***** The Lord of the Rings: Official Thread *****

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Lathspell
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In reply to PatAg • 7:56p, 9/1/22
AG
That's why, over the years, The Return of the King has lost some of its shine for me. Great? Definitely, but not at #1 for me. Fellowship of the Ring is the better adaptation, imo. The Fellowship is my favorite of the trilogy.

I have no problem with creative adaptation, but i hate when changes are made for the sake of changes.
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wangus12
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In reply to Brian Earl Spilner • 7:58p, 9/1/22
AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:
Bout to pour a cold beer. Let's do this!


Lucky. Waiting for my wife to get home
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Brian Earl Spilner
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8:02p, 9/1/22
AG
Anyone else not able to play the episode?
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StinkyPinky
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8:06p, 9/1/22
AG
See you in an hour
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SpreadsheetAg
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8:12p, 9/1/22
AG
Watching Ep1 now; wish me luck
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black_ice
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 8:49p, 9/1/22
SpreadsheetAg said:
Watching Ep1 now; wish me luck



Is it good!!!?????????
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The Porkchop Express
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In reply to Lathspell • 8:57p, 9/1/22
AG
DallasTeleAg said:
That's why, over the years, The Return of the King has lost some of its shine for me. Great? Definitely, but not at #1 for me. Fellowship of the Ring is the better adaptation, imo. The Fellowship is my favorite of the trilogy.

I have no problem with creative adaptation, but i hate when changes are made for the sake of changes.
Fellowship is the best of the three for me as well because it takes it's time and really loves that scenery. I thinjk we've talked about it before over the years, but the decision to include the statues of the Argonath is the clear definition of "yeah, just because it's amazing" that you put into a movie like that to show how much you love the source material.


Looking forward to seeing Brian, et.al's reviews of it as I probably won't get to watch until at least Saturday.
Life is better with a beagle
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Brian Earl Spilner
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9:10p, 9/1/22
AG
Episode 1 down.

Very solid setup episode, introducing our characters and setting the table. Fantastic visuals, loved that scene at the end of the ship entering the Undying Lands.

Music is solid, not quite Shore level for me but it's just been an hour, so will see how it develops further.

I will say the show feels very Tolkien thus far. Very true to the spirit of his work. I can see why the Tolkien estate supported this project.

On to episode 2.
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StinkyPinky
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9:17p, 9/1/22
AG
Definitely delivered. Attention to detail and thematically it felt like Tolkein. CGI not great, but its minimized so not a huge detractor, and could have done without some of the filler personalities and over dramatic flare, but felt like an 8/10 and glad this is what we've been given.
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YNWA_AG
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9:17p, 9/1/22
AG
What the heck is this falling giant storyline
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FightinTexasAg15
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9:20p, 9/1/22
AG
Galadriel: My hunt for Sauron is just beginning

Elrond:
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Brian Earl Spilner
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9:21p, 9/1/22
AG
Did anyone ever play LOTRO? Just realized the music really reminds me of that game. (And I loved that game.)
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The Porkchop Express
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In reply to Brian Earl Spilner • 9:23p, 9/1/22
AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:
Episode 1 down.

Very solid setup episode, introducing our characters and setting the table. Fantastic visuals, loved that scene at the end of the ship entering the Undying Lands.

Music is solid, not quite Shore level for me but it's just been an hour, so will see how it develops further.

I will say the show feels very Tolkien thus far. Very true to the spirit of his work. I can see why the Tolkien estate supported this project.

On to episode 2.
So happy it delivered for you! Looking forward to my viewing in a few days.
Life is better with a beagle
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Orome
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9:38p, 9/1/22
AG
Enjoyed episode one, enjoyed the world they made. I actually am enjoying the new characters, but I am a little undecided on the portrayed versions of established characters, as of now. Keep thinking wait a minute and doing searches to see if I'm misremembering or if it was a change. but excited to keep watching.
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FightinTexasAg15
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9:53p, 9/1/22
AG
Just finished episode 1. This may be because I went into tonight with very low expectations, but I enjoyed the first episode and thought it was well done. Whether that continues or not we will see but I like the setup.

To the surprise of nobody the amount of money poured into it pays off in the visuals. The show is stunning.

I thought Galadriel and Elrond were well cast. They look close enough to what their movie counterparts could look like at this time. And I thought Elrond (young Ned) did a good job of capturing some of Hugo Weavings mannerisms.

I wasn't sure about the Harfoots but their intro scene was really cool, and I like the costumes they've been given.

Here's hoping it continues to be good
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PatAg
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10:02p, 9/1/22
AG
Thought that was pretty good
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SpreadsheetAg
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10:07p, 9/1/22
AG
My quibbles are minor:
The elves don't look or feel like elves... just humans with pointy ears... for the most part,Jackson's elves were tall, lithe, slender, and always spoke with measured but ethereal quality. Except for Galadriel and the High King ; the other elves were kind of too familiar(?)... maybe we only saw lordly elves in Jackson's movie and not the proletariat.

The harfoots (hardeet?) were alright: fun, quirky, Irish accented. A little hard to swallow that a tribe of apparently 50% blacks and whites didn't have many mixed kids, but that's nitpicking. They're trying to shove in diversity - whatever- they're doing a bad job of making it believable, oh well...

Elrond actor; young Ned; is a decent actor but him not looking anything like later Elrond is really throwing me - maybe I'll get used to it.

Otherwise, decent, entertaining, not bad.

Oh I didn't like Galadriel killing the ice troll; it was slow and the knife strike to the skull at the end had no force or violence to it... but then again Jackson's elves were alike in that regard - all their kills were very clinical, clean, and finesse. So maybe that was the intent.
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MaroonStain
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10:22p, 9/1/22
AG
I am watching. 1st 30 seconds tells me this is well made and intended.
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Lathspell
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 10:24p, 9/1/22
AG
Removed my post to put on the other thread, to avoid spoilers for others.
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Kampfers
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In reply to YNWA_AG • 10:26p, 9/1/22
AG
YNWA_AG said:
What the heck is this falling giant storyline
If I wasn't convinced it was a wizard before he talked to the fireflies, I certainly am now

Although having said that, I'm hardly an expert on the matter, and the arrival of the wizards shouldn't occur until after the intial defeat of Sauron by the last alliance of elves and men, so who knows really
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StinkyPinky
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 10:29p, 9/1/22
AG
Snow troll was my only real problem. CGI not great, but the fight scene in general didn't work because there wasn't much effort compared to what it would really warrant. And the climatic sword twirl was unnecessary and a Hollywood moment (Original LOTR had a few of those as well so not shattering. Again, only real criticism)
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Lathspell
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10:29p, 9/1/22
AG
Wasn't thinking about spoiler stuff, and don't know how to even discuss this show without spoilers. Generally, we have a dedicated thread for a show that is released weekly, and the rule has generally been that discussions about a recently aired episode are fair game.

Since this thread is technically about The Lord of the Rings as a whole, we should probably start a new thread.
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DVC2010
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In reply to Lathspell • 10:35p, 9/1/22
AG
DallasTeleAg said:
The Porkchop Express said:

Yeah as great as the trilogy is they really butchered parts of the Battle of the Pelenaor Fields with Gandalf not confronting the Lord of the Nazgul before the Rohan get there, that terrible shattering of his staff in the deleted scene
Exactly.

I've seen arguments as to who is more powerful at this moment, the Witch King or Gandalf the White, but even Gandalf says he himself is probably the most dangerous being in Middle Earth, save for Sauron himself.

I just hate how they neutered him in that single scene when he was nearly perfect, up until that point.

Coming back to the rest of this thread after I finish Rings of Power, but interrupting to say that Gandalf unequivocally manhandled the Witch King.
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to Kampfers • 10:45p, 9/1/22
AG
Kampfers said:
YNWA_AG said:
What the heck is this falling giant storyline
If I wasn't convinced it was a wizard before he talked to the fireflies, I certainly am now

Although having said that, I'm hardly an expert on the matter, and the arrival of the wizards shouldn't occur until after the intial defeat of Sauron by the last alliance of elves and men, so who knows really


My immediate thought was wizard but I knew it was too early.
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javajaws
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11:19p, 9/1/22
AG
I thought parts of it were great...stunning even. Some special effects were great...some not so much. There were many outdoor scenes with a green screen indoor feel. I thought the Harfoots and Dwarves were somewhat cheesy. The multi racial aspect of each were very distracting and pulled me out of the fantasy realm and onto Broadway.

Not sure they really nailed this. I actually liked the story so far the most though and it's interesting enough to keep watching even with it's flaws. Hoping as they get some episodes under their belt that it will get better.

7/10
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Ben Franklin
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PatAg
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11:28p, 9/1/22
AG
Did I miss a scene with dwarves?
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to PatAg • 11:49p, 9/1/22
AG
Episode 2
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SpreadsheetAg
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11:54p, 9/1/22
AG
Ep2 was much better IMO
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to SpreadsheetAg • 12:00a, 9/2/22
AG
I see a lot of people saying that but i preferred the first one.
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redline248
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12:18a, 9/2/22
AG
My only complaint is this: If you didn't try to make Galadariel sail into the west, you wouldn't have to spend an entire episode with her lost at sea. (All I could think when episode 2 first went to her was "just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Good ol' Dory)


little dwarves ramming each other with giant heads was hilarious and so perfect for dwarves.
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CondensedFogAggie
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12:47a, 9/2/22
Surely she isn't going to just jump into the ocean. Surely there's some dinghy she's going to get in. Surely she isn't thinking about swimming across the whole damn ocean.

Oh well never mind, there she goes.
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PatAg
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In reply to Brian Earl Spilner • 12:58a, 9/2/22
AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:
Episode 2
i did NOT realize there was an episode 2, I just assumed one episode
Guess Im watching that tomorrow
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black_ice
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In reply to javajaws • 6:18a, 9/2/22
javajaws said:
I thought parts of it were great...stunning even. Some special effects were great...some not so much. There were many outdoor scenes with a green screen indoor feel. I thought the Harfoots and Dwarves were somewhat cheesy. The multi racial aspect of each were very distracting and pulled me out of the fantasy realm and onto Broadway.

Not sure they really nailed this. I actually liked the story so far the most though and it's interesting enough to keep watching even with it's flaws. Hoping as they get some episodes under their belt that it will get better.

7/10


The multi racial stuff bothered you?
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SpreadsheetAg
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In reply to black_ice • 8:19a, 9/2/22
AG
black_ice said:
javajaws said:
I thought parts of it were great...stunning even. Some special effects were great...some not so much. There were many outdoor scenes with a green screen indoor feel. I thought the Harfoots and Dwarves were somewhat cheesy. The multi racial aspect of each were very distracting and pulled me out of the fantasy realm and onto Broadway.

Not sure they really nailed this. I actually liked the story so far the most though and it's interesting enough to keep watching even with it's flaws. Hoping as they get some episodes under their belt that it will get better.

7/10


The multi racial stuff bothered you?
I don't think he means he has a problem with multiracial or interracial relationships... per se

But this is world set in times that are apparently supposed to mimic the medieval era - armor, swords, kings, fiefdoms, etc. Multiracial and interracial societies are a modern trend. 700-1200 years ago (as this world emulated), I don't know of many (or any) societies, clans, or kingdoms that were anywhere close to 50/50 or even 30/70 mashups of races.

I get it, we're in a fantasy world where the writers and creators can do as they please, and who are we to say any different? However, injecting a modern or even future world concept (harmonious multiracial society) into a medieval setting (where in our own history these past clans, kingdoms, and societies have been mostly homogenous), is a bit jarring to the observer [but not unacceptable, since were talking fantasy here]

Its the same for me with the elves. I've always imagined them as Tolkien described them - ageless, beautiful, sleek & slender, lithe, athletic, high-cheekboned, narrow-faced, nearly super-human senses - with mannerisms and speech "weighed down by centuries of existence, if not millennia"... However, in this adaptation, it's a bit jarring to see Neanderthal looking humans with pointy ears who appear to be in the 60s (human actor age) cast as these ethereal elves...

Example: Celebrimbor


This actor would have made a great harfoot...
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bluefire579
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8:49a, 9/2/22
AG
Quote:
But this is world set in times that are apparently supposed to mimic the medieval era - armor, swords, kings, fiefdoms, etc. Multiracial and interracial societies are a modern trend. 700-1200 years ago (as this world emulated), I don't know of many (or any) societies, clans, or kingdoms that were anywhere close to 50/50 or even 30/70 mashups of races.
Spain, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans immediately come to mind as areas where you had a large mixture of races
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