Off Forum - Lord of the Rings

zen. · #1 January 9th, 2002, 06:15 PM

Great analysis, Megatrain! A pic of the epic battle scene you missed is at:
http://www.theforce.net/rouser/revie...-fight-big.jpg

For those of you interested in the CG of it, each of the warriors had a primitive AI...within a proprietary program, the agents would "...respond based on rules that use fuzzy values to approximate the way people make decisions", according to Computer Graphics World; "...thousands of warriors that, once set loose on a battlefield, would find an enemy, pick a fight, and fight to the death." They could even tell what type of ground they were standing on and when to strike, like an exposed front when the enemy hefted his weapon overhead, for example.

I had no idea they created the equivalent of a mini-game just for the battle sequences.

zen

jaolhe · #2 January 11th, 2002, 10:58 AM

Written by MegaTrain:

"Glorfindel was the son of Elrond, but plays no other part in the tale."

Where did you get this from? Glorfindel was in no way Elrond's son. He was a very powerful Noldorian prince from the first age. I'm almost sure he was also older than Elrond, most likely more powerful as well.

I'm sorry for this nitpicking...

You had vey good points in your review. I hated the Uruk-hai thing though. It wasn't included in the books nowhere near in the way it was presented in the movie. My opinion is that the whole super-orc thing was meant for stupid and illiterate people who just wanted to have some badass guy to whack head of in the end of the first movie.

Mephisto · #3 January 11th, 2002, 11:14 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jaolhe:
Written by MegaTrain:
You had vey good points in your review. I hated the Uruk-hai thing though. It wasn't included in the books nowhere near in the way it was presented in the movie. My opinion is that the whole super-orc thing was meant for stupid and illiterate people who just wanted to have some badass guy to whack head of in the end of the first movie.

Uh, well, it was in the books. :-)

zen. · #4 January 11th, 2002, 04:51 PM

That was one of my bud's problems with the movie. He was upset that Glorfindel, 'one badass elf', as he described him, wasn't in the movie. Maybe it's a good thing I don't know any better.

zen

MegaTrain · #5 January 11th, 2002, 07:08 PM

jaolhe - I guess you're right. I'll have to look back at the first book to see why I thought Glorfindel was Elrond's son. If I remember right, it was a phrase something like "Glorfindel of the House of Elrond."

Although Glorfindel did mention that Frodo's wound was "beyond my powers of healing", and that the Master of the House of Elrond would have healing powers far greater. I know that healing powers may not be the same as other power, but it seems therefore to me that Elrond was greater, at least in this respect, than Glorfindel.

And they certainly didn't play up the Uruk-Hai
"creation" in the book, but I do remember some discussion about Saruman combining orcs and men so they could run during the day, and the differences between the two Groups of orcs (Saruman's Uruk-hai with the white hand, and the orcs from Mordor) who were hauling away Merry and Pippin.

AJC · #6 January 12th, 2002, 02:03 AM

Elrond is a half elf, Son of Earendil and Elwing. He is the keeper of the Ring of Air, one of the three elven rings that Sauron desires.

Although there were significant differences to the books - I feel they did a excellent job bringing middle earth to life.
Great movie and I feel it definately represented the LOTR well.

I plan on seeing it again this weekend - I will have to watch for the rubber frodo riding with Arwen, and the car...

Aragorn and Arwen
In the Appendix of my copy of the LOTR is a section on Arwen and Aragorn and their lives together before the War of the ring and after the elves depart the grey havens. Aragron Met Arwen when he was 20 as he was wandering in the forest after he found out that he was Isildur's heir. He fell in love with her at first sight.
Elrond refused to let Arwen marry Aragorn until he ruled Gondor. So Aragorn became a ranger for many years.
Once Aragorn takes the throne of Gondor, Arwen and Aragorn marry. Aragorn dies at the age of 60. Arwen lives for many years in Lorien, alone, until she decides give up her life.

Arwen never gives up her immortality as the movie suggests, she instead chose to live with mortals and not leave middle earth.

Fyron · #7 January 12th, 2002, 02:25 AM

From The Fellowship of the Ring:

"This is Glorfindel, who dwells in the house of Elrond."

And from the glossary in The Silmarillion:

"Glorfindel: Elf of Gondolin, who fell to his death in Cirith Thoronath in combat with a Balrog after the escape from the sack of the city."

The Tolkien Companion, by J.E.A. Tyler, states:

"During the Third Age [of the Sun] few remained of the mighty Noldor who had returned to Middle-earth in Exile during the Elder Days. Of these, one of the noblest was Glorfindel, of the House of Finarpihr, 'an elf of a house of princes,' leader of the Host of Rivendell and one of Elrond's chief counsellors."

Apparently, the ancient elf-lord Glorfindel died, but he didn't die. Very interesting.