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“A Long-Expected Party”: Fellowship of the Ring Scrapbook by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic | HairOfTheDog

Posted on 01/20/2002 4:08:43 PM PST by HairOfTheDog

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Talk amongst yourselves....

Perhaps some of you would like to post your most memorable stuff?

1 posted on 01/20/2002 4:08:43 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: Tolkien;ecurbh
Pingdexing!
2 posted on 01/20/2002 4:09:50 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog;Admin Moderator
Oh how sad that the links don't work after all the sweat. Careless of me. Sorry everyone. Any way to fix them now? Or delete the thread so I can do it again correctly?
3 posted on 01/20/2002 4:21:29 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: HairOfTheDog;DouglasKC
My favorite LOTR thread was:

DouglasKC Attempts to Avoid a Regurgitative Episode
5 posted on 01/20/2002 4:23:38 PM PST by Arkinsaw
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To: Pinlighter
Thanks... I indexed it to the Tolkien Bump list...
6 posted on 01/20/2002 4:24:20 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: Arkinsaw
Hee Hee - I indexed that one too... That one has some great pics in it!!!
7 posted on 01/20/2002 4:26:43 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring -- Compendium and Summary of Reviews

News and Commentary

Petitions

Professional Reviews

  1. The Financial Times (Nigel Andrews) [extremely positive]
  2. Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum) [5/5 ("A")]
  3. Variety (Tod McCarthy) [positive]
  4. Screen Daily (Emanuel Levy) [extremely positive]
  5. Hollywood Reporter (David Hunter) [highly positive]
  6. Newsweek (David Ansen) [highly positive]
  7. Jiminy Critic (Couper Samuelson) [8/10]
  8. PopCultureShock [5/5]
  9. Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw) [3.5/4]
  10. HomeTheaterForum (Ronald Epstein) [5/5]
  11. FilmCritic.com (Christopher Null) [3.5/5]
  12. Calgary Sun (Kevin Williamson) [highly positive]
  13. MovieJuice (Mark Ramsey) [positive--this reviewer specializes in poking fun at the movies he reviews]
  14. Columbia Daily Spectator (Ross McSweeney) [highly positive]
  15. ReelingViews (Robin & Laura Clifford) [highly positive]
  16. Steve Rhodes Internet Reviews (Steve Rhodes) [3.5/4]
  17. Hear/Say (Mark Watt) [highly positive]
  18. Fox News (Roger Friedman) [highly positive]
  19. MovieParables (Michael Elliot) [3.5/4]
  20. MovieHeadlines: Scott Chitwood [9/10]
  21. MovieHeadlines: Jarrette Moats [10/10]
  22. The Mirror (Joe Merret) [highly positive]
  23. CHUD (Nick Nunziata) [9.6/10]
  24. AintItCoolNews ("Moriarty") [extremely positive]
  25. AintItCoolNews (Joe Hallenbeck) [highly positive]
  26. AintItCoolNews ("Father Geek") [extremely positive]
  27. AintItCoolNews (Harry Knowles) [extremely positive]
  28. AintItCoolNews ("Capone") [extremely positive]
  29. AintItCoolNews ("Dave") [extremely positive]
  30. AintItCoolNews ("Quint") [extremely positive]
  31. AintItCoolNews (Dorothy Parker) [extremely positive]
  32. AintItCoolNews (Robogeek) [extremely positive]
  33. Daily Telegraph (Andrew O'Hagan) [extremely positive]
  34. Daily Telegraph (Christopher Howse) [postive]
  35. Evening Standard (Alexander Walker) [3/5]
  36. Glasgow Evening Times (Andy Dougan) [extremely positive]
  37. Cinefantastique (Lawrence French) [extremely positive]
  38. Showbiz Ireland (Jason O'Callaghan) [very negative]
  39. Flipside Movie Emporium (Gauti Fridriksson) [A]
  40. The London Times (Alex O'Connell) [extremely positive]
  41. BBC (Jackie Finlay) [highly positive]
  42. The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw) [negative]
  43. The Sun (Neil Roberts) [10/10]
  44. TheForce.net (Scott Chitwood) [highly positive]
  45. TotalFilm.com (Dan Jolin ) [5/5]
  46. ThisIsLondon.com(Alexander Walker) [3/3]
  47. The Daily Mail (Christopher Tookey) [extremely positive]
  48. The BBC (reviews by kids) [highly positive]
  49. The Guardian (Xan Brooks) [positive]
  50. The Independent (Thomas Sutcliffe--who can't keep his offensive socialist politics out of his review) [mixed]
  51. Ottawa Sun (DREW McANULTY) [extremely positive]
  52. Teletext (Paul Arendt) [extremely positive]
  53. Aftonbladet (Jens Peterson ) [4/5]
  54. Empire Magazine (Colin Kennedy) [5/5]
  55. Empire Online [5/5]
  56. Total Film (Dan Jolin) [5/5]
  57. The Independent (Anthony Quinn) [highly positive]
  58. Mike D'Angelo's Movie Reviews (Mike D'Angelo) [B-]
  59. CNN (Paul Clinton) [extremely positive]
  60. Salon (Stephanie Zacharek) [extremely positive]
  61. Time (Richard Corliss) [extremely positive]
  62. The New York Times (Elvis Mitchell) [positive]
  63. Film Threat (Ron Wells) [4/5]
  64. People () [mixed/neutral]
  65. JoBlo.com ("Arrow in the Head") [3/4]
  66. JoBlo.com ("Joe Blow") [7/10]
  67. SusanGranger.com (Susan Granger) [8/10]
  68. Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony) [slightly negative]
  69. The Irish Times (Hugh Linehan) [extremely positive]
  70. Orlando Weekly (Steve Schneider) [extremely positive]
  71. Northern California Bohemian (Richard von Busack) [extremely positive]
  72. Slant Magazine (Ed Gonzalez) [extremely positive]
  73. Movie-page.com (Andrzej Rattinger Romero) [extremely positive]
  74. Sun Newspapers (Gerry Shamray) [extremely positive]
  75. The Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman) [extremely positive]
  76. The Onion (Scott Tobias) [highly positive]
  77. PopMatters (Todd R. Ramlow) [highly positive]
  78. Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio) [4/5]
  79. Cinescape (ERIC MORO) [extremely positive]
  80. Passageway (Blaine Howard) [extremely positive]
  81. San Diego Union Tribune (DAVID ELLIOTT) [2.5/5]
  82. The Herald Sun (J. Shawn Durham) [A]
  83. The Sun (Neil Roberts) [10/10]
  84. The BBC (Nev Pierce) [4/5]
  85. The Press Democrat (John Beck) [highly positive]
  86. The New Yorker (David Denby) [highly positive]
  87. One Guy's Opinion (Dr. Frank Swietek) [A-]
  88. SplicedWire (Rob Blackwelder) [extremely positive]
  89. Sacramento News and Review (Jim Lane) [extremely positive]
  90. Fantastica Daily (Staci Lynne Wilson) [extremely positive]
  91. The Phantom Tollbooth (J. Robert Parks; Marie Asner) [undecided; highly positive]
  92. Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan) [extremely positive]
  93. New York Post (Lou Lumenick) [extremely positive]
  94. Washington Post (Rita Kempley) [highly positive]
  95. Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington) [4/4]
  96. The State (South Carolina) (Michael Fannin) [extremely positive]
  97. 3BlackChicks.com ("The Diva") [highly positive]
  98. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Eleanor Ringel Gillespie) [A]
  99. The Independent (Simon Tolkien--LOTR author's grandson!) [highly positive]
  100. St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt) [3.5/4]
  101. The Contra Costa Times (Mary F. Pols) [4/4]
  102. Eclipse Magazine (Sean O'Connell) [C-]
  103. Planet SickBoy (John Popick) [extremely positive]
  104. The Cranky Critic () [extremely positive]
  105. The Village Voice (J. Hoberman) [positive]
  106. Connecticut Valley Arts & Entertainment (John Boonstra) [extremely positive]

Excerpts from professional reviews:

Screen Daily (Emanuel Levy):

Visually striking, thematically grave, and morally weighty, Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, is a miracle of a movie: a three-hour fantasy-action-adventure that not only faithfully captures the spirit of its respectable source material, the first in J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy of books, but also stands tall on its own merits as one of most ambitious movies to have come out of Hollywood in a long time. Eagerly awaited by millions of fans around the globe, New Line's large-budget (more than $90m) fantasy is a must-see event movie, whose literary and cinematic qualities guarantee a strong theatrical appeal in every territory, easily crossing age and national boundaries, before becoming a cult classic, subject to repeat viewing by the book's most ardent devotees.

...Jackson’s Ring cycle generates the kind of epic cinema excitement, encountered in the films of Abel Gance (Napoleon), Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai, Ran), David Lean (Lawrence Of Arabia), Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey), and arguably last seen on the American screen in Coppola's Apocalypse Now; it certainly far surpasses the standards of popular epics like Braveheart or Gladiator, the Oscar-winners of 1995 and 2000, respectively. What the trilogy's first installment shares with all those seminal movies is not just expansive breadth, but complex and engaging characters, genuine movie magic via state-of-the-art effects, and, most important of all, a moral and emotional significance, which are terribly missing from other event movies such as Titanic, Star Wars, and Pearl Harbor.

Variety (Tod McCarthy):

An epic by any standard, "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment in Peter Jackson's vigorous and faithful adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, looks to please the book's legions of fans with its imaginatively scrupulous rendering of the tome's characters and worlds on the screen, as well as the uninitiated with its uninterrupted flow of incident and spectacle.

Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum):

I open by saying that I have never read the fantasy series by the tweedy British scholar J.R.R. Tolkien, the modern lit classic known as ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy.

And I follow quickly by saying that The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is thrilling -- a great picture, a triumphant picture, a joyfully conceived work of cinema that (based on this first installment, with two more ready for release in the next two years) would appear to embrace Tolkien's classic with love and delight, and rewards both adepts and novices with the highest compliment of all: an intelligence and artistry as a movie independent of blind fidelity to the page. The Middle-earth of this ''Fellowship'' -- as directed by Peter Jackson with all the graceful inventiveness hoped for from the maker of ''Heavenly Creatures'' -- is vibrantly, intricately alive on its own terms. This is what magic the movies can conjure with an inspired fellowship in charge, and unlimited pots of gold.

Hollywood Reporter (David Hunter):

New Line Cinema and filmmaker Peter Jackson's risky mission to bring "The Lord of the Rings" to movie audiences in three epic films, of which "The Fellowship of the Ring" is the first, should conjure up a worldwide boxoffice bonanza. ...eagerly anticipated, to say the least, by several generations of fans of the original books, the "Fellowship" installment rarely takes a wrong turn in its fairly faithful adaptation of the first "Rings" book, while those unfamiliar with the story of Frodo Baggins and his perilous quest should be lining up as well because of the sword-and-sorcery genre and lengthy marketing buildup.

Newsweek (David Ansen):

First, let me tell you where I’m coming from. Before I saw “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” I didn’t know the difference between an orc and an elf, or what Middle-earth was in the middle of. This review is coming to you from a Tolkien-free zone. I went in to Peter Jackson’s movie—the first of a trilogy—with no preconceptions. I came out, three hours later, sorry I’d have to wait a year to see what happens next in Frodo Baggins’s battle against the Dark Lord, Sauron, and thinking a trip to the bookstore to pick up “The Two Towers” might be in order.

THE MOVIE WORKS. It has real passion, real emotion, real terror, and a tactile sense of evil that is missing in that other current movie dealing with wizards, wonders and wickedness. Jackson’s fierce, headlong movie takes high-flying risks: it wears its earnestness, and its heart, on its muddy, blood-streaked sleeve.

Jiminy Critic (Couper Samuelson):

Though countless millions of readers have been almost pathetically susceptible to the pretensions of J. R. R. Tolkien’s great tome The Lord of the Rings, one might wonder how cinemagoers will fare in the mire of his taxonomy and the majesty of Middle Earth. To put it more precisely, the first installment of Tolkien’s trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, is a great bog of a movie, a three-hour epic all by itself, pretentious to the hilt, ominous to a fault, faithful to both the text’s plot and tone, and I should note, almost parenthetically, very good.

PopCultureShock:

LOTR joins Star Wars, Blade Runner, Empire, Indiana Jones, and The Matrix as a bonafide ‘modern day classic’. It entertains from beginning to end. And unlike a lot of contemporary films so light in story (The Mummy(s) and the overrated Gladiator come to mind) it’s an epic tale with characters you actually care about. Ones that make you laugh, cry and cower.

FilmFreakCentral (Walter Chaw):

Even given its occasional miscue, The Fellowship of the Ring is an unqualified triumph, its status as the best Western fantasy film ever made all but indisputable. (The Japanese have been making fantasies on this level through the anime medium for years.) I have no doubt the series will get better now that the groundwork is laid. The cast carries off the tricky balance between high drama and nuance, the characters are driven by recognizable motivations of greed, love, loyalty, and courage, and Jackson's direction is very plainly above reproach. The breadth of imagination on display here is awe-inspiring, and the reserve with which the fantasy scenario is handled no less so. As an adaptation, it cuts the fat yet preserves the soul of the work, reminding of Kenneth Branagh's mud and glory Henry V in its visceral force and illumination of the source material. (Jackson's film explained things to me from the original text that don't make sense and repairs things that don't work.)

New Line Cinema's unprecedented investment of time and money has been justified, and the film plays too short at a full three hours. The wait already seems interminable for not only the release of the second film (The Two Towers) but also the next showing of this one that I can attend. The uncompromising The Fellowship of the Ring reminds most of us why we go to the movies in the first place: to be frightened, to be excited, to be transported, to be treated with respect. To be enchanted. I can't wait to be reminded again.

HomeTheaterForum (Ronald Epstein):

Lord Of The Rings will make its mark in film history. Fans will embrace this film and newcomers will be in complete awe of one of the most visually entertaining films ever made....and this is only the beginning!

...Fans of the books and Fantasy films alike are in for the treat of their lives. Lord Of The Rings has accomplished what many thought was the impossible -- to bring a live-action film to the screen that accurately portrays the books as written, with enough visual eye candy and engrossing battle scenes that could very well make this the STAR WARS trilogy of the new century.

Calgary Sun (Kevin Williamson):

What Jackson has made, however, is a film that earns its epic stripes honestly -- taking its time to develop character and soul, and in the process, making the audience care about what happens to Tolkien's assorted band of dwarves, elves, wise wizards and hobbits.

Columbia Daily Spectator (Ross McSweeney):

Fellowship of the Ring will inevitably draw comparisons to the recently released Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Both, of course, are adapted from a wildly successful series of books that centers around an alternate reality peopled by wizards and trolls and dragons. However, Fellowship far outdoes its contemporary in every way; its story completes a much more extensive emotional arc, the action acts not as a gratuitous insertion but instead as a propellant for character development, and while the magic of Potter is stultified by excessive gloss, Fellowship loses none of the elements of the book that has enchanted millions of readers.

A more apt comparison could be drawn between Fellowship and Star Wars. Star Wars heralded a new style of filmmaking, an all-encompassing epic that spared no effort in attempting to enthrall its audience. Fellowship shares this aim, and perhaps moves beyond the standard established by the Jedi saga. Many movies, including the most recent episode of Star Wars, have been surrounded by immense and ultimately ruinous hype; Fellowship of the Ring is, for once, a movie that delivers on, and surpasses, the promise that preceded it.

Hear/Say (Mark Watt):

Jackson...skillfully pulled off what is hands-down the best fantasy film to date. Even though its characters are mostly fantastical creations crafted around myths and fairy tales, Jackson's first installment in The Lord of the Rings resonates with a palpable emotional power previously unseen in the realm of fantasy films; I was actually brought to tears at one point of the film and left the theater quite moved.

Despite obstacles that can challenge a film with an ensemble cast, the character development is exceptional. Each of the nine members of the fellowship is believable (Ian McKellen's flawless interpretation of Gandalf the Grey will earn him an Oscar if there's any justice in the world), and the motivations of each character are skillfully evoked.

...Though I fear raising the expectation level for this and the remaining films even higher, it's hard to avoid. Jackson, his cast and crew, and the films studio have not only managed to skillfully bring Middle Earth to the big screen, they've created perhaps the best movie of the year. It actually pains me that I have to wait nearly two weeks until the proper release date to experience the film again.

Fox News (Roger Friedman):

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is terrific. How do you like that? Three hours of adventure, acting, ebullience, wonderful special effects, a complete plot and story, dialogue, and memorable original music. I was starting to think I'd never see such a thing again.

Lord of the Rings is so much better than Harry Potter that it's kind of frightening, in fact. Where Harry was dull, flat and lifeless, Fellowship just sings with all kinds of small and great pleasures.

MovieHeadlines: Jarrette Moats

The Fellowship of the Rings is the first episode in what seems to be this generation’s answer to Star Wars. ...The acting is above top-notch, awards should be deeply considered for Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Wood. The film has some of the most amazing cinematography that I’ve ever seen. It boasts some of the most lavish sets ever constructed, and the effects are out of this world. The hobbit sizing effects are just flawless. The rest of the cast does a bang up job, sad that there aren’t enough awards for all of them. I had not read the books going into this film, and now I must agree with all the hype about them this really is one of the greatest stories ever written. As the film plays out you can notice several elements that influenced some of our favorite films of today, very much including Star Wars.

The Mirror (Joe Merret):

The story really works as a film and, like the tales themselves, the movie version has an appeal that's bound to last ...There is a real sense of drama and urgency as you find yourself being drawn into this world of good versus evil, where passion and morality are the supreme forces. The movie touches its audience with real emotion and fear, setting it apart from any other of its kind that I have seen.

CHUD (Nick Nunziata):

Hype isn't so bad, as long as you deliver and The Fellowship of the Rings delivers like FedEx and UPS only dream of.

...the story is exciting, filled with moments of great emotion, gorgeously photographed, and absolutely and wholly fulfilling.

This really is an epic, one that combines all the ingredients to create something rich and memorable that'll endure for generations as The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and so many of Disney's films have.

Is it a kid's movie? Not by a long stretch. There's beheadings, monsters (three biggies in this film alone), lots of battle, and a lot of foreign tongues and story to follow... but it's captivating and engrossing and built to last. I have no doubts that this new trilogy will be loved by my children's children.

Or I'll disown the little snots.

It's everything I'd hoped it would be and more. A work of magic both on and behind the screen and something truly special to remind the jaded what cinematic storytelling is and to teach the budding film fanatics where the bar is currently set.

Very high. Thanks to Peter Jackson.

Amateur Reviews (usually either anonymous or under an alias)

Excerpts from Amateur reviews:

Koola:

Tomorrow is my birthday. Honestly, it is. It has been a beautiful week. Actually, it has been more than beautiful. The first snow has slowly covered our trees, the cool winterair has boldly taken over the days and nights in Norway. Beautiful. Well, actually, it has been more than beautiful. But what is “more than beautiful”? Today it was the point where a touch of evil was added to the beautiful. And with the evil and the beautiful comes… well, you know where I am getting at. A thrilling adventure, ancientic tale-greatness, monstrous experiences and totally – with no doubts whatsoever – the one film to rule them all. And in MY MIND, bind me… to this film, this book, forever. From heart of someone who has not read the book, nor have any interest in Tolkien, but loves cinema more than anything in the world… this is one of my, if not THE, all-time cinematic moments.

Norway is a small country. And for the small country – only one press screening of FOTR. A small bit about me. I love film, and work as a filmjournalist here in Oslo. Therefore I attended this press-screening. My relation to LOTR is quite simple. Have not read the book, but have been covering the developments of the films. And by that, I have grown a huge interest for the project. Enough now. I HAD AN URGE TO REVIEW THIS MOVIE. Because it is beyond anything I could expect, want, crave, imagine, desire, feel, anticipate. This is unimaginable. And when you see it… I found myself crying of nothing but admiration 2 minutes into the prologue (shiveringly spoken by Blanchett). It shows this dark lord, Sauron, and tells a the fascinating story of The One Ring. Now, excuse me for not being OBSESSIVELY AWARE of everything about this movie (or these books) before seeing or writing this. The prologue is nothing but a amazing sequence. Instead of going into each and every picture (frame) of this film (because I could, and there would be a lot to gaze at and analyse in every single one of them), I will say this: THERE IS SO MUCH. I was completely paralysed. I love every detail I could observe, from the complex battlescenes to the single face of mister Frodo Baggins bedazzling every single audience member. It was a fantastic experience. This review, as I can see, will turn into a not-cronologic piece, but forgive me – my thoughts are a bit hard to recollect. My mind is occupied with images that have burned hard to my iris, performances that I already love and quote. I walked out of the theater 7 hours ago.

I have not read the books, as you can see. Now I have seen the first film, and a big bouldering voice tells me that I might have had this very experience many years earlier, by way of the book. But people, and I feel this is important to say, I’ve just read the book. I think. A 3 hour movie – it felt like reading a book. Because the film felt so massive, it has layers upon layers – in character, in dialogue, in scenery (oh, my lord, the set pieces. I have fallen in love with Lothlorien, the Shire. Can I go to these places for vacation? Will I ever have enough money to go to New Zealand? This is so bloody fantastic in this film. It is so fantastic! I run out of words (especially in my English :-). We must go on!

There has been a few hours as I said to dwell on this movie now, buit it’s coming to me. It’s coming to me as a grandiose wave of river-water lifted by the spellbinding of Arwen (Liv Tyler looks so stylish, such a timeless beauty. Eventhough (some stupid, boneheaded) people are going to scream ARMAGEDDON when they see her the first time, they will be silent when this elf is riding away from the black riders – bravely coming the halfling to rescue.) to eliminate ringwraiths(?). IT IS SO VERY, VERY GOOD. (Oh, I love this film. I have to see it again. I need my mother to see this film, I need to pick up a total stranger on the street, offer her a ticket just to see her face when she’s leaving the theatre. I may have given her a lifetime of… well, an experience for a lifetime. Do you hear that Peter Jackson? You may very well, with this masterpiece (I have been dying to call it that), been responsible for thousands of people suffering through this year.) I NEED TO SEE TWO TOWERS NOW!!!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!?? READ THE BOOK? I have to know whats happens. That thing happening to Gandalf… I can’t believe it. He must return. Tell me he returns. Ian McKellen is superior. He is great. He acts like if… well, I couldn’t see him act. There is Gandalf in him. For sure. Well, anyway, I am off track.

FOTR is very big. A big tale. But very small. I mean, big it is, but small is he – Frodo. Oh my gracious lord of modern cinema, the very man who gave Mr. And Mrs. The liberty to create the god given actor named Elijah. Nothing crazy about these sentences, but it is a holy great performance. He is feeling. He is a feeling. My back was cold throughout the entire movie. Feeling Frodo, being Frodo, hurting Frodo, bearing with Frodo. A class-act, truly enchanting, spectacular, it-is-no-good-words-to-compliment-enough Frodo. I am, as you just read, trying to verbalize my experience of Frodo Baggins. But this turns away from reviewing. You want to read about the content of the film. What I saw. Because most of you probably know the whole story, and all the characters. Well, let’s go to what there is to see.

I saw the Shrine. It is a very richly realistic built, sunny, green place. I loved it. But no surprises. The home of Bilbo, cornfields… and then the city of Bir? Bie? Forgot the name. All the way, amazing scenery. The fact that there is a big difference in height among the characters, but not among the actors, well that is, how do I put it, flawless. Don’t know how they could pull it off, but I am impressed. As I said before, this is so throughoutly worked on and polished – every picture and frame has something more than what you see, and every character blows my mind. What can I say? I’m never this singlemindledly positive about a film, but this may very well be THAT ONE where everything seems to strike my mind and in, again, the cinematic darkness bind me. Every generation has a movie. Every saga has a… hehe, enough filmrelated quotings.

Don’t have to say much about this, but so that you know it: Howard Shore’s score is in my cd-player, and this music is… next to my heart.

Bilbo. Just what did I actually know about this Bilbo. Oh, yes he was that hobbit-guy that picked up the Ring from the creature Gollum. I have read the forewords of LOTR. But oh my god. Complexity lies hidden, it seems, in each and every character. Bilbo freaked my out. Scared me more than Gollum (“my precious” shivers still in my bones). What exactly did that ring do to him? The fil hadn’t played for long, but I began to realise… what’s next for Frodo. He is now the ringebearer. Look at Bilbo. Again it strikes me…. I HAVE TO SEE THE NEXT TO FILMS NOW!!! Because there is no end to this film. Actually I couldn’t believe it ended when it did. I needed more. It felt like one hour tops, but I had been nailed to my seat for 3 hours already. Amazing experience. The film have no ending, and there’s evil there, that does not sleep (Boromir R.I.P.).

Now you get the picture; I love this film! I love LORD OF THE RINGS. This is just remarkable. My imagination… oh, I have no imagination. I did not, could not, imagine this. Imagine there’s no people. Imagine if this film had not been made. I may have lived my life without knowing this story. All of you who read the book and hate them for turning this into a movie… Think of all of us who now have been rescued from living our lives without it. Thank you, everyone behind this film, for making it.

Koola from Norway

A small PS: The fellowship. It was beautifully casted. Flawless. Gimli – unforgettable John Rhys-Davies. The hobbits – just charming to their hairy feet, and they touched me deep. Aragorn and Boromir – more than anything, believable. They are men, they have no effects or make-up to characterize them. But they are massive. They suffer, and it hurts. Viggo Mortensen is my hero. (And did you all know he is related to Denmark, my neighbourcountry?). Legolas though…. He was my favourite. Feels weird to write the least about the character I loved the most, but it’s just… not much to say. Could not stand seeing Legolas leave the screen, he had an remarkable impact on me with his… elvish magic.

Oh, and one last thing. This is a chaos. My mind is a chaos. FOTR is so much, much more. I haven’t said a thing about Galladriel, and a lot more. But there has to be a limit. If I were you now, I would look forward to every second of this film, so then… it does not matter.

I will bring this experience with me for the rest of my life. It is that good.

Frodo.Lives:

Having seen the movie, I think that the best way I can describe it is....take the last (full-length) trailer. It was polished. The scenes were just bits and pieces from throughout the movie, but they were all the finished scenes. Now, take those little bits and pieces of scenes and string them together into a coherent, 3 hour movie. The ENTIRE movie is that polished. Those aren't the highlights that you're seeing. They're more just sorta random selections. There are SO many more wonderful-awesome-mindblowing scenes in the movie. That and the fact that they are all tied together by emotional development, depth of character and everything else.

First off, for those expressing their thanks....don't mention it! I'm at least partially able to relive this movie in my mind by going over it with you people. Anything to pass the time before I can see it again. Trust me on this one, I honestly feel that it's harder waiting now, having seen it. That probably pisses a lot of you off, but it's the God's honest truth. I cannot WAIT to get my butt back into that theater seat! I am SO glad that I've got a premium theater rented out for opening night (leather seats, beer and one of the best sound systems in the country!). --------------- Anyway....on Isildur, Elendil, etc.: The entire sequence is part of the Prologue. As such, you're not going to get the kind of depth and full history that you're looking for. This is a brief "cliff note" version to get non-readers up to speed. It's handled wonderfully well. Isildur sees his father fall before Sauron, rushes to his side, picks up his sword to confront Sauron....the sword breaks and, as the fatal blow is coming from Sauron, Isildur swings the broken sword and severs most of Sauron's fingers....the Ring falls...and you see one of the coolest "death" scenes ever. The entire battlefield (thousands of Elves and Men) knocked flat by the force of Sauron's passing.

Everyone out there that's doubting and worrying about scenes that have been left out and nuances of the book that aren't in the movie, please try to pay attention to what (from what I've seen) everyone that has seen the film is saying: Peter Jackson has managed to embody the essence of LOTR in the movie. Does it diverge in various areas from the text of the book? Yes. Does it still remain true to the vision and to the "spirit" of the books? Most definitely, yes. You get the same feeling watching this movie as you do reading the books.

[alt.fan.tolkien:mGwN7.202049$3d2.8739111@bgtnsc06-news.ops.worldnet.att.net] mmurko@worldnet.att.net:

I was at the same screening FrodoLives was at. What he and the other reviews on Ain't It Cool don't really touch on is the incredible look of the film. The art direction is unsurpassed. You are truly transported to another world. A lot of it was manufactured, of course, but this movie is the best thing that ever happened to the New Zealand Tourist Board. As far as sound and special effects, I'll go out on a limb and declare this film beats any Star Wars in both departments. Sound is used to great effect, the score is wonderful yet non-intrusive, and the special effects have to be seen to believed. There's no use pointing any one thing out - just one incredible moment after another. I'm sure it was pretty difficult to make normal-sized actors become short Hobbits - but they pulled that off as well. Only once in the beginning at Bilbo's house, I could tell they used forced perspective between Bilbo and Gandalf.

I could go on and on, but the last thing I can say is that while I was impressed with Harry Potter (and have read all the books) I was WAY more emotionally connected to LOTR (and I haven't read ANY of the books). I plan to now, though. There's a rumor that Peter Travers of Rolling Stone is calling LOTR the best movie of the year. I can't say I disagree with him.

Anonymous (via "sregis"):

[source 1:] saw it. beats harry by a long shot, better acting, more engaging world. but i'm still reeling. it's one of the most visually imaginitive films i've ever seen, but the violence and the overarching darkness is ultimatly numbing

...ok- by god, i've got more info. my source says that FOTR is just a tremendous movie experience. visually, like nothing seen before. you are part of tolkien's/pj's world for nearly 3 hours. on the other hand, the many light moments from the book are largely gone, and the respites from danger (riveldell, lothlerian), while beautifully rendered, are fleeting. there is a constant sense of foreboding, and the music is operatic, never letting you forget it. the violence mentioned is very intense & repetitive. these were some of the highlights. much of this is too my liking, but i'm fearing the whimsical spirit and brilliant pacing of intensity then safety, is missing. more than ever, i can't friggin' wait!!

...this person saw & enjoyed HP, but says FOTR is in another universe in terms of seriousness, message, and overall darkness. he/she has a 13 yr old, and specifically mentioned that NO WAY will they be seeing the film.

[source 2:]ok- i've spoken w/ another viewer who's somewhat less impressed. specifics i remember (don't read ahead if you don't want to know) are that the sheer number of fight scenes was unecessary- swordfight after swordfight to the point of boredom. the council of elrond was described as surprisingly argumentive. the gandalf-saruman confrontation degrades into an embarassing martial arts-type fight. he also mentioned pj being very heavy handed at times- gandalf bumping his head at bilbo's house, for instance. funny though, he said he definately wanted to see it again! oh, and the character of aragorn has been miscast, being more of a pretty boy than a gritty traveller. hey, don't kill the messenger...just my reporting thoughts.

...interestingly, the 2nd source is a huge LOTR fan. i think we'll eventually find some of the more critical notices will be from those who have the highest expectations. guess he gets a bad rap cause i'm relaying only the neg. comments. hmmm... he liked the acting in general (so did #1), but found the interpersonal relationships lacking. both thought the balrog was utterly awsome. pj apparently pulls out all manners of beasts. i'll think of more as we go along.

...my take on #2 (whom i don't know well either) is that because he had such high expectations, there was a nit picky aspect to this review and that he was exaggerating to some point. but again, he definately will see it again. what all seem to say is that the film is much more CONFRONTATIONAL than expected- one after another. i think there'll be lots of discussion on whether this was overdone or not- #2 certainly thought so.

"Puff":

I've recently seen a screening of Fellowship of the Ring. A small number of us within [ahem] distrubion company have seen it, albeit in a small projection room :-/ It clocks in just shy of 3 hours and is totally mindblowing. There's no other word: mindblowing. I'm a tolkien fan, but no means a geek Yeah, I was optimistic about the movie, but it has totally blown my expectations away. Very different to how I imagined it would play out on screen. You people are in for a big surprise. If there's one dominat theme, it has to been a sence of darkness and overwhelming fear. This is no movies for kids.... So, any questions about it? Please keep in mind I only saw it once ( and I was lucky to get that chance ),and I'm not a Tolkien-expert like some of you guys probably are, but I'll do my best

...It's more violent then I thought it would be, you know, for a what, PG-cert? PJ's old love of gore really shines in the Moria scenes. The most frightening thing is really not the violence, but the sence of fear and evil when the Black Riders are around. It is genuinely terrifying : the mixture of amazing etheral imagery, amazing movement of the camera and the score...the score!...it's like The Omenx100! But yeah...hmmm..gorey, well yeah, it's quite graphic at times, some of the poor old orcs and goblins really do die some horrific deaths at the hands of the fellowship. [Action sequences rock,btw]

...They're are some amazing treetop scenes in Lothlorien...if that answers your question. Lothlorien is beautifully shot, hard to describe, you'd have to see it. Very, very beautiful... Andrew Lesnie deserves the Oscar, nodoubt.

...It's very, very, very good. And on every level, this transends the genre, it's magnificant! Movies I could compare it too...hmmm, at times I am reminded of PJ's older film Heavenly Creatures, but hmmm...no, it's unique,I've never seen a film so imaginativally shot. It's so lush and rich..ahh

What makes it so good? EVERYTHING! The vision, the sound the movements of the camera, THE BRIDGE! THE BRDIGE!

Honestly, it's just a collection of everything.....it's so emotional too. Sence of light and hope? In Lothlorien and Rivendell....they're magic moments that fill your heart with golden joy...

The final thing is Sam and Frodo heading off on their own with the boy solo singing In Dreams (i think)....very poignant...Enya's song comes in then as the titles come. The saddest part without a doubt, after Gandalf 'dies' and the fellowship emerge from the moutain.

It's one of the most emotional things I've ever seen on film.

Frightening : Weathertop.No have NO idea what weird that scene is...WHAT A SET! Wait till you see it!

The Breaking of the Fellowship plays out quite similar to the book, if I recall the book correctly. Still though, it's not quite how i imagined it to look like, but it was great nevertheless....

Frodo's character is protrayed exactly as how I remember it from the book, strong but at times dependant of the other Hobbits...there are poignant moments with him and Sam though, Sean Astin IS Sam!

The Caradras pass...hmmm....I can't recall who's idea was first ( hey i dont even know that scene too well in the book)

Anonymous (via "Sarmis_Pug"):

The one I have spoken to, had been warned it was "likely to affect his job prospects" if he uttered a word ... no paranoia there then

All he would say was that as a Star Wars fan, he felt it eclipsed anything he had seen before. As a film fanatic, he said it was the most spectacular movie he had ever experienced. he said time and again he felt his eyes well up with emotion ... and this guys a bit of a hard nut.

The first thin he did after seeing the film was to buy the three books ... great news for Tolkien Enterprises

Basically he couldn't fault the film ... I told him how much had been released or speculated about online, but he wouldn't go into specifics ... guess we'll just have to wait for a month

"Joseph Young" (an alias) (via Harray Knowles):

Hey folks, Harry here... I got a ton of LORD OF THE RINGS news in the last few hours, so I figured I would just place it all here for now.

First... I had an hour long conversation with... ahem, Joseph Young of Africa last night. Now, Joe has seen the movie, however Mr Young was a fairly radically paranoid type. You see at this point only a few people that work with PETER JACKSON, a few folks at NEW LINE and a couple of DISTRIBUTOR types have seen the film thus far and he didn't want anything to go wrong... So after proving beyond any doubt that he was who he was, he began to allow me to question him about having seen the film.

First, I wanted to determine what this person's taste was. What their expectations were going into the film. What other movies are in their 'taste' area... That sort of thing.

Joseph Young is a geek. No two ways about it. At one point when we were talking about Sean Astin, he said that he always thought of Sean as Rudy, I interupted with, "What about Mikey?" And he retorted instantly with, "Well of course he'll always be a GooooooooooooNnnnniiiiieeeee!!!!" Just an instant reaction... I bopped his knee and he instantly knew how to react. He loves STAR WARS to death. Flaws and all. He can't stand Ewoks, but can't help singing along at the end of the original RETURN OF THE JEDI. He has problems with PHANTOM MENACE, but loves it because it is STAR WARS and he can't not not love it. (How's that, a triple negative!!!) But let's get into the thoughts regarding LORD OF THE RINGS.

Now he has seen it more than once. (Go ahead, It is ok to hate Joseph Young) First, in regards to the film he said, "In 1977, STAR WARS changed film. I love Star Wars. Star Wars played my town for 7 straight months and I remember as a kid going back to the theater... Finding it no longer playing and crying. I'd seen the film in theaters over 50 times. Star Wars is what made me fall in love with film. I love it warts and all. FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS avoids every mistake that STAR WARS made. The acting, the story-telling, at every turn the film is simply effortlessly perfect."

I asked, "Well how does the film play for you?"

"It starts off with a prologue. Now I know the books, so I thought this was going to be repetative, but instead it was like presenting the scope of what is to come. It took me by the hand and said, 'And this is where all of this begins'. Watching Bilbo hug Gandalf, well you've seen that in the Cannes reel, but Harry. There was something so otherworldly magical about it that I just couldn't help, but be delighted. The party scene for Bilbo's birthday plays very fast, but it is during this sequence that you really notice how much you like Elijah Wood. It was strange, it was kind of painful watching him here because he's just so innocent. Those eyes of his, so happy and filled with the simple joys of Hobbit life. I know where this is going so I just empathize with him very profoundly."

"First, I have to say that Ian McKellen is not in this film, Peter Jackson actually cast Gandalf in the film. I think that might stand in the way of Ian getting any sort of nomination out of this film, because you can't conceive of him as being anything other than Gandalf. It doesn't feel like acting. It feels like he's Gandalf. But the man who steals the movie in my opinion is CHRISTOPHER LEE. OHMYGOD. OHMYGOD, when you see him. WOW. Christopher Lee was just the shit in the film. If he doesn't get some sort of nomination at the end of the year. He's just so incredibly awesome. In his scenes with Gandalf... WOW."

At this point, award concepts came to mind, so I asked, "What sort of award potential do you see in FELLOWSHIP?"

"Score. It definitely has score wrapped up. There is so much more music than is just on the soundtrack. It is just amazing, and the way it performs with the movie. Wow. Costumes, Production Design, Effects, Cinematography. It will win Cinematography hands down. The film is just astoundingly photographed. This could have all the technical awards wrapped up. As for the others, I don't even want to pretend to guess about those. I mean writing, direction, acting and the overall film. They are all amazing, but I just fear that the Academy will see this as being so natural, so easy. I mean it feels like this is exactly the way it ought to be. I mean the characters. They are all just exactly who they are in the books. It doesn't feel like acting because THAT'S HOW THOSE CHARACTERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. But will they know that? I don't know. If I were voting, this would win everything."

At this point I was curious about a point and asked, "Well how does it compare to BRAVEHEART or GLADIATOR?"

"Ok, well BRAVEHEART was basically the title. The film had so much heart and so much soul that what you were left with a very emotional film, but flawed on several different levels. I like that film quite a bit though. In GLADIATOR though. God I love that movie. GLADIATOR was just firing on all cylinders. Pardon my french, but it was just the fucking best. It was just great cinema. FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS combines the two and has that same sort of fucking best firing on all cylinders great cinema feeling, but it is also has all the heart and soul that I got out of BRAVEHEART. People so do not know what they are heading into. I walked into this thinking there was no possible way it could live up to my expectations. When I walked out that first time, all I could think was that there was no way that TWO TOWERS and RETURN OF THE KING could possibly live up to expectations. OHMYGOD. This is that new benchmark by which all others will be judged. It is perfect!!!"

At this point I was getting very excited. As I imagine you are, but the thought crossed my mind and mouth, "Well, does it have any flaws?"

"No, not really. The weakest link for me was Liv Tyler, and it wasn't that she is bad. I really think she's quite good, but I could not help but see her as Liv Tyler first, not as Arwen first. I can't say that with all the others. Every other character is the character first for me and the actor underneath second. Like Viggo Mortensen, he is Strider first. He is that character. I don't see Sallah, I see Gimli. That guy playing Legolas, where did they find him. He IS LEGOLAS. There's this one point in the woods where he's shooting orcs, and his arms are just a blur of motion and the look on his face was just so damn cool. He just moves like an Elf and I can't really describe that, but when you see him fighting, you'll know what I mean. He's an Elf."

"Coming into this that first time I was really concerned with Sean Astin. I just couldn't help but think RUDY, but he IS Samwise Gamgee! Other than Christopher Lee, Sean Astin steals the movie. I just love him in this film. And Elijah Wood, I don't think he has a clue how big and popular he's going to be out of this. He's the heart of this film."

At this point there were a couple of specific questions I had. "I heard that the last thing Peter Jackson did on this film was take every frame into a computer and bring out colors and desaturate colors at different points. What's that like?"

"Oh well it looks great. At the Mines Of Moria, it is just creepy as can be. But like at Lothlorien he's brought out the blues and yellows and it is just otherworldly. You've never seen a film that looked like this. It has a totally different feel to it."

MMMMMmmm, can't wait. Next I was curious if at this point, does NEW LINE and Peter have a trailer or a preview of TWO TOWERS and/or RETURN OF THE KING before going into credits or after them.

"No, not yet. Though personally that would be cool."

Anonymous (via "Leonides"):

I saw that some reviews seem to be coming out online, so I figure it's safe to send this to you now. I apologize for not being in touch with you the past few months, but things got pretty crazy for a while, as I'm sure you can understand. However, this weekend I saw that it was totally worth it. All the time and money that went into this project was worth it.

My initial, viceral reaction is this: My mind is still reeling, my heart is still aching, and my thoughts are still some place far, far away... in a dreamland I thought could never exist outside my imagination. But it does. It's here, and it is real. Leo, I'm telling you that Peter has done it. Everything you could have hoped for has happened. Now I know you like details, so I guess I'll go into that. I've only seen it once, though, so pardon me if I get some things wrong.

In regards to characters, Elijah Wood is excellent in his role. I truly can't imagine another actor taking command of this quite like he does. At times it is quite painful watching this innocent hobbit going through all this overwhelming darkness. Even though I read the books there are times I believed he wasn't going to make it, when the Shadow was going to swallow him up. This occured at Weathertop specifically, as the Nazgul bore down on his frail form... it was chilling. Another moment that stands out for Wood was at Amon Hen. There the look in his eyes really got to me. There's a moment, just before Boromir truly "turns" that you can see in his gaze that he knows what's coming, and he's frightened but also sad -- he looks at Boromir in pity.

Viggo Mortensen -- well, what can be said except that everything you heard has been true. Aragorn was on the set for filming. He's got some killer lines... full of drama and power, but I think the best thing about his performance was how we get a sense that we're not seeing his true power just yet. This is a man of mystery, that leaves himself guarded to everyone but a few (Gandalf, Elrond, Arwen). He watches more then he speaks, much like Legolas in that respect. In fact, in many ways he acts like one of the elves -- reserved, quiet, deadly, regality surrounding him. I suppose this goes along with hsi backstory of being raised in the house of Elrond. I loved the scene between Elrond and Aragorn as Aragorn knelt by his Mother's grave in Rivendell. I have to say that it was one of Viggo's finest moments in Fellowship... full of emotion and power.

Gandalf, of course, was played to perfection. Ian McKellen is simply perfect -- there is no question. The rest of the Fellowship fall in line perfectly. The trio of Hobbits are portrayed exactly as I imagined (Sam the stout loyal one, and Merry & Pippin being... well... being Merry & Pippin). Legolas reminded me of some sort of assasin... he moved like a ninja. Truly a dangerous fellow who definetly seemed a bit detached from the "normal" world. John Rhys-Davies played a great Gimli... I only wish his facial make-up had been a bit less extensive around the eyes. Most of his acting came from the way he delivered his lines, which was fine, but it would have been nice to see some more of his face.

The dialog was almost entirely from the book (as I told you before, about 85\%), and it is spoken beautifully. It sounded very naturally (especially Gandalf's lines, which are almost poetic). There was only one line in the who film which I did not like, and it wasn't because of the delivery... it just didn't seem to "fit."

WETA did one hell of a job on the SFX. The great thing about them is that it's difficult to tell where the "natural" camera tricks were and where they used CGI and such. The film, however, didn't come across (to me) as a special effects extravaganza because they didn't showboat it. They made it feel REAL. They didn't say, "Hey! Look what we can do!" they just did it, and made it a part of the story. I don't know if that made sense or not, but I think you'll see what I mean.

I'm sure you've heard the score by now, but let me tell you: it's magnafied 10-fold when you have the accompanying images. The Breaking of the Fellowship was one of the most heart-wrenching minutes of cinema I've had the absolutely pleasure of viewing.

Slime Guy 1:

I caught the Big Show in NYC tonight, with some stuffy, snobby Film Review Board ("I-ra, I was so dis-ap-point-ed!"). It was the worst crowd to possibly see this film with.

This is the One alright.

KING KONG. STAR WARS. LORD OF THE RINGS.

Beautiful. Awesome. Touching.

It's not perfect, but it's close. The aerial shots are cliched an hour in; every scene with Christopher Lee as Sauramon is preceded by a long, unnecessary shot zooming through the cavern (plays much like SPAWN hell or a video game); while some CGI blows away anything even attempted by ILM, other shots are very obvious (I noticed that whenever there was a travelling shot involving CGI rocks, the rocks strobed); Boramin got cheated out of his horn for the most part; Gollum is abrely glimpsed, but he looks less convincing than Jar-Jar.

The cast, costumes, music, art direction are perfect. The Riders are everything they should be. The opening prologue works well. Lagolas kicks ass. Although there is little distinction made between Pippin and Merry, the bond between the Hobbits is touching. There is dread galore. The final battles are thrilling.

Unlike HARRY POTTER, there is magic in this film. Unlike Harry potter, the spirit of the book has been preserved, and the screenwriters knew how to cut the Hobbit farmer and OPld Bill while still referencing them for the fans.

I came close to tears four times. When the film climaxed, I heard others sniffling around me. When the lights came up, I was shocked that the crowd didn't burst into applause, but this was a positively ancient crowd.

I cannot wait to see this film again; there was just so much to digest. For all of the Talkbackers who have been anticipating a disappointing film, forget it--this is an instant classic.

Then, in a different post on the same messageboard, Slime Guy 1 also says (deep into the page):

First, the Balrog in the film does have wings, but it does not look like it can fly; it also has this silly, cartoon-fire whip that is about as convincing as the "Godfire" that writes the tablets in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. The scene plays well anyway, and even the STAR WARS drones who are so desperate for this film to suck will have to admit that Obi-wan's "death" on the Death Star was stolen from this scene in the book.

We are not given much exposition about the characters--thank God! In my opinion, the screenplay does a brilliant job of condensing the source material and showing character rather than talking about it--that's what movies--especially movies about heroes--do.

This movie doesn't regurgitate every written word the way that HARRY POTTER did, which was the worst thing about HP. There is so much going on here that every LOTR fan will be briefly disappointed that certain scenes were cut, but believe me, you'll get over it fast! You will be totally sucked into Peter Jackson's visualization of Tolkien.

I've already written that some of the CGI sucks--the establishing shots preceding Chris Lee's scenes look and feel like they belong in a video game based on the movie--but most of it is AMAZING. I still can't get over how seamlessly the "reduced" actors playing the hobbits are integrated with the human characters, and I could go on and on about the visuals.

There are bound to be critics who "don't get it"--especially the open ending--but it took years for critics to appreciate CITIZEN KANE too.

This is a GREAT movie that begs to be viewed repeatedly, and no one has ever accomplished what Jackson has. At the screening I saw, people were crying when Boromor died and cheering when Aragorn avenged him--and these were film snobs in their sixties and seventies!

Most of the LOTR vs. SW challenges have been made by SW devotees. Well, I'm a fan of both, and while I hope Lucas treats us to a better film than PHANTOM MENACE, there is no way on this earth that it will be a classic like this, and I find myself anticipating THE TWO TOWERS far more than I am ATTACK OF THE CLONES. I didn't plan to go on like this, but it seems like a lot of hopeful fans need reassuring.

On the commercialization of Tolkien...

Three drinks for the Burger Kings under the sky,
Seven burger purchases earns a Frodo clone,
Ninety million consumers doomed to buy,
One buck for the Dark Lord, yours to own
In the land of fast food where the Whoppers lie.
Burger King to rule them all, Burger King to dine them
Burger King to bring them all and in the wallet mine them
In the land of fast food where the Whoppers lie.

8 posted on 01/20/2002 4:47:09 PM PST by sourcery
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To: sourcery
Wow - Thanks.... Now there is enough reading to keep me busy for the next year!!!

:~D

9 posted on 01/20/2002 4:49:59 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: Pinlighter
That's a wonderful essay by Gene Wolfe. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
10 posted on 01/20/2002 4:53:52 PM PST by Arkinsaw
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To: HairOfTheDog;sourcery
I think I thank you!! :-) I am going to have to cancel my Super Bowl party, because I will be reading all these articles instead of getting ready.
11 posted on 01/20/2002 5:10:39 PM PST by AUsome Joy
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To: AUsome Joy
You're Welcome! I think! I don't know exactly why my links all choked. If you click my links, you can see the correct URL in quotes in your address line... copy and paste just that to go to the source I was referring to.

Sorry for the hassle factor. Is there something unusual about posting internal FR links that I don't know?

12 posted on 01/20/2002 5:20:01 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: Arkinsaw
You know, I hate to admit it but I actually went to see the movie a few weeks ago...and I...umm..actually enjoyed it immensely.
13 posted on 01/20/2002 5:24:07 PM PST by DouglasKC
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To: DouglasKC
I saw that but I will NEVER tell!
14 posted on 01/20/2002 5:26:02 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog; sourcery
Thanks for the treasure trove.
This one sentence review by Freeper "Rebelcajun" on 1/12/02 really made me laugh: "This movie was filled with people who needed a bath, a barber and a dentist in that order and immediately."

A Passage To Middle Earth LINK

LOTR Glossary of Terms LINK

15 posted on 01/20/2002 5:59:26 PM PST by Marianne
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To: Marianne
Hee Hee - thanks. I read Tolkien threads all day finding quotables... and now I want to go see it again... Next show is in an hour.
16 posted on 01/20/2002 6:03:08 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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To: jrherreid; HairOfTheDog; RosieCotton; billbears; ObfusGate; austinTparty; Texas2step; billbears...
Ping
17 posted on 01/20/2002 9:03:00 PM PST by ecurbh
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To: HairOfTheDog
Thanks for posting this. On the bright side, we have two more movies to look forward to -- and the August DVD release.

Links fixed:


I really had a good time these last months talking about the coming of the Lord of the Rings. Now that the hype is winding down, and all of us have said so much about it, I am mourning just a little, the fact that all good things must come to an end. I have been slowly re-entering the old discussions about politics here on Free Republic. I feel though, as if I have been to church and heard a great sermon, and feeling very inspired, I leave the church, only to find that everyone around me is talking about stomach ailments.

I wasn’t ready to do that yet, so I have spent this Sunday revisiting Tolkien threads, adding some to the Tolkien Bump List that were missed by Marianne and ecurbh (thank you both). I seem to remember others that are still not there, hopefully others will find and post them to the Tolkien Bump List

I started re-discovering some of the really great stuff that Freepers wrote about the LoTR, and started compiling this scrapbook of my favorites. Of particular interest to me is the emotion the movie brought out as you watched it, and all of the reviews I remember fondly were written by Freepers, not by the pros. Some of you Freepers can write! - The best of Freeper LoTR Reviews nominees (IMHO and in no particular order):

"The Fellowship Of The Ring": review by Darth Sidious - 12/19/01

favorite quote: ..."At this point I want to say something - a three word phrase - but I'm trying awfully hard not to take the Lord's name in vain. It's commonly used, however, to indicate that one is completely and utterly overwhelmed by an event. And gosh-darnnit, I want to say those three words, over and over and over again... until it becomes absolutely clear to you, Dear Reader, that this writer has indeed become completely and utterly overwhelmed by this particular event."

A very good review, buried within another review, deserved its own post:

Reply by East Bay Patriot - 12/19/01

favorite quote: ..."Bilbo. I don't know why, but Ian Holm as Bilbo really got to me. To see the horrible power of the ring on this very gentle, innocent hobbit, is heartbreaking. When he runs to Gandalf and hugs him, I really teared up. When he is tempted by the ring in Rivendell, and then turns from it and weeps, I lost it. This was only the first of many times in the film I blubbered. But I blubbered here. Bilbo is such a gentle soul, such a loveable character in the hobbit, that to see him played so well by Holm, and to see the lust and evil the ring brings out of him...well, for some reason this just stood out as a favorite part of the film for me, and it really, really moved me. I wept when Bilbo wept."

My review of Lord of the Rings : Fellowship of the Ring - by maquiladora - 12/21/01

favorite quote: ..."The film begins and somewhere in my mind I can feel something change. I sit back...I watch...I listen, and I hardly move an inch for 3 hours. I gasp in awe at the battle of the Last Alliance, I expected epic, but this was so much more than just epic...this was Biblical in scope. My eyes unscrewed in disbelief as I watched the prologue...I couldn't begin to tell what was real and what was generated by other means. Nor did I care. It was too vast, too fluid, too vivid to even question. I gripped the armrests and just watched....and watched"

Another very good review, buried within another review, that deserved its own post:

Reply by austinTparty - 12/21/01

favorite quote: ..."Elijah Wood's Frodo is all expressive eyes and innocence and reluctant hero. He carries the burden of the ring visibly, and it progressively adds to the emotional depth of his character. Acceptance, longing for what once was and can no longer be and sad courage play across his face when he realizes what he must do."

Texas2step's Lord of the Rings Movie Experience -12/22/01

favorite quote: ..."I was literally blown away. I was so hyped about watching this movie, I didn't realize that the movie had started until about 30 seconds into Galadriel's prologue intro."

I of course, have a very hard time finding just one quote to encapsulate the great discussions I have had and seen here with all of you. BibChr, RosieCotton, 68 Grunt, John Farson and many others also said some great stuff. But some good quotes:

Those who have resisted reading the books, are missing out on one of the great literary achievements of the last 100 years. This isn't post-modernist navel gazing, it isn't MST3K worthy schlock, and it isn't touchy-feely Hollywood dung.

This is an epic work, filled with real good and real evil, with noble characters going on a quest that they know from the start will result in significant changes to their world -- and not necessarily good changes. It's about power and the pursuit of power and the corruption of power. It's about the nobility of friendships and loyalty, about fighting for something you believe in and sometimes discovering what you believe in by fighting with your friends. And it's about the honor found in performing a quest that must be performed even though it may destory something or someone you love.

And, on top of that, it's a kick-a** story.
15 posted on 12/11/01 2:03 PM Pacific by Njal

___

Lord knows we need good medicine like this after a season of grief.
11 posted on 12/19/01 2:39 AM Pacific by Darth Sidious

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The director did not depict them. He found them in time and teleported there for the filming. I was mesmerized by the scenery. I have imagined them so many times and there they were. I wanted to keep looking and gazing. I wanted to walk over that hill and see the view from there.
78 posted on 12/19/01 6:50 PM Pacific by Samwise

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I dig chicks who speak Elvish.
4 posted on 1/10/02 6:58 PM Pacific by Dialup Llama

___

And what could I say about ecurbh but this:

An ode to the ring ping king

To ecurbh joyously I sing!
Praise for his tireless pings!
For without all the pings for the one ring!
How could we have kept up with all these ring things?
~HairOfTheDog

And I would have to give some honorable recognition to Ambrose, the hardest worker in the anti-Lord of the Rings Movement, who never failed to grace many threads with quotes like this: You make me want to vomit. How dare you compare this piece of dung to Star Wars. HOW DARE YOU?!

And to Boris, who said, in more threads than I care to find reference to: "If I see one more albino ectomorph, I'll puke."

There were maybe two other critics who would occasionally p*ss in our corn flakes (jrherried said that if I can begin quoting without links, as I am getting tired…)

There were some memorable rebuttals, like my own to semper_libertas (an admitted fellow fan of Monty Python): So would you have liked this film better if the ringwraiths had simply been on foot, followed by servants with coconut-halves?

And the best comrade pep talk in the heat of battle came from 68 Grunt (different thread): Hair, my friend, you are casting pearls before swine. Pearls the swine will never appreciate.

There were some conversations that no one outside could possibly even understand, like:

Pippin is a Took, which is even more aristocratic than a Brandybuck. The head Took holds (or used to) the office of Thane. He is also often called The Took. The Baggins family is also well-to-do. Sam is the only "commoner" in the bunch. 43 posted on 12/21/01 9:10 AM Pacific by Restorer

My hunch is that they will show the reforging of Narsil/Anduril in The Two Towers, and probably have Arwen deliver the sword to Aragorn just before or after the battle at Helm's Deep. Anduril does not become crucial until The Return of the King, where it functions as a legitimizing symbol of Aragorn's ancestry and claim to the throne of Gondor. Plus having Arwen deliver it helps solidify her larger role in the movies. 50 posted on 12/24/01 5:26 PM Pacific by Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy

I will close with one more reply to BibChr, who said a lot of beautiful stuff. It summarizes my feelings too:

I notice that feeling you describe, of reminiscing about the movie… The anxiety (and I was excited and nervous BOTH times watching this film) comes to an end when the performance is over. When it's all over, there's a palpable sadness and sense of loss. 155 posted on 12/22/01 12:31 AM Pacific by Skywalk


18 posted on 01/20/2002 9:14:15 PM PST by John Farson
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To: HairOfTheDog
Your links had some extra fancy quote marks: “ ” ...in addition to the regular type " "
19 posted on 01/20/2002 9:16:59 PM PST by John Farson
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To: John Farson
Wow.... That was a LOT of work to fix... YOU are the greatest guy I know.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I composed it in Word, so the "smart quotes" were my demise? I wasn't sure WHAT to do about it.

And yes, we have the next one to look forward to...

"Well, master, we're in a fix and no mistake!"

20 posted on 01/20/2002 10:42:26 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
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