Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

Well, I really hope you are right.

What they did 'include' was a scene where Gandalf rushes out from MT on his own to save the remnants of Faramir's Denethor inspired counter attack on Osgilliath (sp). Gandalf uses his staff like a light sabre, sending bolts of something or the other at the flying Nazgul and manages to disuade them from their attack. Not as bad as the shield skating from the TT but in the same league IMO. Also, and bear in mind that it has been 20 years since I got as far as the ROTK when reading, but I do not remember Faramir being forced into a suicidel counter-attack by Denethor... came across as silly in the movie to me with 150 horseman charging at the remanants of a reuined city. Mercifully it was brief in the movie but I suspect we may be in for more in the extended Version. Oh well.

[ December 29, 2003, 22:58: Message edited by: gravey101 ]

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Of course not. Neither was that ridiculous skate/snowboarding scene in the 2nd movie... </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">A simple yes or no would suffice for these answers you know. There is no "of course" about it when talking to someone that hasn't read the books. Neither of those sceens seems particularly out of place for someone who doesn't really know what to expect. That's one of the reasons I am reading the books now. I probably should have read them before watching the movies though. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

The skateboarding scene is wildly out of place in a book written 50+ years before the invention of the skateboard (and even more before the invention of the snowboard). And then you have a scene reminiscent of the Hoth battle in Star Wars with that Oliphaunt, which was written some 30 years later than LOTR. I said "of course not" because LOTR (the novels) doesn't have cheap thrills in it like those scenes.

Gravey, I don't think he shot anything, I think it was just some really bright "holy" (or "good/pure") light or somesuch. Perhaps it was symbolic of a contest of will? At any rate, I'll have to see it again to know for sure.

[ December 30, 2003, 02:59: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

I saw the movie this weekend. I liked it very much and thought it was very well done, but I still liked TTT better (not surprising, since the battle of Helm's Deep is my favorite part in the books).

ROTK was good, but just too different from the way I imagined things (this is subjective, I know). Barad Ungol was too large, Minas Morgul and Shelob too small. Mordor was not dark enough. The battle at Minas Tirith took place in daylight, not through the night as I recall it from the books. Small things like this kept getting in the way of my enjoyment of the movie, but the ending - or endings, if you like - were perfect.

(now for a spoiler - Alert Alert)

But what really, really buged me was this : spiders do not have stingers on the end of their abdomen ! What were they thinking ????!!

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

I saw an old movie from the 30's, maybe one of Erol Flynn's, where he was sword fighting in a castle and jumped on a shield and "surfed" down a stair case. Just because you haven't seen something personally yourself doesn't mean it's a new thing. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

Did the book specify that Frodo was bit by the spider? I cant remember. Its a monster, whos to say it didnt have a stinger?

and as for Gandalf shooting the ray of light at the Nazgul and driving them off, the way they showed it is about exactly as I remember it being described.. except I seem to recall that there was only one Ring Wraith.

I really enjoyed the ending, and am glad that they kept it true to the book. Hopefully the extended edition will do a little bit more with it. I did hate those transitions, though. seemed sloppy.

and why did they lose Bilbo's mythril armor? I swear he kept it till the end of the book, but in the film they never collect it after he is captured, and they destinclty show him NOT wearing it, later. That was Bilbo's mythril mail, man! They cant just throw it out!

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

Yes, Frodo was bit by Shelob in the book.

That thing at the end of Shelob looked more like the web spinning... appendage... than a stinger to me.

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

Shelob is no spider, just very similar. And in my German translation a stinger is mentioned but only one time and not in the paragraph where they describe Shelobs appearance but were the poison is mentioned.
Gandals does indeed ride out and meet several Nazguals while covering the retreat of Gondor. White Fire coming from his hands is mentioned but nothing more.

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

white fire from his hands, eh? I seem to remember it was a beam of light from his staff. My memory could be faulty, and I cant find my copy of the book.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting that they used the same or similar special effect in the film, as for the part when Gandalf and the Riders of Rohan charge the Ork lines in TTT. I was sort of wondering how the formation of cavalry got through that tight line of braced spears.

Didnt Gandalf fry a whole bunch of goblins with lightening in The Hobbit? How come we dont get to see him kick any *** in the epic battles of LotR? They just alude to it.

Re: Who\'s going to see Return of the King tonight?
 

If you watch the ROTK charge carefully, the orcs freak out and start to run before the calvery hits. For infantry facing calvery that is a Very Bad Idea. Break, and that nice wall of spears is gone.