WillySi7

i have been curious about this for a while since i have not yet read the books (im just finishing the hobbit now).

since we hear about the book fan's gripes and dislikes, what was left out, what was not true to the book, and generally differences in the two (tom bombadil, etc.) id like to hear the flipside

for those of you who have read the books and seen the films.. what impressed you most about the films? what were you looking forward to seeing, that met or exceeded your expectations. it could be anything from the visual power of a creature like the balrog, or the beauty of a particular set (maybe lothlorien for example). i guess even the characters themselves could qualify (seeing them brought to life) or a whole battle sequence.

i suppose in most cases (LOTR probably following suit) the book is better than the movie, but id still like to know what Jackson and his team brought to film that impressed even the die-hard fans

Daytrip

for one, seeing Edoras. Rohan was always my favorite of the two major strongholds of men. the detail that went into that set was unbelievable. the charge of the Rohirrium was also done with such emotion as was most of the stuff in ROTK.

just the overall costume and set design was top notch, from the elegant acrhitectural lines of Rivendell to the sharp lines of Dwarrowdelf and the distinct differences betweek of men. Jackson did a wonderful job with this aspect of the movie

Jason

I was blown away by many things:

1) Gandalf's arrival at Bag End when he knocks on Bilbo's door. A shot straight out of the mind of Tolkien.

2) Moria - my favorite sequence in FOTR.

3) The end of the battle of Helm's Deep with the last charge of the Rohirrim and the arrival of Gandalf and Eomer.

4) Grond.

5) "Whatever comes through that gate, you are soilders of Gondor!"

6) Mt. Doom. Incredible editing between the events on Mt. Doom and at the Black Gate. Literally "edge of your seat" action.

talemyn

I think that the extent to which thy captured the grand scale of the story is what impressed me most. Sure there were things that they left out (e.g., Tom Bombadil), but to be able to capture such a fantastic story in such a limited amount of time (relatively) was beyond impressive. Now, the caveat to that you have to see the EE's to really get that . . . the theatrical releases did not do nearly as good a job at it, with ROTK being a possible exception . . . although, we won't really know for a little while, now will we?

Secondly, I was overwhelmed by how well they were able to capture the "look & feel" of the story. Seeing as LOTR is the "granddaddy" of fantasy as we know it today, there was a big challenge to be met in order to capture how things, creatures, people, etc. should look in Middle Earth and I think that they were able to do that beautifully (e.g., the Balrog, the grace, beauty, and nobility of the elves and their language, the ethereal nature of Lothlorien, etc.). Even more impressive, I think was that, in some cases, they were able to exceed the book in its description and impact. For example, I thought that the grandeur and scale of Minas Tirith was far more effective in the film, the battle at Pelennor was much more epic than my mind had ever pictured, and the confrontation in the Path Of The Dead was far more evocative than I remember it being when I read the book.

Overall, and this is slightly off-topic, I think that the entire trilogy has accomplished something that no other fantasy film has ever done and that is provide a world in which you can truely immerse yourself. The story is astounding (thanks to Tolkien), the director was completely dedicated to "getting it right", and the special effects and make-up capabilities were, for the first time, able to support the mystery, artistry, visual beauty, creativity, etc. that a fantasy movie truely needs to affect it's viewers/fans. The combination of the three, in my mind, has lead to one of the landmark accomplishments in the history of fantasy and one of the greatest (if not the greatest) cinematic epics ever created.

RoboDad

I would have to echo all of the sentiments that have been written here aready -- especially the Mount Doom sequence, which was awesome, and for the most part, very true to the books. The dialog, the look of the mountainside, the excellent acting, it drew me completely in.

I would also like to add one more thing that hasn't been mentioned, and that is the Ents, and Fangorn in general. They way that Treebeard was visualized was, in my view, absolutely stunning. They could not have captured my image of him better if they had tried.

Jepthah

I really know the films were a success for me because even when they differed with my own mental images as a book fan, I grew to accept and even love Jackson's vision of it on virtually every count.

Giantrobo

I also agree with what has been said above.

Jackson made me care about these characters even than when I read the books.

I liked:

The Ents
Shelob
Gollum..I hated him but I liked the way he was done

Great Casting:

King Theodon
Ghandalf
Galadriel
Elrond
Boromir

TCG

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=337717

gcribbs

I would say Peter Jackson captured the feel of the books.

I was simply overwhelmed by what he was able to do.