[HairOfTheDog]

Cave troll was great too, as was the Balrog (even though I wasn't too impressed the 1st time I saw it,)

That's interesting... What failed to impress you about the Balrog the first time around? - I thought he was fantastic! - Great huge fiery demon (wing wings!) I felt the heat and fire when he roared. He was exactly what I pictured in my head. What was your vision of him before the movie?

[maquiladora]

I don't know, but maybe I was expecting something different, something more....I can't explain it. It just wasn't vivid and memorable enough for me. There's a huge surging build-up of tension that explodes in Moria, the Cave Troll, the Orcs, the crumbling bridges...each more dramatic than the previous so I kind of braced myself for some real eyecandy, but when the Balrog actually entered I sort of just felt "Is that it?". The only two things that impressed be was when the Balrog roared and when it flashed it's whip around the place, but the creature itself seemed too shadowy and ill-defined at times to be truely memorable.

I came out of the cinema, overjoyed, but when somebody asked me what the Balrog looked like, I couldn't remember.

After seeing it multiple times now, yes, I agree that it is stunning, but yet not jaw dropping.

[maquiladora]

What was your vision of him before the movie?

Well, even though the movie Balrog is just as the description is in the book, I always had a slightly different vision. I imagined it to be gigantic, a huge, towering demonic figure that would fill the screen. I also expected it to look more physical and less vague and shadowy.