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After waiting in line to get into line to wait some more, I was happy once again to be seated in the middle of a roomful of geeks who love this story as much as I do. I have immense
respect for Peter Jackson, to take on this project in the first place, and to give it full and rightful treatment. I was very moved by the beginning of FOTR, because I honestly hadn't dared to dream that a filmmaker would be so faithful to the author's words, but there we were looking at Tolkein's Shire.
This is a beautiful end to the story. I liked the scope and the magnitude of Helm's Deep, and I also liked the contrasting treatment of the battles in this one: they seemed more personal and small-scale, even though the armies were huge and the effects spectacular. Those flying pieces of buildings had me paralyzed and breathless. As did Sam's battle with Shelob.
Since I last read these books years ago, events had conspired to obscure in my mind just how much Eowyn rocked. I now remember crying when I read that part of the battle, and it was one of many things that moved me to tears watching the movie.
I think part of why this is all so emotional has to be credited to the beauty in the details. The sets and costumes and the landscape and all of it is just so gorgeous that in the quieter moments, you're swooning over how pretty it all is, and then it's back to the action. You don't get a rest that way. It's very effective!
I do agree with the gripes about the Arwen story. It needed a little depth, while they were adding things. I also found it distracting that the front of Aragorn's crown reminded me of the Crystler Building. But those are both pretty small gripes. Overall... it's just wonderful.
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This is a beautiful end to the story. I liked the scope and the magnitude of Helm's Deep, and I also liked the contrasting treatment of the battles in this one: they seemed more personal and small-scale, even though the armies were huge and the effects spectacular. Those flying pieces of buildings had me paralyzed and breathless. As did Sam's battle with Shelob.
Since I last read these books years ago, events had conspired to obscure in my mind just how much Eowyn rocked. I now remember crying when I read that part of the battle, and it was one of many things that moved me to tears watching the movie.
I think part of why this is all so emotional has to be credited to the beauty in the details. The sets and costumes and the landscape and all of it is just so gorgeous that in the quieter moments, you're swooning over how pretty it all is, and then it's back to the action. You don't get a rest that way. It's very effective!
I do agree with the gripes about the Arwen story. It needed a little depth, while they were adding things. I also found it distracting that the front of Aragorn's crown reminded me of the Crystler Building. But those are both pretty small gripes. Overall... it's just wonderful.