Movie: Return of the King

[idukes]

I saw Return of the King last Friday night at a special screening. It's pretty good. If you liked the first two, you won't be disappointed by the final installment.

Sir Ian McKellen attended the screening, to accept an award, and he gave a live interview on stage before the showing of the movie. He's a truly charming and entertaining personality, and the highlight of the evening was when he consented to finish out the interview by delivering a Shakespeare soliloquy. He put down the microphone, came to the very front of the stage, and wowed the packed theater with his impromptu performance. He's one of those very rare actors with a true commanding presence. He's definitely the strongest actor in the whole LOTR movie trilogy, and fittingly so, because he plays the strongest character in Middle-earth.

Anyway, about the movie, there's some knock-out action in the great battle sequence, and lots of good stuff throughout. For me, the white city of Minas Tirith was the most breathtaking and beautiful of the many wonderful "locations" of all three movies.

I will probably have to go see it again once it opens.

Ian

[wadaribaba]

I've got tickets for the screening of the trilogy next week. All 3 movies in 1 day ! :D Cant wait for that !!!!

[Knightshade]

that's cool...this is probably the only movie that I've wanted to see all year and I would hate to disappointed like I was with the second matrix...and I've given up on that sell out Lucas.

[Iyindo]

OMG... you SO rock for posting about this movie... I can't wait!!!!

[Tillers_Rule]

Originally posted by wadaribaba
I've got tickets for the screening of the trilogy next week. All 3 movies in 1 day ! :D Cant wait for that !!!!


You do realize those movies are like 3 hours each righthttp://smilies.crowd9.com/contrib/sarge/Sniffles_anim.gif

[petec999]

"You do realize those movies are like 3 hours each right"


Actually, ROTK is 3:30 long. If you watch the director's cuts you'll be there for close to 12 hours! I think my eyeballs might melt after that!

[Monte]

Yep, it was pretty good. Just got back from a midnight showing (sounded like such a good idea when I was drunk).

Anyway, we get to take off from work and see a showing this afternoon, courtesy of the company. I'll decide by then whether I liked it enough to see it again so soon, or whether I'll just head home and take a nap. :D

It's definitely worth checking out if you can stand to sit for 3 1/2+ hours.

[wadaribaba]

Originally posted by Tillers_Rule
You do realize those movies are like 3 hours each righthttp://smilies.crowd9.com/contrib/sarge/Sniffles_anim.gif
Actually, the first two extended edition movies were a little over 3 1/2 hours long and the third was about the same too ! Spent 12 hours in the theater yesterday. :D It was definitely worth the price of the ticket. The third movie is awesome and I got to see it 10 pm on tuesday !!:D (I know there are those who had seen it even earlier) Besides that, the theater gave free pizza and everyone also got a frame with 3 actual film strips from the studio :D
All in all, it was a fun night, although my eyes were shot to hell after sitting in the second row for 12 hrs.

[cracked lid]

Originally posted by MrPython
Anyway, we get to take off from work and see a showing this afternoon, courtesy of the company.

Where do you work?

[Monte]

Originally posted by cracked lid
Where do you work?
Here (http://sonyonline.com).

[bloodclot]

ahhhhhh everquest!! you have no idea how long it took me to get away from that game. its like crack and its twice as bad when all your real life freinds keep draging you back in :p

[Monte]

Originally posted by bloodclot
ahhhhhh everquest!! you have no idea how long it took me to get away from that game. its like crack and its twice as bad when all your real life freinds keep draging you back in :p
You should see 2.

[Knightshade]

I can't wait to see this damn movie.....going to try and catch it tomorrow.

[TIE_Pilot]

I just saw it... fantastic. It's hard to believe how much stuff still ended up on the cutting room floor. The movie basically has nine endings (or so) which was a bit much after almost three and a half hours. It definitely hit all the right notes though.

[idukes]

(WARNING: SPOILER)

The ending does go on for a while, but the wedding of Merry and Pippin was quite romantic, wasn't it? I'm glad they left that in.

[TIE_Pilot]

(WARNING: SPOILER)

I assume you mean Sam and Rosie. :)

[idukes]

Originally posted by TIE_Pilot
(WARNING: SPOILER)

I assume you mean Sam and Rosie. :)

Yeah, they were cute too.

[linp]

I saw it yesterday afternoon, compliments of MrPython (THANKS!)

Great movie. Enjoyed every minute of it.

[Padu]

I saw it yesterday.... 10pm to 1:30am

Among the three, the best for sure, but they could have ended the movie waaay earlier...

It was funny, towards the end, everybody at the theather started to laugh at each cutscene, kind of "oh no, I thought It'd end this time!" Really, no need to be that long.

[Padu]

On a side note though... is it my dirty mind or nobody else though the relationship between Frodo and Sam a little awkward?

Interesting thing though, in Brazil on those more "romantic" scenes between Frodo and Sam, everybody in the theather would laugh and start calling them names, but here, none....

Well, I think it is our non-politically correct nature :D

[Kurt'sSV]

Saw it last night. Thought it was great. Looks good to win best picture this year. While I didn't want it to end, I was glad when I finally saw THE END up on the screen. Jesus!

[wadaribaba]

Originally posted by Padu
On a side note though... is it my dirty mind or nobody else though the relationship between Frodo and Sam a little awkward?

What about Merry and Pipin ???!?!? They take the cake !

[TIE_Pilot]

Pretty sad that every comrade-in-arms relationship now has to have gay overtones... it's not Will and Grace folks. BTW, Merry and Pippin are related, as stated multiple times in the first and third movie. :)

[Iyindo]

I did think that Frodo and Sam's relationship was potentially homoerotic... but if you read back into Shakespeare, male-male friendship has been portrayed that way for a long, long time. Especially in the whole comrade-in-arms situation (like someone mentioned). I mean, if you think about Tolkien being Oxford educated and a linguist trying to recreate the feel of an older mythology, it makes perfect sense to me that the friendship would take on that kind of quality... something that WE might see as awkward but that would've been perfectly reasonable at the time.

I mean, male friendsl walk down the street holding hands in India all the time and it's totally fine. Here, we get wiggy about that or automatically assume they're gay. Kind of interesting.

Having said that, for interested parties, there are plenty of sites that play with the whole gay LOTR fantasy.

[Iyindo]

oops... i forgot to actually say what i thought about the movie as a whole. i'm the only person i know that was a bit disappointed. the ending was interminable and choppy, and there wasn't enough narrative for my tastes, which makes sense because it was one big battle... but still, i think the STORY ended in the Two Towers. The interesting bits anyway.

[wadaribaba]

Originally posted by Iyindo

I mean, male friendsl walk down the street holding hands in India all the time and it's totally fine. Here, we get wiggy about that or automatically assume they're gay. Kind of interesting.
You from India... ?

[Knightshade]

Ditto on Iyindo's comments. You go through any type of experience like that, and the relationship is bound to go beyond friendship, perhaps even beyond family bonds.

At any rate, I thought the movie was a bit long in the tooth and a bit hurried and discombobulated at the end itself. Still enjoyable, but I will be curious to see the extended version and what parts didn't make into the theatrical version.

[slowpoke]

I thought that the book was even more, uh, awkward.

However, it may be that our perception of language has changed from the 50s to now. Also, it may be a Brittish way of writing.

Loved the move, can't wait for the director's cut to see if they have additional scenes in the ending.

Was it just my theater... but why do people clap for the actors in a MOVIE? It's not as if they can hear the applause!

[Knightshade]

I've never made it through the third book. The last time I tried has to be at least 6 years ago, I just always found myself skimming instead of reading, so I'd just give up about 1/2 way through it.

And I didn't have any clappers at my showing..I hate people that clap at movies. Go see a play!!

[sandie]

just saw it tonight
i thought it was so good!
but, i do agree, it did kinda go on and on at the end...then again, i like how it kinda finalized everything...i mean, don't you just hate it when movies end with out any real explanation of what happens to the characters next? like, you can GUESS what's gonna happen, but you're just never really sure :p

ok, time fore bed

[TIE_Pilot]

The book ends basically the same way... you're holding this huge thick novel in your hands and the main story ends about two thirds of the way through. There is a lot of afterword and epilogue in it. Tolkien wrote an astouding amount of supporting material in creating his universe... like fully fleshing out all of the Elvish languages, Elvish creation mythology, etc. Some people would say he just needed to get a life though. :)

[ZombieDude]

Originally posted by Knightshade
I've never made it through the third book. The last time I tried has to be at least 6 years ago, I just always found myself skimming instead of reading, so I'd just give up about 1/2 way through it.


I, too, could never finish the third book. When I was a youngster, I attempted to read that trilogy at least three times. Fellowship, and the Two Towers breezed by, but never could get into Return of the King.

[petec999]

I saw the movie on opening night, like I did with the first two. I had a hard time staying awake for #2, but was rivited for #3. The ending did seem to go on forever, but that is how the book is. Tolkien was telling the Hobits' tale and thus the ending needed to be as it was. Just try reading the Similarian!

As far as Frodo and Sam goes: One of the things that I appreciated about the movie was that it was unapologetic in the area of friendships, all of them. I don't know why there is a need to read homsexuality into all male relationships. I suppose that so many relationships on screen get sexualized that it is almost impossible to think of any close emotional movie relationship in other terms.

I'm interested in seeing the extended version. There was a lot left out: Saruman and Wormtounge's demise, for one should be fun. It will end up being 4 hrs long I bet.

[Iyindo]

4.5 hours, i heard. but i'm not sure that the saruman & wormtounge thing will be in there at all. i read that chris lee was pissed about being cut from 3 altogether.

[Iyindo]

Originally posted by wadaribaba
You from India... ?

and i forgot to add... no, i'm not from India. But i spent some time there. I loved it there!

[wadaribaba]

Originally posted by Iyindo
and i forgot to add... no, i'm not from India. But i spent some time there. I loved it there!
Glad to know you liked it ! :D I'm from India and it's always nice to see someone who not only knows where India is but appreciates it too !!