(no subject)
Dec. 20th, 2003 12:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learnedaxThoughts after first viewing of The Return of the King. Contains spoilers, if a plot this well-established can really be spoiled.
This movie is very good. It's not the book, and it could never stand against the book, but it does draw the promise of the first two movies into a powerful conclusion. The trilogy can now stand on its own as a truly excellent work of film.
What they got right: a surprising amount, actually.
Nearly every character not only escapes gross misrepresentation, but gets a chance for their role-defining moments to stand out. Pippin gets his fealty, Faramir gets some first-class pathos, Sam defines steadfast, Gimli is still comedic but is now stalwart rather than feckless, and Eowyn gets her crowning moment of defiance.
The detail was as usual superb, the writers actually lined up their dialog with the books quite a bit, and the plot was adapted rather than rewritten.
What they got wrong: the directing in particular is still drawn a bit too much in primary colors. Peter Jackson is used to horror movies, and he seems to try to wring that same style out of this epic. This shows up in lots of large and small ways, from Denethor leaping aflame off the cliff of Gondor to the armies of the dead becoming manifest on the Pelennor fields.
Also, Frodo should never send Sam away. He uses Gollum because he needs him, but he should never trust him over Sam. He's not an idiot.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tpau and I are taking her brother to see it tonight, so I may have more thoughts thereafter.
This movie is very good. It's not the book, and it could never stand against the book, but it does draw the promise of the first two movies into a powerful conclusion. The trilogy can now stand on its own as a truly excellent work of film.
What they got right: a surprising amount, actually.
Nearly every character not only escapes gross misrepresentation, but gets a chance for their role-defining moments to stand out. Pippin gets his fealty, Faramir gets some first-class pathos, Sam defines steadfast, Gimli is still comedic but is now stalwart rather than feckless, and Eowyn gets her crowning moment of defiance.
The detail was as usual superb, the writers actually lined up their dialog with the books quite a bit, and the plot was adapted rather than rewritten.
What they got wrong: the directing in particular is still drawn a bit too much in primary colors. Peter Jackson is used to horror movies, and he seems to try to wring that same style out of this epic. This shows up in lots of large and small ways, from Denethor leaping aflame off the cliff of Gondor to the armies of the dead becoming manifest on the Pelennor fields.
Also, Frodo should never send Sam away. He uses Gollum because he needs him, but he should never trust him over Sam. He's not an idiot.
tpau and I are taking her brother to see it tonight, so I may have more thoughts thereafter.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-12-20 11:30 pm (UTC)I completely agree with you about Frodo, Sam and lembas-gate. As noted in response to
no subject
Date: 2003-12-21 08:58 am (UTC)