 Ring Ping!! |
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Posted on 12/05/2003 6:40:52 AM PST by maquiladora
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was probably the greatest gamble in filmmaking history. Executives at New Line Cinema risked the entire studio by giving Peter Jackson – a New Zealander known mainly for a handful of zombie films and the real-life drama Heavenly Creatures – $300 million and a free hand to make all three films at once.
The first, released amid much anticipation and scepticism, took in almost $1 billion around the world. So did the second. The only question with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is not how much it will make - because another billion or so is a foregone conclusion - but will it win the Best Picture Oscar that eluded the first two?
Jackson has said it is his favourite of the three films, which is probably why he lets it unfold over a marathon three hours, 20 minutes. Aficionados will love every second of it, while the unconverted may be bemused by the fantastical references. Midway through the screening I attended, a girl in front of me whispered: "I just don't get it." I sympathised with her.
But while it undoubtedly helps to have some empathy for Middle-earth folklore and the power of the ring, it is impossible not to be entranced by the bravura action sequences and the sheer spectacle of creations such as Minas Tirith, the seven-tiered city of kings, or the monstrous armies of orcs.
Jackson has made wonderful use of the wizardry of computer-generated images, and the battle scenes involving the storming of Minas Tirith and the climactic battle of Pelennor Fields are quite simply the most spectacular and breathtaking ever filmed.
Like all good epics, the Lord of the Rings trilogy has at its heart the simplest of stories: the heroes, Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, and his trusty sidekick Sam (Sean Astin), head off on a journey of discovery and return in the end transformed by their ordeal.
To remind us of the legend of the ring, Jackson chooses to begin The Return of the King with a flashback to the idyllic Shires where young Déagol is fishing with his brother Sméagol when a fish pulls him underwater and he grabs a gold ring from the river bed. Sméagol kills him for the ring and, in a quick series of montages, becomes the slimy and repulsive Gollum.
The story then picks up where The Two Towers left off, with Frodo, Sam and the treacherous Sméagol on their tortuous trek to Mount Doom to destroy the evil ring and keep it from the grasp of the Dark Lord Sauron.
On the way, among other adventures, Frodo does battle with the giant spider Shelob, the macho Aragorn (played by Viggo Mortensen) recruits an army of zombies, Merry the hobbit goes to war, Pippin falls foul of a fiery crystal ball, and through it all rides Ian McKellen as the sword-wielding, inspirational Gandalf. The final, emotional drama comes as the exhausted Frodo and Sam climb the fiery mountain towards an abyss.
Jackson's outstanding achievement has been, while filling the screen with epic battles and special effects, to make us care about the fates of the heroes and the little hobbits, the fallible folk fighting impossible odds.
Somehow, it matters what happens to Sam, whether Frodo will find the strength to destroy the ring or whether Aragorn will fulfil his destiny by ascending the throne of Gondor. For three hours and 20 minutes, Jackson has made fantasy become reality.
Ring Ping!! |
Anyone wishing to be added to or removed from the Ring-Ping list, please don't hesitate to let me know.
WOO HOO!
Oh goodie! I'm glad PJ didn't cut the Palantir!
Not long now Hair!
;)
I wonder how they're going to play it off though, considering that the confrontation with Saruman has been axed?
They have to go to Isenguard anyway to get the hobbits. It would only take a couple seconds of film for ol' wormy to drop the ball. A couple seconds, PJ! Is that too much to ask???
Hope not.
I could find out, but I don't want to know before I see the movie. I knew everything about TTT before I saw it and it really ruined it for me. I know a lot of spoilers already about ROTK but I'm staying away from as much as I can. I'm sure someone can send you a private message.
No, HOTdog, I'd rather not hide in a closet until a week from Tuesday, thanks. theonering.net manages to warn in its many excellent articles; I was asking for that, no more.
Yes, Bruce, I know the books, very well. That's why I didn't mention them. What I don't know is the movie. I like to be surprised. I thought that was clear; hope it is now.
I understand your procedure now that you explain it, and as I said you're not obliged to oblige.
Dan
'Cause that's what he was!
‘Long after, but still very long ago, there lived by the banks of the Great River on the edge of Wilderland a clever-handed and quiet-footed little people. I guess they were of hobbit-kind; akin to the fathers of the fathers of the Stoors, for they loved the River, and often swam in it, or made little boats of reeds. There was among them a family of high repute, for it was large and wealthier than most, and it was ruled by a grandmother of the folk, stern and wise in old lore, such as they had. The most inquisitive and curious-minded of that family was called Sméagol.The Lord of the Rings, Book 1, Chapter 2, "The Shadow of the Past"
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