking terribly confused.
18. When they go in the paths of the dead, wait for tense moment and shout, "I see dead people!"
19. Imitate what you think a conversation between Gollum, Dobby and Yoda would be like.
20. Release a jar of daddy-long-legs into the theater during the Shelob scene.
21. Wonder out loud if Aragorn is going to run for governor of California.
22. When Shelob comes on, exclaim, "Man! Charlotte's really let herself go!"
    

all the above was ripped off from this site.

i have seen that before

very funny

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what exactly is the revolution that occurs in the shire?

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In the book the heros run into Saruman (dressed like a beggar), and Wormtongue while on their way back to the Shire. They spare the pair. The hobbits do not go directly back, however, and by the time they get there the Shire has been overrun by thugs under the control of an unseen and unnamed person. The hobbits manage to lead a revolt which drives out the evil people, and their leader turns out to be Saruman. All this takes 75 pages or so.

I agree, the very last bit with Sam and his wife and children could have been lopped off...ending the movie with Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf sailing off into the sunset would have been great.

BTW, in the book all ring bearers eventually sail off to the Gray Havens, and Sam goes there (remember, he bore the ring for a while) after his wife dies.

In the book, there's literally hundreds of pages of story, epilogues and appendices after Frodo throws the ring into Mount Doom.

Mark

sam didnt wear the ring though. is his life extended because he held the ring? were there actually more ships that left after frodo and gandalf left?

anything else happen after frodo throws the ring into mount doom i should know about?

i heard that the elves and dwarves fought the orcs at the same time the humans did, but it wasnt mentioned in the movie. did the books cover this at all or not really?

Why don't you read the books? I highly highly highly recommend them. You don't even need a subwoofer!

ha!
i read the hobbit and the first one when i was 10 or 11. i got halfway through the second one and put it down. if i remember correctly they were extremely detailed and the pace of the book was too slow for me.
i think i went on to read sword of shannara series instead.

I don't remember all the details, but just bearing the ring is enough to be affected by it. I believe that Sam's life was somewhat extended by his contact with the ring, but not to the extent of Bilbo's.

I think I hit most of the high points of what happens at the end of LOTR the book, Gimli and Legolas decide to wander Middle Earth and find adventure. I believe that the battles of the Elves and Dwarves are chronicled in the appendices.

Mark

Oh great.
Now the ending of the movie AND the ending of the book is all ruined for me.
{sigh}

Sometimes these forums are too informative.

didn't you see the *spoilers* warning?

I can hardly wait to watch the movie at home, particularly the scene when frodo, sam and gollum are at the dead city. The sound drops out and then the blue light blasts up into the sky in a huge explosion of sight and sound. Then the witch king of Angmar comes out. the winged beasts growls deeply and then the king screeches. Should give the axioms quite a workout.