I can't wait to see this, but will they be able to top the battle of Helm's Deep?

As for making a Hobbit movie, well there is one. Its just not live action. I remember seeing it a long time back as a kid but there is a version of the book in movie format. Its just animated.

you don't want to read the book? YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE BOOK??!!!!!!! i know many, many people who would very much love to go "mediaeval on your hiney" if they heard you say that...

movies based on books suck. invariably. i don't care how "good" it is, they always screw around with everything and that pisses me off. not to mention that it, in effect, forces their interpretation of the book on you.

forget movies. bah.

hehe.. sorry, i seem to be rather agressive today... :-/ :-D

While I enjoyed reading the Hobbit, I felt that the Trilogy was about 40 times better. The writing style and plot of the trilogy makes the Hobbit seem like it was written for 5th graders. That having been said, a Peter Jackson version of the Hobbit would be neat. As for people complaining about how the movies are not true to the books: what more do you want?!? I think if the movies are fine the way they are. If they were any more ture to the books, they wouldn't make any sense to people new to LotR.

Well, according to the little preview on TTT DVD, Helm's Deep was a skirmish. There were 10,000 orcs there - the Pellinor Fields will be 200,000 strong.

Remember the opening battle in FOTR? Envision that but with more depth and brilliance and you have ROTK battles.

I read the books a long time ago; was still in high school I think. No story before, or since, for that matter grabbed me like that one. I remember reading in a closet with a flashlight to all hours of the night I was so engrossed. So for years I both hoped for and dreaded the making of films telling that story. How could it be done? It's a huge, complex tale and to me every little detail was important, part of what made it so appealing. From the languages, songs, myriad of characters...it all just fit together in the perfect story of good versus evil. Who is qualified to pick and choose what or whom should be in or out? Or, God forbid, to CHANGE things...characters, scenes...BLASPHEMY!!! So as soon as I saw in The Fellowship of the Ring the "expanded" character of Arwen it all went downhill for me. If you know the story it's not too much of a stretch to figure out that the HUGE event that will take place in the beginning of the Return of the King...did not happen that way!!! And that happens to be one of my favorite scenes, along with The Flight to the Ford...also quite different than in the book; well, not what happened but whom it involved...anyone remember Glorfindel??? Not Arwen, the "Warrior Princess"! I'm hoping and praying that I'm wrong...but it seems to be headed that way. ARRRGGGHHH!!! Aragorn is too young and soft-spoken, I remember Gandalf as being more a crotchety old wizard than a kindly one. I think the best cast character was Orlando Bloom as Legolas, the 1 character that was a perfect fit I think. So I find myself practically taking notes...wrong...wrong...never happened...who the heck is that...? when I see the movies and I can't just sit back, relax and enjoy them. I so much wanted them to be perfect, just like the books. My kids talked me into reading the Harry Potter books and I think they did a remarkable job in re-creating that story; not so with The Lord of the Rings. So, I guess I'll go see The Return of the King, but I'm not waiting anxiously for it...tho i SO wish that I was. Think I'll go read The Hobbitt...

Actually the role of Arwen isn't as expanded as most people think it is. If you have the one volume edition of LOTR there is an Appendix that has a little background about the love between Aragorn and Arwen. Glorfindel was not a major character, I don't mind him being replaced. Apparently you must have quit watching after you saw some of Arwen's scenes in FOTR because I thought that Gandalf was quite crotchety (maybe not as crotchety, but still, the essence was captured). Aragorn softspoken? Where? His voice may not be the way you envisioned it, but Viggo Mortensen surely doesn't deliver the lines meekly. Ok, and the too young thing is just dumb, at the time of FOTR in the book, he's supposed to be close to 1,000 years old, how do you make someone look like 1,000 but yet make them a battle leader at the same time, it can't be done! I think the films are brilliantly done, they don't match up to the greatness of the books, but no movie does, or ever will, so just sit back, relax, accept that things will be changed and enjoy the movie.

Man i can't wait to see this movie,it's gonna be awesome. :)

I agree. This is the closest you're ever going to come to seeing the books on the big screen. I suggest setting aside nitpicking and criticism and enjoying the films as presented by Peter Jackson. A person misses much when looking for faults.

I've read The Hobbit a half dozen times. Read the entire LoTR Trilogy 4 times. Loved all 4 books moreso than any other 4 books I can think of. Truly THE MOST AMAZING story ever told.

as for the movies: easily the best possible adaptation one could hope for. PJ has just astounded me. sure, there are differences, but they are mostly subtle and relatively unimportant. as has been mentioned, the ONLY way they could have done the films perfectly true to the books would be to make each one a 6-8 hour film. and it would have taken them 10 years (instead of the 3 they did spend) to film it all. and it would have cost about $2 billion. which means they would have to charge about $50 per seat for theater viewing. (and guess what? I'd still see them the day they came out, but then, Im a LOTR fanatic like you cant believe).

look at it this way. given how shitty a job they COULD have done, lets just all be glad that PJ did a really good job. How bad would a "Hollywood" LOTR have been?

<shudder>

I'd rather blow Gollum than even consider the possibility.



Jackson took something that most would have said was IMPOSSIBLE to film properly and made two (soon to be 3) of the greatest films of all time from it. He is to be praised.

fuckin A!

But do you know what the most amazing thing is Sion? Peter Jackson prior to making LOTR made gore-fest films, people getting ripped apart, heads exploding, cheesy b-movie gore-fests. I'll never understand why they put him in charge of such a huge project but one thing I'm sure of is that I am extremely glad they did.

Did someone contract him to do the films? I always imagined that he had a vision or something of this project that he always wanted to do and he got people to help him do it.

yeah, it was the vision thing- the way I hear it he was using the gore flicks to finance this- all the while building up his store of high tech toys, just waiting for the day he could do it- then he had to risk most of his personal fortune to finance the thing- just goes to show the power of a dream...

P.S. next, he wants to redo king kong....

Be happy people, Mirimax originally wanted the trilogy to be just 2 films, or maybe 1. He took it to New Line and they demanded 3 films. He made the right choice.

And personally, I think the Scouring of the Shire should be reduced for the film. ROTK has the longest wind down of any book I've ever read. The climax of the story happens, and then there is another 100 pages of people going home. Yawn....may work on the page but not on the big screen.

I agree with you. I just wouldn't make for a good movie. It would make all the hardcore book/movie nitpickers mad however.

well the scouring is like another mini story after the big quest, which is a weird way to end a movie. I think the climax should be, well, the obvious climax of the book, and then wrap it up quickly with the parting of the fellowship and the marriage and so forth. Don't start up another story for 20 more minutes.

i've just seen a sneak preview and OMG it looks awesome!
i don't think ive ever been this excited about seeing a film!

I loved The Two Towers but, I can't stand how Frodo has the same look of panic and strain in his eyes for the whole movie.

i heard Scouring of the Shire won't be in ROTK and his tribute for not fitting it in that movie is he scene in fellowhip.

return of the king is going to rock. i want to see how shelob is going to turn out, the little snipet of her in the trailer looks cool.

what scene in fellowship are you referring to?

When Frodo looks into Galadriel's Pool and sees a possible future.

hahaha i noticed the same thing. he smiles like once through the whole thing

You'd have the same look on your face if you had to carry around a Ring that holds all the power, malice, and coercion of Sauron engrained into it.

I've got 20 pages of two towers left to read then I'm on to return of the king. I think I'll be able to finish it before the movie release! I've just got tons of reading for school to do that I keep blowing off (for good reasons! ;) )
-T