Despite owning The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings when I was younger - they just didn't catch and hold my attention like Black Beauty and the Three Musketeers did!!
I didn't go and see The Fellowship of the Ring at the cinema, because it just looked like it would be very painful, long and dull!! And this from someone who had to sit through the Barney movie 3 times on one very bad sunday while working at Odeon to live while at Uni!! But, after seeing the making of The Two Towers, I was very interested in seeing the second part, but didn't think it was a good idea to see it without seeing the first part first.
I liked the idea, and the obvious sensibility of filming the whole thing at once, and the obvious genuine affection the characters have for each is probably enhanced by the fact they lived together doing nearly nothing else for 2 years of their lives.
The making of The Two Towers got me hooked. So I got my sister to get me The Fellowship of the Ring on DVD and
the rest is history!
I was not sure how the second part of this amazing story would start considering it starts in the middle of the story, but it works. I also wasn't sure that sitting in a cinema for 3 hours would be a good idea, especially after seeing Die Another Day. I've recently had heart surgery and sitting in one place for so long is a challenge!!!
So, like a sensible girl, I took my painkillers and beta blockers before going into the film, and I can honestly say they were the best 3 hours I have had in ages!! You are dragged back into the story straight away - I think the dream sequence worked as a very short review of the last film.
There was more humour in this story than the first especially from Gollum and Gimli. Though my heart strings were pulled with genuine pity for Gollum - such a tortured soul - fighting his good and bad Gollum sides. It was very effective and an eye opening portrail of schizophrenia. Where was Gimli from - Wales or Scotland?!
The acting by all involved was brilliant - you believed in them, and connected with them, and hoped that they all got what it was they wanted. Viggo Mortensen - can't believe its taken so long for him to get such a fabulous lead role. Have seen him in so many things and think he is an amazing actor.
Despite never reading the books I found the story fairly easy to follow, but beware, there is a lot going on now.... the Fellowship has now spilt up, in the hope of getting the ring to Mordor - Frodo and Sam meet Gollum who shows them the way; Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli travel via Rohan and Helm's Deep; and Pip and Merry meet up with the Ents (tree people) and have their own jolly little adventure. It's like a 3 pronged attack on Sauron and Sauroman and looks like it is going to lead to a fantastic third and final part of the story.
Before i go any further - do Aragorn and Eowyn have eyes for each other in the book or was that just to give some romance to the story?! I personally think we could have done without it! but that's my only gripe.
The main scene in the film which is talked about over and over again is the battle scene at Helm's Deep. I felt sorry for the children they were calling up to fight the Orcs, especially when Aragor shows one of them how to hold a sword and when the camera pans out to the Orcs and you see this mass of warriors heading towards them - definitely a teeth grinding 10 minutes. Definitely a loss of innocence there. I sat there with gritted teeth praying that this would be one battle that Good defeated Evil.
There is a lot more that good be said about the film - the scenery is spectacular, NZ is truly a beautiful country - though very hard to go dolphin watching when you're on a tight schedule!!! ahem!!
Overall, it did not feel like 3 hour film, as you are hooked from the beginning and have no time to check your watch to see how long is left. I came out of the cinema sore - drugs only last so long - but happy. The only thing that does piss me off is the year we have to wait til the final part, especially after seeing the first 2 parts within 2 days of each other!!
For those who have never read the book - make sure you've seen the first one first.
I haven't read the books yet, but plan to do that before the next film comes out. As I usually don't like remakes/butcherings of classic books, I hope reading them doesn't leave me feeling that there is something missing from the film!!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
The Fellowship has broken, but the quest to destroy the One Ring continues. Frodo and Sam ... more
must entrust their lives to Gollum if they are to find their way to Mordor. As Saruman's army approaches, the surviving members of The Fellowship along with peopl...
The Two Towers continues to follow the fortunes of the members of the now divided ... more
fellowship with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John-Rhys Davies) helping to restore some order to the land of King Theodon (Bernard Hill) ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Breath-taking effects, fantastic performances combined with the spirit of Tolkien's work. Disadvantages: One unnecessary veering from the book will upset the Tolkien fans.
Jan 9th, 2003
very helpful by (100%):
