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Shelob ROCKS! (spoilers for ROTK)

Elenopa

Elenopa

Regular
I'm putting the spoiler warning in as a precaution as I think this is the first ROTK thread after actually seeing the film.

Shelob is AWESOME :eek: :eek:

I've read the books, I knew what was going to happen, but if there had been a sofa, I would have been behind it.

And before anyone complains that it should have been at the end of the second film; no way. It is in exactly the right place. The timeline in the appendices of the book clearly shows Shelob happenning after the Paths of the Dead. Full marks to Peter Jackson.

This film is very much closer to the book than TT. There are some bits missed out which will probably be in the extended DVD, but there are no really great additions as there were in the previous film.

The is no Sauraman and no scouring of the shire, but that doesn't detract from the film.

Go see it.
 
I am aching to see this, but I'll wait until after New Year's so as I can get into a nice theater without too much hassle.
 
I went to an afternoon showing and almost tripped over people in the lobby waiting to get in on my way out. I loved the movie although even I thought it was one ending too many.

Shelob was great and other than Sauruaman's death all the cuts made were logical. In this way the cuts were more like Fellowship than Two Towers. I'm undecided how I feel about the way Sauron's focus was depicted. On one hand I can't really think of a better way to do it but on the other hand it did have a slight odor of cheese.

One thing I wonder is if people who haven't read the books will wonder why Denenthor was so nutty.
 
He, like Saruman, had a palantir. It allowed him to see things throughout middle earth, this is how he knows about Aragorn. Part of what he's been doing is observing Sauron's growing forces and becoming more and more convinced that his people are doomed. Unfortunately for him Sauron also has a palantir which he used to corrupt Saruman, push Denenthor(sp?) towards nuttysville and confront Pippin. If you have enough will power you can make one of balls show you what you want but Sauron made sure Uncle Nutsy only saw bad.

I imagine this could be an extended edition feature.
 
What a movie. There are no words...
Gonna see it twice more at the cinemas and then its a long wait until the even better Ext Ed.I'm betting that will top 4 hours at least.

Howard Shore's music is brilliant. The way the Minas Tirith theme rises and rises... and the lighting of the beacons.

Its not just that its a great story but its the cinematic imagery too that makes it as good as it is.

Got to see it in the biggest cinema for 400 miles and had the perfect seats too.

You've got to remember, its not just the ending for 1 movie but for 3. And I liked how they did the end credits. That said the final scene might have been better left to the EE, they should have stopped with the Grey Havens. But I guessed PJ was just making sure of his Oscar.
 
What a movie. There are no words...
Gonna see it twice more at the cinemas and then its a long wait until the even better Ext Ed.I'm betting that will top 4 hours at least.

Howard Shore's music is brilliant. The way the Minas Tirith theme rises and rises... and the lighting of the beacons.

Its not just that its a great story but its the cinematic imagery too that makes it as good as it is.

Got to see it in the biggest cinema for 400 miles and had the perfect seats too.

You've got to remember, its not just the ending for 1 movie but for 3. And I liked how they did the end credits. That said the final scene might have been better left to the EE, they should have stopped with the Grey Havens. But I guessed PJ was just making sure of his Oscar. We know how the Academy loves all those movies about people "torn in two".
 
That film feels long. I don't normally feel the length of films but that was so emotional that I was quite drained by the end. Despite that I wish it were longer because I didn't want to leave Middle Earth. :)

It must have been a total nightmare to edit because it's packed to bursting with story, I can understand how Sauruman's exit had to go. A few seconds explaining Denethor's mindset wouldn't have been too much, and I knew I was going to miss the scouring.

In a way the characters covered the same ground that the scouring does so again I'm impressed. It really is a fantastic realisation of an 'impossible' book to film. It's a very good sign that the LOTR fans want Jackson to go back and redo the 'missing' parts of the book - they obviously trust his vision and abilities.

King Kong then The Hobbit? I'd book my cinema tickets for that now if I could, I can't imagine him messing it up.
 
I actually liked that the movie ended with Sam and his family in the Shire. After all, that's what they went to war for in the first place, right? It was perfect. Yeah, the ship going into the distance would have been a smash ending, but it SHOULDN'T have ended there -- Sam kissing his daughter was a distinct reminder that Frodo's victory was a victory for LIFE.
 
I know some people have complained about one or more of the "six" endings (are there really six or was it that someone approximated it in their review and the quote just stuck???), but I liked all "six" endings. If PJ had put in six more, I think I may have been okay with that too.

It's a lot like B5. Babylon 5 was not about the Shadow War, it was about the build-up & preparation, the conflict itself, and the resolution & growth afterwards. Return of the King is the same way. If the movie had ended at Mordor, it would have truly been all about the ring. Instead, the story was about the characters, and the ending(s) showed that.

This isn't exactly a spoiler because I won't give away the exact line, but Aragorn has a brief-but-profound final comment to the four hobbits in one of the endings. To me those few little words were quite possibly the defining moment of the entire trilogy. I've never cried at movies, but certain scenes in certain movies make me come close. I've never come closer to losing my "man card" than when Aragorn says those few little words (I'm on lunch break at work 2 days after seeing the movies, and just typing about it almost brings a tear).

A moment in the runner-up category would be the facial expressions on the four hobbits when they realize no one knows or would ever understand what they went through to save all of middle-earth and that those 13(?) months changed them forever. (Again, kind of like Babylon 5; some people on Mars--and probably Earth too--didn't even know there was a Shadow War, much less that we won).

Excellent movie. I have to see it at least once more to decide if it's my favorite of all time, but LOTR as a whole has got to be my favorite trilogy.

Oh, and just for the sake of sticking to the original thread topic...

Shelob was pretty cool. I haven't read the third book, so I wasn't anticpating Shelob as much as others. It was very well done as far as special effects, but I guess I would say I was much more impressed by other things in the movie. In a weird way, I guess that could still be taken as a compliment to the movie that such a cool element is still not the best thing about it.
 
I think last part of the movie wouldn't seem as drawn out if they hadn't gone to black than paused for each one. Don't get me wrong personally I loved the movie and wasn't bored for a second I just think a little bit could have been saved for the extended cut leaving Sam's wedding as example of what they were fighting for.
 
It's all about what Jackson wants to leave the audience with. Your last shot of the movie in a way ultimately defines the movie. It's the last thign the audience sees so that's what you leave them with. Ending the movie with the ships leaving or with Sam and his family have two completely different effects. I personally wanted to see the ships as the last shot, ending with the dark maturity rather than the typical Hollywood happy shot...although, I can't remember what the last image Tolkien leaves us with in the book...does anyone remember?
 
I just got back from the theater and I have to say that it's one of the best films I've ever seen in front of a giant screen. Like others have said, there are definitely some moments where I was near tears. If it doesn't win the Oscar, then someone should be shot.
 
I can't remember what the last image Tolkien leaves us with in the book...does anyone remember?
Click to expand...

The book ends just as the film does, with Sam returning home, picking up his daughter and saying,

"Well, I'm back."
 
The book ends just as the film does, with Sam returning home, picking up his daughter and saying,

"Well, I'm back."
Click to expand...

Which is the perfect ending, showing that all the sacrifice was worthwhile, as it allowed life to go on, changed but peacefully.

If you put the books, and the ending, in the context in which they were written, i.e. the aftermath of war, it makes sense. Peace is the ultimate goal
 
All I can say is:

Bravo Peter Jackson! Bravo! Bravo! :D

RoTK is a magnificent ending to a magnificent movie-trilogy, the 3 films together (especially in Extended DVD-versions) are a masterpiece! :D ;)

PS. The Shelob-sequence was one of the many, many great scenes that together made this into an excellent tapestry of movie-magic! :)
 
This movie made me feel the way that the big charge down the hill in TTT made me feel. All tingly, and such. And it lasted pretty much throughout the ENTIRE thing. I even hung around until the credits finished rolling, because I felt that such a magnificently crafted piece of film DESERVED it. Apparently, no one else did, since everyone but my two friends had bailed by the end of the credits.

And there was a small child I was ready to throttle as well. Although, I think someone beat me to it, because after the battle at Minas Tirith more or less subsided, I heard no more of the little villain.

Anyways.... this IS the definitive trilogy now. I feel that there should be NO DOUBT of that. At least, that's MY simple opinion.
 
Good point about the credits. I went to see it opening day with a friend from work, but he (along with most of the people in theater) isn't the type to sit through credits, so neither did I.

I hope to see it a second time with my best friend, and he is the type to sit through at least some of the credits. I noticed they did them in a different visual style, so I'd like to see more of them myself.
 
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