Jackson's The Two Towers
Jan. 6th, 2003 05:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
truepennyWent to see the movie again this afternoon with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
heres_luck and MH. Feel insane need to babble about it, so those who abominate the movies, or still need not to be spoiled, avert your eyes.
First of all, I've come to a kind of understanding with myself about these movies. I, personally, don't need the movies to be faithful to the books, because I have the books for that. Nothing anybody does or writes now can harm the books, in the same way that all the tremendously dreadful covers of Beatles songs over the years bounce right off the originals. And, anyway, I wouldn't want the movies to be completely faithful to the books, because they'd be truly shitty movies.
So, I am at peace with the fact that Jackson et al. are modifying the story to suit their needs. It may be, when we finally get The Return of the King, that some of their choices will turn out to be bad choices. But I'm not going to get on their case simply for having made choices.
That said, there are things I love about this movie. I love the opening sequence, with that amazing long shot of the Balrog falling like Lucifer from Heaven. I love the way it's integrated into the story as Frodo's dream.
Gollum is amazing. Somebody had better win awards for Gollum. And, as H.L. said in the car on the way back, the sound design had better get an Oscar, for the fell beasts and that tremendous slow whomp! of the wings, if nothing else.
I love the handling of both Eowyn and Arwen. That shot of Arwen standing at the foot of Aragorn's tomb with her veil billowing around her--I want a poster of that, a great big one. And I am so looking forward to the showdown between Eowyn and the Witch King of Angmar. Words cannot even express.
I am incredibly impressed by Elijah Wood. He's fucking scary--and I don't mean I'm scared for Frodo. I'm scared of Frodo. Seriously scared.
I love Christopher Lee's Saruman-trying-not-to-panic as Isengard is overrun with Ents.
That's probably enough for now. I may get around to a measured, critical response later. Right now I'm still bouncing up and down, overflowing with the Tolkien-Jackson love.
heres_luck and MH. Feel insane need to babble about it, so those who abominate the movies, or still need not to be spoiled, avert your eyes.First of all, I've come to a kind of understanding with myself about these movies. I, personally, don't need the movies to be faithful to the books, because I have the books for that. Nothing anybody does or writes now can harm the books, in the same way that all the tremendously dreadful covers of Beatles songs over the years bounce right off the originals. And, anyway, I wouldn't want the movies to be completely faithful to the books, because they'd be truly shitty movies.
So, I am at peace with the fact that Jackson et al. are modifying the story to suit their needs. It may be, when we finally get The Return of the King, that some of their choices will turn out to be bad choices. But I'm not going to get on their case simply for having made choices.
That said, there are things I love about this movie. I love the opening sequence, with that amazing long shot of the Balrog falling like Lucifer from Heaven. I love the way it's integrated into the story as Frodo's dream.
Gollum is amazing. Somebody had better win awards for Gollum. And, as H.L. said in the car on the way back, the sound design had better get an Oscar, for the fell beasts and that tremendous slow whomp! of the wings, if nothing else.
I love the handling of both Eowyn and Arwen. That shot of Arwen standing at the foot of Aragorn's tomb with her veil billowing around her--I want a poster of that, a great big one. And I am so looking forward to the showdown between Eowyn and the Witch King of Angmar. Words cannot even express.
I am incredibly impressed by Elijah Wood. He's fucking scary--and I don't mean I'm scared for Frodo. I'm scared of Frodo. Seriously scared.
I love Christopher Lee's Saruman-trying-not-to-panic as Isengard is overrun with Ents.
That's probably enough for now. I may get around to a measured, critical response later. Right now I'm still bouncing up and down, overflowing with the Tolkien-Jackson love.
