Because the eagles don't give a fuck about anything that happens on the ground, save for Gandalf. Them coming at the end of ROTK is them going "Okay, we see now we have to give a fuck."
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 15 Years Later
- Thread starter Loxley
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Because the eagles don't give a fuck about anything that happens on the ground, save for Gandalf. Them coming at the end of ROTK is them going "Okay, we see now we have to give a fuck."
Vigilant Walrus
Member
It is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a movie where the director was right. It was the right choice to treat middle-earth like an actual medieval world rather than straight up fantasy hoo-haa. People hated Jackson for not including tom bombadil.
People said that Jackson was a hack who didnt understand the story. Here you have Tom. This apathetic creature who has the power to fucking undo the entire thing and he doesnt give a fuck. Its this entire part of the book where not much happens besides there is this uber powerful guy and he doesnt give a fuck, lets move on you guise.
Tom would have made the film feel more like narnia.
But at the end, how often does it happen that a director taking creative license over the source material end up making it better? I feel lord of the rings has so little magic in it, that it was rooted in something more beliveable.
When I learned that gandalf was this quite powerful magic user in the lore I was surprised because in the movie gandalf is a special character, but he is not like some heroic lvl 99 wizard in epic gear. He didnt felt invincible, it didnt felt like he just made magic bridges or summoned angels and all kinds of crazy shit. he had his tricks but often it felt like intuition ("follow your nose samwise") and quirkyness.
Boromir is one of my favorites ever. He is the posterboy for everything. He says more than everything about the folly of man and he is the most tragic and yet noble character of all of them. Strong, noble, and yet susceptible to corruption. Thats a difficult theme to show and they did it amazingly well.
People said that Jackson was a hack who didnt understand the story. Here you have Tom. This apathetic creature who has the power to fucking undo the entire thing and he doesnt give a fuck. Its this entire part of the book where not much happens besides there is this uber powerful guy and he doesnt give a fuck, lets move on you guise.
Tom would have made the film feel more like narnia.
But at the end, how often does it happen that a director taking creative license over the source material end up making it better? I feel lord of the rings has so little magic in it, that it was rooted in something more beliveable.
When I learned that gandalf was this quite powerful magic user in the lore I was surprised because in the movie gandalf is a special character, but he is not like some heroic lvl 99 wizard in epic gear. He didnt felt invincible, it didnt felt like he just made magic bridges or summoned angels and all kinds of crazy shit. he had his tricks but often it felt like intuition ("follow your nose samwise") and quirkyness.
Boromir is one of my favorites ever. He is the posterboy for everything. He says more than everything about the folly of man and he is the most tragic and yet noble character of all of them. Strong, noble, and yet susceptible to corruption. Thats a difficult theme to show and they did it amazingly well.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Greatest movie of all time
DM_Uselink
Member
One of my favorites. I got to see it in the theaters, and was mesmerized. It was probably one of the reasons I ended up wanting to become a concept artist.
I still watch the trilogy at least once a year.
Those art galleries in the special features...I need to watch again!
Here's a speed paint I did recently from still of the movie to celebrate!
I still watch the trilogy at least once a year.
Those art galleries in the special features...I need to watch again!
Here's a speed paint I did recently from still of the movie to celebrate!
TheChewyWaffles
Member
That's amazing! Did you make it into your career path?
DM_Uselink
Member
Thanks! Yeah, I've worked on a few indie games (one made by Gafers!)
The dream is to one day work on something even a little close to the LOTR franchise haha.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
You wouldn't happen to be based in Seattle area would you? If so, I'd send a application for Daniel Dociu's team at ArenaNet. They have some of the best fantasy concept art I've ever seen, and they got a shit ton of accolates and rewards for their work on Guild Wars. They also have a small army of artists. / http://danieldociu.weebly.com/
With regards to LOTRs art direction it's amazing. Those two lead artists weren't fucking around. I think they said in the making LOTR EEE's that they did more than 3000 pieces, just the two of them. That's bananas.
My favourite trilogy of all time! But Fellowship has played a very important role in my life. I was in the middle school when it aired in China, and before this movie I didn't even know what was fantasy. After watching it in theater, I was completely blown away and asked my parents to buy me the books. Since then, I began my journey into the western culture, reading sci-fi and fantasy books, playing DND and western video games etc. I learned my English from those sources, which eventually led me to start a new stage of my life in another country.
I still watch the trilogy at least once each year, and I will never get tired of this master piece. I also went to New Zealand last year, and you all know the reason behind it
I still watch the trilogy at least once each year, and I will never get tired of this master piece. I also went to New Zealand last year, and you all know the reason behind it
KeyBladerXIII
Member
Did anyone else play LotR: Battle for Middle Earth? It was a really good game that became amazing when the campaign diverged from the source material and let you save Boromir so that he continued on with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli all the way to Gondor and the Black Gate.
Yep! The sequel was even better IMO. Unfortunately, the game doesn't work on Windows 10, and since EA no longer has the license it will probably never be patched
BoxManLocke
Member
Wow. Can't believe I was only 13 when I went to the theater to watch Fellowship. Even then I knew I had witnessed something special.
My favourite movie of all time, I don't think anything can ever get close to that. I mean Two Towers and RoTK are fantastic as well but I feel Fellowship really has something special that makes it a masterpiece. This movie is pure magic. Every time I rewatch it I'm still in awe.
Also, worth pointing out again : Two Towers and RoTK have the best videogame tie-ins of all time. Brilliant, brilliant games.
My favourite movie of all time, I don't think anything can ever get close to that. I mean Two Towers and RoTK are fantastic as well but I feel Fellowship really has something special that makes it a masterpiece. This movie is pure magic. Every time I rewatch it I'm still in awe.
Also, worth pointing out again : Two Towers and RoTK have the best videogame tie-ins of all time. Brilliant, brilliant games.
Alan Lee and John Howe, right? Two of the most famous Tolkien illustrators, both excelling at different stuff and, thus, complementing each other: Lee's landscapes are ethereally beautiful, while Howe is better (IMHO) at character design. They're both incredibly talented, and the movies were better because of their involvement.
brandonh83
Banned
It's something damned special.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
They also made the hobbit art direction? Why does Hobbit look not as well-put-together as LOTR? Why is it not as grounded?
Does it come down to heavier use of CGI?
Discotheque
Banned
Yeah that finale is incredible. Aragorn telling Frodo he would have gone with him to the end (dat line delivery from Viggo) and then facing all those orcs alone....oh my goodness. One of the GOAT hero moments. I feel like standing up and saluting everytime it happens haha
Huge fan of the trilogy. Singularly tho this movie is in my top 10 of all time and the best action ensemble movie ever imo.
Howard Shore did some fantastic work with his breaking of the fellowship track too. Weaving all the character themes together.
Partially. There could be a book written about everything that went wrong with the Hobbit. Largely, it came down to not enough time.
Long story short - Jackson had 2 years of pre-production time on The Lord of the Rings, and with The Hobbit trilogy he had only six months. This was largely because of del Toro's decision to leave the project and WB's insistence that production just get rolling anyway after the numerous delays caused by MGM's financial woes. In Jackson's own words, they were laying the tracks as the train was moving with the Hobbit.
A stronger movie than TTT and ROTK, but I feel both of those have the most powerful moments in the entire trilogy in Helm's Deep scene and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
That Theoden speech is one of the greatest moments in cinema, "Ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death!" I get chills just thinking about it.
That Theoden speech is one of the greatest moments in cinema, "Ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death!" I get chills just thinking about it.
damn, I knew it had a troubled production but I didn't know it was that bad. The fact that three competent epics were made in a much shorter timespan than the original trilogy is still (somewhat) commendable - even if the finished product, bloated and inconsistent, shows the effect of such constraints. It's not like he fucked them up from the beginning as in the SW prequels
I still like this one the best of the 3 simply because it does such a good job of getting across the key point of how Hobbits are the furthest thing from typical heroes. How they don't want to do any of this but have no real choice. They're not some special chosen one with super powers other than the will to resist the ring.
Most movies don't have time to do much of that at all.
Now I gotta re watch it.
Most movies don't have time to do much of that at all.
Now I gotta re watch it.
weepingangelz
Banned
damn, I knew it had a troubled production but I didn't know it was that bad. The fact that three competent epics were made in a much shorter timespan than the original trilogy is still (somewhat) commendable - even if the finished product, bloated and inconsistent, shows the effect of such constraints. It's not like he fucked them up from the beginning as in the SW prequels
watch this part of the bluray the making feature
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQkygZdZ_Vk
peter jackson looks very tired.
DM_Uselink
Member
Thanks, yep I love the art that comes out of there. I'm actually in LA, but I never rule out relocation. Cheers!
brandonh83
Banned
What episode of The Office is that gif from
Bubba_Sparks
Member
One of my favourite movies! Seeing it in theaters back then was amazing!
watch this part of the bluray the making feature
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQkygZdZ_Vk
peter jackson looks very tired.
jesus. Poor Peter. I really can't hate the guy - his heart was absolutely in the right place, but he ran himself ragged to save the production and it wasn't enough. I don't think I can blame him for a lot of the Hobbit trilogy's fault, to be honest.
A Serious Man
Member
My mother gave me her copy of the LotR trilogy when I was a kid and they immediately became my favorite books, so much so I would read them at least once every year. Around 2000 I learned they were making a film trilogy and devoured every ounce of information about it that I could find. I visited theonering.net multiple times every day from this time up until the RotK:EE released. I was a freshman in high school when FotR came out and I watched it on opening day (directly after bombing all my finals because I couldn't focus on anything in anticipation) and came out of the theater absolutely stunned. I had never seen anything like that before, it overwhelmed me and I couldn't even formulate an opinion on it. I went back a few days later and walked out of the theater this time knowing I was in love with it. It's the closest anyone has ever gotten to bringing Tolkien to life on the screen. It captures the feeling of the books, the quiet sense of history behind everything, the tangible weight of that world. I love the next two films as well but neither have the richness of Fellowship. It's one of my favorite films ever.
faceless007
Member
About a year ago I had the opportunity to see the films again with a live symphony orchestra in a concert hall playing the entire score in real time to the movie projected onscreen. It's an enormous undertaking as the score not only calls for a huge ensemble with skilled players in almost every section, but many difficult solo parts, some unusual instruments and percussion (pan flute, dulcimer, whatever the hell metallic percussion they use for the Uruk-hai motif), a full mens and womens choir AND a boys' choir (and notable solo parts for each, including the end credits songs), not to mention the endurance and skill required to play the whole damn thing in one sitting with perfect timing. They're long scores, probably at least 75% of each film's running time is scored, and many sequences like the battles have the whole ensemble playing at full blast for at least 10 minutes without letting up. It would be an intimidating and expensive prospect for any symphony I would think.
And this orchestra just knocked it out of the fucking park and brought my love for the films to a whole new level. Not just because they nailed it on a technical level, but because as much fun as you get from seeing these films in a theater with a lively audience, that experience was amplified a hundredfold with a real ensemble fully bringing you along into the musical world and with an audience even more appreciative and immersed than you would get at the cinema. The battles were even more heart-pounding, the tearjerker scenes were even more poignant, the raw energy of the films was even more affecting and majestic. It's a phenomenal way to experience the story and I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity.
Naturally, it solidified in my mind that Howard Shore's score is one of (it really doesn't make sense to think of it as 3 separate scores) the all-time great film scores, and the trilogy itself as an incredible landmark in American cinema. I am not usually a big fan of the sword and sorcery genre, but PJ transcended whatever preconceived limitations people may have had of it, and gave the films an authenticity and sincerity that made the world and its characters relatable and believable. So many films these days try to be quote-unquote "epic" in scope and think that they can achieve it just by throwings lots of special effects and ominous exposition at the audience. Of course the LotR trilogy has plenty of both, but by surrounding them with a lived-in world with established (and well-acted) characters who could truly convey the stakes of the story they were living in, it actually worked and made the films that much easier to invest yourself in, not just for the raw spectacle, but with the emotions underlying it all.
And this orchestra just knocked it out of the fucking park and brought my love for the films to a whole new level. Not just because they nailed it on a technical level, but because as much fun as you get from seeing these films in a theater with a lively audience, that experience was amplified a hundredfold with a real ensemble fully bringing you along into the musical world and with an audience even more appreciative and immersed than you would get at the cinema. The battles were even more heart-pounding, the tearjerker scenes were even more poignant, the raw energy of the films was even more affecting and majestic. It's a phenomenal way to experience the story and I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity.
Naturally, it solidified in my mind that Howard Shore's score is one of (it really doesn't make sense to think of it as 3 separate scores) the all-time great film scores, and the trilogy itself as an incredible landmark in American cinema. I am not usually a big fan of the sword and sorcery genre, but PJ transcended whatever preconceived limitations people may have had of it, and gave the films an authenticity and sincerity that made the world and its characters relatable and believable. So many films these days try to be quote-unquote "epic" in scope and think that they can achieve it just by throwings lots of special effects and ominous exposition at the audience. Of course the LotR trilogy has plenty of both, but by surrounding them with a lived-in world with established (and well-acted) characters who could truly convey the stakes of the story they were living in, it actually worked and made the films that much easier to invest yourself in, not just for the raw spectacle, but with the emotions underlying it all.
GreenMonkey
Member
Fellowship is a masterpiece and my favorite movie of all time.
I'm a big fantasy geek, but I'm not even a huge fan of Tolkien. The Hobbit is great, but LOTR is bogged down by his mythology building (and yes I know that was really his thing). That said he is the grandaddy of modern fantasy and I respect him for that a lot.
Fellowship the movie is great though. If I'm drunk watching it I'll bitch about some of the changes from the book (IMO book Fellowship is the best part of LOTR also), but overall, it's fantastic and a great movie.
I'm a big fantasy geek, but I'm not even a huge fan of Tolkien. The Hobbit is great, but LOTR is bogged down by his mythology building (and yes I know that was really his thing). That said he is the grandaddy of modern fantasy and I respect him for that a lot.
Fellowship the movie is great though. If I'm drunk watching it I'll bitch about some of the changes from the book (IMO book Fellowship is the best part of LOTR also), but overall, it's fantastic and a great movie.
HollowCentral
Member
15 years later... still haven't seen it.
peanutbutterlatte
Member
The film that made that thread about a potential remake yesterday turn my head in disgust.
I adore Jackson's LotR. I bloody adore it. I could watch these, and fully intend to, until I grow old. Everything about them is just so meticulous and intricate. Is it a perfect adaptation of the book? Not even close, but it keeps the spirit of the book and is an outstanding film in its own right.
I adore Jackson's LotR. I bloody adore it. I could watch these, and fully intend to, until I grow old. Everything about them is just so meticulous and intricate. Is it a perfect adaptation of the book? Not even close, but it keeps the spirit of the book and is an outstanding film in its own right.
Back-In-Black
Banned
What I love is how PJ tracked then down, I think it was Alan Lee who was all but retired and living quietly in the countryside. It took a while for PJ and Co. to track him down and convince him to join the team.
On a separate note, I love how the film keeps much of the dialogue of the books. Most other hack flimmakers would modernize the dialogue, hell even Game of Thrones refuses to use many of the idioms and speech patterns of A Song of Ice and Fire. But, LOTR has those great lines like,
"Why do you recoil? I am no thief."
"We shall have peace… when you answer for the burning of the westfold, and the children that lie dead there. We shall have peace, when the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg, are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows… we shall have peace."
"A man of Rohan? What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and rats roll on the floor with the dogs? Victory at helms deep does not belong to you, Théoden, horsemaster! You are a lesser son of greater sires."
"Last of a ragged House long bereft of lordship."
Death Metalist
Member
Fellowship Of The Ring will always be such a memorable theater experience for me, I went to the midnight showing with my dad and we came out when the sun was slowly rising. I pretty much went home with my face melted and mind blown off. It's a stunning film in every facet.
It's one of the few movies that I went to the theater a couple of times to watch which is very rare for me, only a handful of movies made me do that.
It's one of the few movies that I went to the theater a couple of times to watch which is very rare for me, only a handful of movies made me do that.
Disagree Guy
Member
The second best movie series after Star Wars imo.
The first one (although in my opinion the worst of the three) has that moment that still gives me 'the fizz' every time.
Bilbo talking about the shire - the shire theme playing in the background.
Such a warm positive feeling every time I see that.
The first one (although in my opinion the worst of the three) has that moment that still gives me 'the fizz' every time.
Bilbo talking about the shire - the shire theme playing in the background.
Such a warm positive feeling every time I see that.
[*]Aragorn served under Théoden's father and Boromir/Faramir's grandfather for a short while under the alias Thorongil. Yeah, Aragorn's pretty damn old during the movies, looks can be deceiving
[/LIST]
Yeah, that one gets a mention in Two Towers.
mariachi507
Member
I just started the appendices which is pretty amazing for me because I've never seen them before. I'm typically the type of person that devours special features and docs of films.
Well you're in for a treat because The Appendices are still the gold standard of behind the scenes material. They also make you appreciate the movies so much more.
CaviarMeths
Member
Hmm. Yeah, guess I've got nothing planned for the next 12 hours. Time to watch this entire fucking trilogy again.
On a more serious note, this movie is just phenomenal. Hard to believe that Peter Jackson, who at the time was only known to niche horror fans for his goofy splatter movies, would lovingly craft one of the best movies, and certainly the best fantasy movie, the world had seen.
On a more serious note, this movie is just phenomenal. Hard to believe that Peter Jackson, who at the time was only known to niche horror fans for his goofy splatter movies, would lovingly craft one of the best movies, and certainly the best fantasy movie, the world had seen.
Back-In-Black
Banned
Yeah think the three films are my best ever films really. Was a bit obsessed with them when i was younger and would watch them all the time. Got so bad that i could be out the room with them on and be able to tell you which line is coming up and who is saying what and what happens next. Think the last time i watched them was about 2 years ago so think i need to change that this weekend,
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