Return of the King *SPOILERS*

[42]

So initially I thought that the ending was too long. I would have cut after Sam smiles at Frodo in Minis Tirith. However, as I thought about it more I kind of like the additional stuff. I starting thinking that if I were to see the movie again, which I will, I would want to see all that other stuff (weddings, Grey Havens, ect...) because it rounds out the film more.

Also, Sean Astin got some great screen time. There is buzz that he's a shoe in for a Oscar nomination. Now that I think about it, that's probably true. Course, he will have to overcome the oscar snobs.

Things I liked:

• The depiction of Smeagol murdering his brother.
  
• The whole battle for Minis Tirith.
  
• Aragorn and the undead hoards
  
• Anytime Smeagol and Sam got together.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

I loved that they actually did the whole heads being pultted into Minas Tirith. I'm glad they did that.

I never did get the whole undead thing in the book. Obviously I was being oblivious in my reading of the last book. I shall return to it in January.

Sam and Smeagol were an awesome duo, and I loved the fight scenes between them.

Gimli was great every time he spoke. What was it, I can't remember it disctinctly but lets try. "No chance of survival, hordes of orcs, and a possibility of death. Lets go." Something along those lines. That was a good line.

The destruction of Sauron was a pretty cool thing to see. That made me a happy person.

The signals from Gondor were a surprise to me in sorts, and I found that cool. A long trip it is though.

And the ending was good, but I wanted to see the destruction and restruction of The Shire. Poor Mr. Lee. As long as the extended makes me have to take a nap before finishing it, that will make me extendedly happy.

[Entsuropi]

Okay. So i called in sick and watched it with a friend today. I am impatient and have poor impulse control, okay?

Groovy ass film.

But...
1) Haradrim war elephants... but no haradrim infantry, or cavalry?
2) Historically, main use of elephants is to scare the bejesus out of cavalry, since horses find them scary. But the Rohirrim charged the oliphants and didn't care.
3) The easterlings... where were they? They rocked in TTT. Looked so cool.
4) No mouth of sauron
5) The film really did skimp dramatically on the Palantir. I almost wonder why he even bothered putting in the few mentions that he did.
6) Long! I was getting restless by the end.
7) The wedding and after was nice.
Elrond needs a shave.

[42]

The sacking ot the shire was never filmed. Jackson is being really clear about it. It was one the items that Jackson never even included in the script. Kind of like Tom Bombadil.

He devised an alternate ending for Sauramon that is different from the book. It will be in the extended version.

[42]

There was Easterling infantry, they just got very few close ups. They show them running underneath the Oliphants when they first enter. There is a simular shot later that the Rohan Cavalry doing the same thing.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

The Palantir was poorly skipped too much. And there was no bak and forth with Saruman and Gandalf. Still not enough Entage.

The mouth... I am sorry, but I don't remember that. I am a bad person.

I want to say the easterlings were taken over when Aragorn and the Deaded Army came on the boats. understandable I think.

2) It was due or die man. What other option did they have.

I will have to wait months to believe you 42.

[Entsuropi]

I want to say the easterlings were taken over when Aragorn and the Deaded Army came on the boats. understandable I think.

2) It was due or die man. What other option did they have.

The guys on the boats were the corsairs, guys from Umbar.

2) You don't understand. Horses will _not_ charge elephants. Unless they are specifically trained to deal with them, which i doubt in this case.

[42]

Entopy, get your supposed sense of reality out of here. Watching horses charge elephants is cool. Plus, they aren't really elephants are they. So yes, horses do not charge elephants, but they will charge Oliphants.

[Entsuropi]

No need to be a dickhead about it.

[42]

Hey, you brought it up.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

corsairs are not in LotR, they're in Starcraft. Get your genres straightened up. =P

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Are you playing daft, ignorent or just fooling around, the Corsairs of Umbar are a very well documented society in LOTR, they are descendents of Gondorians who fought in the Gondorian Kin Strife, (the civil war that resulted in the fall of Osgilatith) cast out they fled south to live with the Black Numenorians and the Haradrim.

[Fellfrosch]

Just got back, absolutely loved it. The charge of Rohan almost brought me to tears, but Sam eventually got me there anyway. The battles were great, the spider was great, the scene where Denethor eats while Faramir dies is wonderful, and Gollum was perfect. When Eowyn killed the witch-king it was like Peter Jackson opened up my head and just filmed my mind--that's exactly how I see the scene every time I read it. And this movie finally proves my life-long belief that dead people are totally cool.

My only complaint (barring some left-out stuff that will be on the DVD, so I'm complaining about it) is the death of Denethor. The way he dies in the book, burning himself with the Palantir in his hands, was awesome. Here he just kind of runs around and falls. Blah

[Eagle Prince]

Greatest movie of all time twice over.

The death of Sauron was perfect.  The witch-king's flail was totally bad.  Playing the video game, I had an idea what the undead army would look like, but it was still so much more awesome then I thought it would be.  The beam of light off of Minus Morgul was great.  That whole place looked awesome, esp the stairs they were just freaky.  Gandalf killing that troll in one hit, or better yet when he rides out and scares off all the ringwraiths.

One of my favorite lines is when Sam says I can't carry this burden for you, but I can carry you and then packs him up Mount Doom.  That was awesome.

[EUOL]

I kinda liked Gandalf going all Jacky-Chan on the orcs with his staff...

But, seriously, I was suitably impressed.  Just reaffirms to me why I'm a fantasy writer.  

(Though, as a caveat, Tolkien is the ultimate master of "Uh, where did that army that just saved us come from?" climaxes.)

And, on the Oliphant argument, I have to side with Entropy.  Or, at least, the principle Entropy is arguing.  Telling him to get his 'sense of reality' out of the discussion does fantasy literature a grave insult.  

You see, fantasy depends on its ability to develop an internal logic different from that of our own world.  I realize you know this, but with that realization one must understand that any time we allow fantasy to get away with irregularities simply because they're 'cool' or because they're 'magic,' we denigrate the genre and give into what the detractors commonly uphold as the form's gravest stumbling-block to legitimacy.

So, I would formulate two responses to Entropy's point.  Either there is a rational story explanation (i.e., the Riders are no regular cavalry, and their horses trained beyond the scope of what is normal,) or it was an error in the story.  That's not such a bad thing to acknowledge--any story will have its problems, and this one isn't so grand that it should be considered a serious flaw.